Dynasty Draftnik

Bears, UDFA. LSU: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Slightly below-average size. Average hand size.

Positives: Above-average balance after contact. Good speed, burst and acceleration. Decisive on KR. Fair quickness. Heads upfield quickly on returns. Good stop-and-start ability. Above-average upper-body strength. Adequate lateral quickness.

Negatives: Suspect hands on KR.

Projection: Is the fourth RB on depth chart behind Matt Forte, Michael  Bush and Armando Allen, and only has a small shot at unseating Armando Allen. No need to draft.

Texans, UDFA. Pitt.: Below-average size. Above-average hand size.

Positives: Above-average hands. Very good vision. Above-average speed. Good balance after contact. Fairly patient. Runs with good body lean to enable himself to make good cuts and run through arm tackles. Above-average power and breaks a lot of arm tackles. Adequate hands. Fairly dangerous in the open field. Average upper-body strength. Average athleticism in Combine measures.

Negatives: Injured right ACL in October 2011. DNP in 2012 bowl game — hamstring injury. Charged with assault in November 2012. Suspect balance making cuts and seems to slip often. Not very effective in short yardage, and tends to lean rather than drive through contact. Dances way too much in backfield. Suspect ball security — fumbled ball without a hit in the Shrine Game.

Projection: Is probably the fifth or sixth RB on the depth chart, so he probably won’t make the team. Best bet is another team or the practice squad. No need to draft.

Buccaneers, UDFA. Temple: Short for the position, with slightly below-average bulk. Average hand size.

Positives: Above-average hands and effort on off-target passes. Fair PR fielding decisions. Adequate upper body strength. Good change-of-direction ability. Adequate track speed.

Negatives: Coming off of two knee surgeries in 2011. Hurt knee again in spring 2012 practices, then was permanently dismissed from team in May 2012 and transferred to Temple. Runs slightly out of control. Dances behind line too much. Reportedly had difficulty locating passes in Shrine Game practices. Below-average athleticism in Combine measures.

Projection: Is behind Doug Martin and Mike James on team, so there’s a lot of work for him to do. Not likely to stick on the team, and his best bet may be on a practice squad somewhere. No need to draft.

Buccaneers, UDFA. Purdue: Good height but below-average bulk. Built more like a WR.

Positives: Fairly decisive and has nice burst. Quick feet. Adequate balance after contact. Patient on outside runs. Adequate hands. Adequate body control and can adjust to errant passes. Above-average power and sheds arm tackles. Pops tacklers back. Keeps legs moving through contact. Good game speed and very good track speed. Excellent overall athleticism. Has some agility. Adequate upper-body strength. Willing blocker. Versatile — also worked out at DB at pro day.

Negatives: Has a history of suspect ball security, but has improved. Runs slightly upright. Injured knee in 2012 bowl game.

Projection: Will compete with Michael Smith and Brian Leonard as team’s 3rd-down back, but will probably have to stick around on special teams. Has NFL ability, but he won’t beat out Doug Martin or Mike James, so there’s probably no need to draft.

Vikings, UDFA. SMU: Great size for a HB — adequate FB size. Below-average hand size.

Positives: Good pass blocker. Above-average hands. Above-average body control and adjusts to errant passes. Runs strong and is hard to bring down. Keeps legs churning through contact. Fair cutback vision. Good burst for the size. Adequate hands. Always falls forward for extra yards. Above-average quickness for his size. Protects ball well through the line. Moves forward while cutting. Average speed. Adequate upper-body strength for a FB.

Negatives: Runs a little upright. Has a hard time regaining momentum once he’s made a cut. Though he has FB size, he wasn’t asked to block in college.

Projection: Before the draft, he reminded me of a less-talented version of Toby Gerhart, and now he looks like he’ll be Gerhart’s backup. If he becomes a solid blocker, he’ll have a good chance to contribute as a FB. Would do a capable job if Gerhart goes down, but there’s no need to draft.

Steelers, UDFA. S. Cal.:

Positives: Smooth runner. Tough to bring down. Good speed. Above-average burst. Seems to waste little motion — sees and hits hole effortlessly. Gets low in short yardage. Above-average power and keeps legs moving through contact. Effective jump cut.

Negatives: Below-average ball security and sometimes switches hands while weaving through traffic. Questionable hands.

Projection: Is probably the fifth RB on the depth chart behind Le’Veon Bell, Jonathan Dwyer, Isaac Redman and LaRod Stephens-Howling. No need to draft, but keep an eye on him if he goes somewhere with a less crowded roster.

Chargers, UDFA. Mo. Western: Adequate height but slightly below-average bulk for the position. Above-average hand size.

Positives: Protects ball well through the line. Good vision and patience. Runs a little upright in the open field. Good change-of-direction ability. Good body lean through contact and runs strong through contact, keeping his legs churning and breaking arm tackles. Above-average balance after contact. Adequate speed. Above-average burst. Very good second effort. Lowers shoulders consistently for extra yards. Above-average upper-body strength.

Negatives: Comes from a Division-2 school, so speed of NFL could hurt him.

Projection: Will compete for a backup position but has the physical ability to contribute solidly if/when Ryan Mathews gets hurt. Worth a late draft pick, but don’t expect much right away.

Eagles, UDFA. Stony Brook: Slightly below-average size. Below-average hand size.

Positives: Adequate speed. Adequate upper-body strength. Above-average burst. Runs with good pad level. Above-average cutback vision. Protects fairly well through the line. Good second effort and balance after contact. OK hands and fairly nimble on sidelines.

Negatives: Below-average overall athleticism.

Projection: Will compete with Chris Polk, Bryce Brown, and fellow rookie Matthew Tucker. Of those, I think he is probably third behind Tucker and Brown. Has plenty of NFL ability as at least a backup, but his best shot may be on another team. No need to draft.

Jacksonville St.: Slightly below-average size. Average hand size.

Positives: Adequate speed. Gives good effort. Fairly quick feet. Runs with good lean and keeps legs churning after contact. Burrows through line in short yardage situations. Always moving forward. Above-average power and breaks a lot of arm tackles. Fair stop-and-start ability. Above-average burst. Adequate hands. Fair pass blocker. Bounces off tacklers. Finishes runs with power. Above-average quickness. Fights hard for yards after contact and gives excellent second effort. Changes directions fairly well. Above-average cutback vision.

Negatives: Tends to body catch. Arrested for drug possession in September 2012.

Projection: Has NFL abilities but wasn’t immediately signed by any team following draft. Has a chance to stick on a roster as a backup.