Darwin Thompson Prelim Report

	A	D	G	I	J	K	M	N	O
1		Darwin Thompson
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8							Grading Scale		Grade Assigned
9	Darwin Thompson	Age 22	Low/Medium/High: I'Tavius Mathers (Low) - Duke Johnson (Medium) - Christian McCaffrey (High)				Hall of Fame Caliber		9.0 - 10
10	Running Back	5'8"					All-Pro		8.0 - 8.999
11	Utah State	198 pounds	Side notes: Transferred to Utah State from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (JUCO). Hails from Jenks, OK. Unranked running back recruit coming out of JUCO according to ESPN.				Pro Bowler		7.0 - 7.999
12	Junior	Hands - 8 3/8" Arms - 29 3/4"					Quality NFL Starter		6.0 - 6.999
13							NFL Starter		5.0 - 5.999
14	Ability to Create Yardage (30 points): Limited recovery ability once he loses his footing. Agility isn't outstanding, but he can make most cuts work. Prefers jump cuts to sticking his foot in the dirt when functioning as a runner. More of a "survive by any means" runner than a "make you miss" runner. Disappears in the mix on interior runs. Reacts fast enough to avoid backfield penetration if his line falters. Has the requisite body control that teams are looking for in a back. Won't quit until the whistle is blown; mind is always willing. Has no shortage of effort in his play. Unable to sell defenders on his movements and play deceptively. Attacks leverage points against defenders rather than meeting them center mass. Physical gifts suggest a high ceiling if he can end up reaching it. No feature back potential, but could be a great committee guy.	Speed (15 points): Running style isn't explosive but he has acceptable burst in the first 5-10 yards. Comfortably gets to the linebackers and presses for big play potential. Can turn the corner on linebackers who don't come in at proper angles. Stop/start ability is not outstanding, but his brakes work well enough to avoid rear-ending his own linemen. Speed towards the boundary is likely going to be enough for avoiding snags. Does not own the burst to warrant bouncing everything outside. Shorter stride is overcome by roadrunner feet in the open. Maintains most of his momentum through changes of direction, as long as he isn't contacted. Easily defeated most Mountain West defensive backs in a pure race, but his testing numbers will be a huge factor in his draft stock.	Power (15 points): Undersized frame is going to draw questions about ability to handle NFL power. Does not have room to add more weight and improve functional strength. Runs with some attitude even though he can't outmuscle linebackers. Not a feasible option as a between the tackles ball-carrier in the pros. Drops his pad with timing and tries to get leverage against tacklers. Unable to shake off guys if they begin the tackle process; can't run through wraps. Uses a stiff arm to keep distance and avoid clean shots. No pile pushing ability prevents him from gaining dirty yards. Usually stays on his feet through arm tackles if they don't wipe out his lower half, although his balance is often disrupted by them. Drives his legs once he gets tangled up. Gets stopped dead in his tracks by harder hitters.		Vision (15 points): Takes what the defense gives him rather than seeking out big play opportunities. Follows his lead blocker well. Peripheral vision allows him to manage distance well. Downhill running style maximizes his skill set. Processing speed is sufficient. Easy adjustments laterally take him away from potential breakthrough. Changes lanes without any delay or second guessing; no hesitation once he reaches the line of scrimmage. Confidence doesn't waver even when things aren't going according to plan. Good feel for pacing his runs and keeping in time with blockers. Not a particularly imaginative runner, but if there's a hole he'll attack it. Hesitant to really open up his speed unless he gets a clear runway towards the endzone. Always goes for the shortest path, not necessarily the best one.		NFL Backup		4.0 - 4.999
15							Depth Player		3.0 - 3.999
16							Potential Practice Squad		2.0 - 2.999
17							Potential Camp Roster		1.0 - 1.999
18							Out of Football		0 - 0.999
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20							Kent Lee Platte's RAS		Pro Day Scores
21							40-yard dash: 4.53 seconds		7.33
22							Bench Press: 28 reps		9.87
23							Vertical Jump: 39 inches		9.44
24							Broad Jump: 126 inches		9.36
25							3-cone drill: N/A
26							20-yard shuttle: N/A
