Dynasty Draftnik

Seahawks, 6th round. LSU: Junior who has declared for 2013 NFL Draft. Above-average size.

Positives: Fair vision. Very good hands in traffic. Above-average balance after contact. Good body lean. Above-average power. Adequate pass blocker. Runs low in short yardage. Average speed and burst. Above-average overall athleticism.

Negatives: Below-average upper-body strength.

Projection: Enters a packed RB depth chart in Seattle with Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin, and Christine Michael ahead of him. Has the skills to be a solid player in the NFL, but it will probably have to be for another team. No need to draft, but keep an eye on where he lands — he would be a nice addition to a lot of teams.

Bengals, 6th round. Neb.: Adequate size. Above-average hand size.

Positives: Keeps legs churning. Good hands and can snag passes away from body. Sets up blockers well in open field. Adequate burst and agility. Fairly quick and elusive in the open field. Protects ball well. Fair balance. Fairly decisive. Adequate upper-body strength. Very good explosiveness and lateral quickness. Very good change-of-direction ability.

Negatives: Below-average speed. Sprained left MCL in first game of 2012 and missed several games.

Projection: Enters Bengals team with established starter in BenJarvus Green-Ellis and excellent rookie RB Giovani Bernard, and likely won’t beat out either of them for touches. Will also compete with Bernard Scott for backup position for 3rd-down RB role. Similar game to Scott and it’s a tossup which one wins the battle. Not much immediate value, but could become a solid contributor in years to come.

Buccaneers, 6th round. Miami: Above-average size. Above-average hand size. Below-average hands.

Positives: Has Wildcat QB experience. Above-average hands and can extend well. Gets very low through line. Good burst and acceleration. Good patience. Good cutback vision. Keeps legs going after contact. Above-average speed. Finishes runs with power. Nice short-yardage back. Fairly good body control. Adequate burst. Willing and adequate run blocker. Good upper-body strength.

Negatives: Not very elusive. Slow to change direction. Lowers head and lunges at defender as a run blocker.

Projection: Won’t ever supplant Doug Martin as the top back there, but will be a solid backup to him, likely replacing the departed LeGarrette Blount. And, if Martin goes down, James will be a nice replacement. Draft as a definite handcuff to Martin and possibly an RB4 in his own right. Could be an RB2 if he starts.

Panthers, 6th round. Ore.: Below-average size. Average hand size.

Positives: Average upper-body strength. Above-average speed. Good hands. Good body control for off-target passes. Above-average acceleration, burst, and agility. Patient. Fair cutback vision. Adequate power and breaks some arm tackles. Above-average balance after contact. Very quick feet. Fair pass blocker who keeps his base after contact.

Negatives: A little indecisive in short yardage opportunities. Upright through the line. Hesitant on inside runs and dances too much behind the line. Lack of size will likely prevent him from being consistently effective as a blocker at next level. Though he exhibited good hands overall in college, he dropped two fairly easy ones in the Senior Bowl game.

Projection: Will be stuck behind DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart at the outset, but could eventually work his way into rotation. Has the blocking skills to be a solid 3rd-down back. Draft as RB5 with RB3 potential if he starts.

Dolphins, 5th round. Fla.: Good height but slightly below-average bulk for the position. Average hand size.

Positives: Very solid pass blocker. Average speed, burst, and vision. Has quick feet.

Negatives: Below-average upper-body strength. Built more like a WR than a RB. A little upright and is knocked down easily. Seems a little hesitant to press the line. Inconsistent hands. Below-average balance. Not much power. Suspect ball security and holds ball too low through the line. Below-average lateral quickness in Combine measures. Though he has quick feet, he doesn’t seem to be willing to change direction.

Projection: I don’t see him as an improvement over any of the team’s current RBs backing up Lamar Miller, but he’s no worse, either. If he makes the team, I don’t expect him to succeed consistently.