I’ve got one late round back that I’m intrigued with so far, Tiyon Evans. I’d love to get him in the 7th. He’s 5’9” and 225 lbs and can fly. He needs to get a little momentum to get going but he’s got a crazy 2nd gear for his size. He’s built solid, shredded with a thick lower body. He’s more of a one cut runner but he can push the pile and lower his shoulder for contact. He transferred from TN and played for Louisville.
I thought this was interesting. Tiyon had one of the worst 10 yard splits at 1.61. Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson both had splits of 1.52 but his time from 10-40 was really good for that weight and size. Here’s a comparison for times from 10-40 and their 40 second and mph last.
Pierce play the game like a coiled spring ready to explode on each snap. He's an urgent runner with twitchy downfield burst, tackle-breaking leg drive and outstanding balance through contact. He reads and reacts to block development quickly and creates additional yardage with both power and subtle shiftiness. Pierce was highly productive (16 total touchdowns) in 2021 despite an embarrassingly low usage rate by the coaching staff. He has plenty of tread left on the tires and fits into any run-blocking scheme as a quality future starter or member of a RB tandem.
Robinson is an absolute physical unit with good feet and power to add yards after contact, but his running style is predictable and somewhat indecisive between the tackles. Building and maintaining momentum doesn't always come easily. He's more fight than flight, but delays in processing and a lack of second-level creativity turn him into more of a road-grader than he needs to be. He is a linear runner who is likely to be utilized as a complementary bulldozer to help wear down defenses, but Robinson might have more potential from sideline to sideline than he receives credit for.
* Has the feet and feel running between the tackles and in the open field. He has very good vision and patience to pick through defenses.
* Doesn't possess elite breakaway speed, but is fast enough to gain yardage in chunks when he finds a seam.
* Difficult to bring down one-on-one in space, regularly sidesteps would-be tacklers and uses offhand to use oncoming defenders' momentum against them without slowing down significantly.
* Shows a surprising burst to beat linebackers to the edge. Can plant his foot in the ground and explode, showing better straight-line speed than expected.
* Demonstrated the ability to track the ball over his shoulder. Good flexibility and balance to adjust to the poorly thrown pass. Good vision and patience for screens.
* Possesses quick feet and straight-line speed but doesn't have the elite burst to be a constant big-play threat. Improving patience as a runner, following pulling guards and makes good decisions on his cut.
* Quick feet with good vision to pick through defenses. He has solid hands and body control and is a reliable receiver.
* Has good vision to find the hole and get North-South. Gets good initial push and always seems to be falling forward for a positive gain. A hard runner with a workhorse-type back mentality.
Hard-charging, high-energy runner with three-down size and potential to compete for a roster spot as a late-round selection. Pacheco plays the game like a race car with no brakes. His feet never stop moving and his furious tempo creates opportunities but also limits his ability to set up defenders and force missed tackles. He processes the front fairly quickly and has the agility to re-adjust his running lanes to create something out of nothing, but he also has a tendency to bounce runs wide too frequently. Pacheco plays the game with an NFL demeanor and could give himself an even better chance of becoming an RB2/3 if he can step up his pass protection and third down value.
By Lance Zierlein
NFL Analyst
NFL Comparison
Carlos Hyde
Overview
Big, bruising runner with good vision and the self-awareness to understand that power running is what will butter his bread. His 2021 productivity fell off from 2020, due in part to health issues, shared carries and average South Carolina run blocking. He creates for himself with contact and tackle-breaking talent, but typically drops and finishes against an open-field tackler rather than avoiding him. He's a chain mover with excellent ball security as a battering ram inside. He will be limited as an outside runner and needs to come off the field on passing downs. Harris has talent and his impressive 2020 was no mirage. He's a good Day 3 option for teams looking to upgrade their power.
Gimme hot, nasty speed in an Andy Reid offense. **** all of that plodding big-back shit.
That’s the point. Pacheco was both. Pacheco had both size and speed and that’s a big part of his success. This draft doesn’t have many big backs with speed. That’s also why I like Tiyon out of Louisville. He’s 5’9” and 225 and runs a 4.5. And I don’t think the 40 is a good indicator of his game speed as long as he’s used properly. If he can get a few steps in before he gets the ball, his speed is nasty. You can see his speed on tape. His 10 yard split was slow but his time from 10-40 was better than Bijan Robinson. So, his second gear is elite, especially considering his size. And he pushes the pile well and is a good one cut runner. [Reply]
Originally Posted by kccrow:
I think he could be, for sure. In terms of size/speed, he's right on par with Tyreek. He just lacks that great vertical. I don't think he's going in the 4th though. I gotta think a team takes him some time on day 2. I'm leaning somewhere between 50 and 75.
I like Gibbs a bit more. He's just a bit bigger, with bigger hands but otherwise pretty similar.
If you watch achane on tape, he takes a ton of little steps. Gibbs is much more fluid and instant with his change of direction, especially in the open field. I think Gibbs plays faster than achane even though achane had a faster 40. And that’s one reason, I was wondering about changing achane’s position. Achane doesn’t get to fully utilize his straight line speed as a rb. He seems to catch well and I wonder if he’d be a better wr than a rb in the nfl. He’s a Smurf so who knows? There’s a ton of these fast little guys and so I wouldn’t be surprised if achane falls to the late third. I’m just not sure that we need another small wr or rb. [Reply]
Originally Posted by O.city:
I'd trade up in the 3rd and take Achane.
For argument sake- what makes Achane different than McCluster, or DeAnthony Thomas? Was Kenneth Gainwell a better or worse prospect coming out of college? Nothing against Achane but I just think it's way too much draft capital for a guy who I think is a complimentary player at best.
Achane to me is an Alex Smith led offense type of pick, where we need to covet YAC and players who have the ability to turn 3-4 gains into 10+. [Reply]
I don’t think we need another little back if we keep mckinnon, unless he’s a big special teams contributor. Mckinnon is so valuable with blitz pickup and just understanding the offense. He has a great rapport with mahomes. I wouldn’t want to loose mckinnon. He’s a td machine.I don’t think we will take a little back before the 5th and with good reason. The argument for converting one of these little backs to a wr like tyreek is interesting but do we gamble that transition before the 5th? I don’t think so. I love Gibbs but he’s the only prospect that I could see us taking sooner just because he’s so dynamic. And id rather have Keaton Mitchell in the 5th than achane in the 3rd. They have a similar skill set but Keaton is a little quicker, not as fast, and his feet are more balanced and less choppy with less wasted steps in change of direction and short area quickness. [Reply]
He's a playmaker that can flip the script, that's the caveat. He's just a different breed. I know everyone loves McKinnon but he's 30. I think you get a more dangerous version of the current McKinnon that also runs the ball alot better. I don't know, if I were faced with that decision it'd be awfully tough for me to pass. I know David Carr said during some draft coverage that KC met with him. Doesn't mean much but he's just a guy to think about.
Originally Posted by kccrow:
This is beyond stupid, which is rare for you.
I legitimately love Gibbs to KC. He's a dynamic offensive weapon.
It’s not that
The position is devalued, more specifically for KC since CEH has essentially been a bust. Given needs elsewhere, no way KC touches RB in round 1 unless Bijan Robinson is sitting there. They’ve been burned once.
Gibbs projects to be a great player, but is not worth that investment. [Reply]