Dynasty Draftnik

Ravens, UDFA. Anyone with his speed will get a chance to make a team, and he has enough running skills to be able to stick on a practice squad somewhere even if it’s not on the Ravens. Despite his great speed, he was never used as a returner – a shame with that kind of speed. I don’t expect him to have consistent success in the NFL, but I would love to see him get a chance on special-teams somewhere.

Positives: Good height. Runs with very good speed and was his team’s 100-meter track champion. Has enough speed and vision to be able to bounce runs outside if the middle of the line is clogged. After contact, he has above-average balance. Above-average power for his size, and is able to lower his shoulder for extra yards. Isn’t easy to bring down, and generally falls forward after contact. Adequate quickness and change-of-direction ability. Above-average upper-body strength.

Negatives: Though he has good height, he has a very slight build, and is built much more like a smaller wide receiver. Below-average vision for cutback lanes, and consistently misses opportunities on inside runs. As you would expect from a track star, he has much better straight-line speed than quickness. Below-average ball security, and he holds the ball too low going through the line and when contact is coming. Inconsistent hands when he has to extend. Questionable desire to play football, and he competed in track instead of football for 2012.

Projection: Behind five or so other RBs on the Ravens, there’s no need to draft him. For leagues counting return yardage, keep an eye on him in the preseason.

Jaguars, Round 7. Was a redshirt junior. Transferred from Miami in 2012. Ranked as my number-8 RB going into the draft, he went much later than I expected, which was Round 4. Looks like a potential solid contributor in a committee approach with Gerhart and also has a good enough combination of quickness and power to develop into a pro two- or three-down back.

Positives: great height for the position. Runs with above-average speed and good quickness. Changes directions well. Has above-average patience, vision, decisiveness, and burst – a combination that lets him quickly knife through the line and get to the second level with just a small seam. Stays on the hips of his blockers to wait for blocks to develop. Above-average power and runs tough, with a strong lower body and good body lean. Churns through contact well, getting low through contact and easily breaking arm tackles. Above-average balance after contact and always falls forward for extra yards. Adequate hands.

Negatives: slightly below-average bulk for the position and for his height. Built more like a wide receiver than a running back. Below-average track speed for the position. Suspect balance making cuts and tends to let his legs get out of line with his shoulder and slip. Gets tripped up fairly easily at the line and needs to run with his knees pumping higher. Consistently questionable ball security – holds the ball in one hand on the goal line and through traffic. Though his hands are adequate, he has some trouble extending for passes away from his frame. Below-average upper body strength. Injured hamstring at March Pro Day.

Projection: In dynasty leagues, he’s worth drafting late in the second round as a 2014 RB4 with RB2 potential in 2015 and beyond.

Browns, Round 3. Was a junior. I expected him to go in Round 4 – which would have been pretty amazing for an underclass FCS running back anyway – but he goes even earlier. On the Browns, he should be a solid contributor in a committee approach with Ben Tate and has the power and enough quickness and speed to be an effective workhorse runner in the NFL if he’s needed.

Positives: Good bulk for the position. Adequate hand size. Runs with adequate speed and quickness. Above-average burst, and surprising for his size. Has above-average cutback vision behind the line and in the open field, and is patient, waiting for blocks to develop. Good balance, and the changes directions well even in the snow. Runs with good power and leg drive, churning very well through contact. Will usually break at least one tackle per run and drag tacklers forward for extra yards – usually can’t be brought down by one person. At the end the runs on the sidelines, he seems unwilling to go out of bounds, and will lower his shoulders to drive through defensive backs for extra yards. Decisive and doesn’t waste much motion going sideways. Is always moving forward even when he is making moves – and he moves well laterally post behind the line and in the open field. Good effort on off target passes and has adequate hands. Highly productive at the FCS level, and he ran for 2400 yards in 2013.

Negatives: Slightly below-average height for the position. Below-average upper body strength. Though he was dominant in 2013, it was against a lower level of competition.

Projection: If he works on his blocking and his route running, he could develop into a high RB2. Worth drafting in dynasty rookie leagues in the 2nd round as an immediate RB3 with RB2 potential.

Titans, Round 2. Was a junior. I expected him to go a little later than he did – in Round 3 – but I wasn’t far off, and it was probably about where most analysts thought he deserved to go. But I’m not as big a fan of him as most. Most of his abilities are only adequate or above average, and he doesn’t do anything so well that he’s a can’t-miss prospect. Still, he’s a solid prospect. He goes to a situation where there’s no clear-cut RB ahead of him, with just Shonn Greene and Dexter McCluster to take carries away from him, so I expect him to have fair NFL success.

Positives: Though his height and weight are slightly below-average, he has a solid build. Above-average hand size. Runs with adequate speed and quickness and above-average burst. Above-average track speed for the position. Good upper body strength, and very good for his size above-average vertical leap. Above-average cutback vision and is a patient runner who waits for blocks to develop. Runs very smoothly – changes directions well and with almost no transition. Fairly nimble and shows good balance after contact. Gets low in short-yardage situations and keeps legs churning for extra yards. Above-average hands. Above-average ball security technique and he protects the ball well through the line. Is a willing downfield blocker. Was also a wildcat quarterback.

Negatives: Slightly below-average height and bulk for the position. His patience sometimes borders on indecisiveness, and he is late to get through the hole. Though he shows good effort, he has below-average leg drive and doesn’t break many tackles. Isn’t a very effective blocker, and he tends to lunge at defenders and miss them instead of keeping his base and finding leverage.

Projection: I can absolutely see him as worth a late-first-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts with RB2 potential.

Chiefs, Round 4. Was a junior. I expected him to go a little earlier than he did because of his pure speed, but he isn’t built for a feature back role. Will have to be part of a committee approach on the Chiefs, especially since they have Jamaal Charles ahead of him. Luckily for him, Charles is probably the only Chiefs back ahead of him. If he can learn how to block and show a willingness at it, he could be a very effective third-down back for the team – a Darren Sproles in the making.

Positives: Runs with great speed and also ran track for his school. Very good burst, quickness, and ability to change directions. Very good stop-and-start ability. Has very good balance and is nimble after catches on the sidelines. Good, natural hands. Has good body control and can extend and adjust very well to off-target passes. Generally good routes and is very crisp in and out of his breaks. After the catch, he picks his way through traffic very well and with good agility and creativity. Decisive on kick returns, and heads upfield very quickly with very little east-west motion. Willing and adequate blocker on kick return.

Negatives: Short for the position, with a very slim build. Small hands. Week upper body. Not very effective on runs between the tackles, and runs too upright up the middle. At times, he runs a little bit out of control. Cuts some of his routes short. Has a history of poor blocking. Injured right ankle in September 2013 and missed three games, and was affected by it all year.

Projection: Draft in the 3rd round in dynasty rookie drafts – higher if return yardage is counted.