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28	Pass Blocking & Receiving (15 points): Fleet-footedness allows him to mirror defenders on their way in; keeps square with his target and stays ready to adjust. Acceleration allows him to grab up first downs when targeted out of the backfield. Inexperienced working in the slot and should only be considered an option out of the backfield early on as a pro. Will get simply overpowered by pass rushers if he is forced to work one-on-one. With proper coaching and practice he should be able to shake off most linebackers in coverage. Decent hands catching ability. Comfortable reeling in passes that come in outside of his frame. Very active eyes as a pass blocker; ready to jump into action anywhere inside of the pocket. Timing and hand usage need improvement as a blocker.	Relative Athletic Score (10 points): Weight and height scores of 0.85 and 2.96 drag down his overall quite a bit, but he still ended up in elite territory with his testing. Slightly slower 40-yard dash than expected. Decision to not do agilities is an interesting one. Pro day performance may have punched his ticket for getting drafted.	Ability to Create Yardage: 12 points	Speed: 12 points		Power: 7 points	College Statistics
29							Key: A - Attempts Y - Yards TD - Touchdowns R - Receptions
30							Freshman Year	Rushing: N/A
31			Vision: 9 points	Pass Blocking & Receiving: 9 points		Character & Meds: 10 points	Freshman Year	Receiving: N/A
32						RAS: 8.05	Sophomore Year	Rushing: N/A
33						RAS: 8.05	Sophomore Year	Receiving: N/A
34		Character & Injury Concerns (10 points - DEDUCT ONLY): No off-field or medical concerns in his background. Media interviews are fine. Size may make teams worry about how much he can be used in the pros, but he's built well enough to handle the damage.	Final Grade (Total /10): 5.705 - NFL Starter				Junior Year	Rushing: 153A-1044Y-14TD
35							Junior Year	Receiving: 23R-351Y-2TD
36							Senior Year	Rushing: N/A
37			Final Ranking:	RB #4 of 30		3rd Round Value	Senior Year	Receiving: N/A
38							Total Stats	Games Played: 13
39								Rushing: 153A-1044Y-14TD
40								Receiving: 23R-351Y-2TD
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42	The Book on Thompson	Games watched: Michigan State (2018), Wyoming (2018) - Tape Review Date: 2/8/19
43	The Book on Thompson
44	A one year wonder at the FBS level, Thompson came to Utah State by way of Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Despite that single year at the FBS level, Thompson deemed it fit that he make the jump up to the NFL level immediately after his junior year. While he didn't have outrageous production during his single year, he did post over 1000 yards rushing and looked like one of the more explosive weapons in the Mountain West Conference. On the field Thompson is a bit undersized, but he plays much stronger than you'd expect for his weight class. The long speed is the first thing that jumps out with Thompson's tape, as he can take most runs to the house if he gets a clear running lane. Some faster linebackers might be able to catch him, but he can erase angles and get past the majority of college defenders. While he only ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at the Utah State Pro Day, Thompson had much better wheels on tape. Whether or not that speed translates to the pro game is going to be a key part of whether or not the can find success moving forward. There are going to be some comparisons to Phillip Lindsay given the undersized build and roadrunner long speed, but Thompson might be a more complete back. He drops his pads in ways that Lindsay did not, and while he will get taken out by most good tackles, Thompson is able to avoid clean shots and fall forward for additional yardage. His vision isn't outstanding, and that may just be linked to his inabiliy to make guys straight up miss with his running style. Thompson is reliant on following his blocks and maximizing the yardage that's directly in front of him. When he asked to deviate from that path and find his own lanes his success begins to fall off. Thompson's jump cuts are nice, but he isn't the type of runner who can stick his foot in the dirt and make sharp changes of direction to shake would-be tacklers. Thompson might end up having to make his bones in the pros as a weapon on passing downs. His problems with going in between the tackles might force teams to target him coming out of the backfield as a receiver. He's not dynamic after the catch, but the ability to accelerate and cover ground in short time should give him a fair amount of yards when he does catch passes. As a pass blocker there are going to be size concerns, as he could get overwhelmed by free rushers. He's an active blocker who brings his all when he has to take on defenders. It might not be the prettiest from a technical standpoint, but he has the effort that is going to buy his quarterback a little bit of time. His catching ability isn't a standout trait, but it should suffice. If he gets thrown to he'll catch anything inside of his frame. Thompson's lack of feature back ability is likely going to push him down boards, but he should draw consideration in the mid-late portions of the third day. He'll be a rotation back, but should have productive career in the league.
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