2025 NFL Draft Running Back Scouting Report (Part 1) - Ashton Jeanty, Bhayshul Tuten, Brashard Smith, Cam Skattebo, and Corey Kiner
Hey all,
This post may come as a surprise but I’m finally covering positions that aren’t quarterbacks again! Sorry for the delay in getting other positions posted. The quarterbacks are the most time intensive so I just wanted to focus on getting them done with before moving to other positions.
So, I’ll first be doing in-depth evals of my top 35 RBs of the 2025 NFL Draft. I felt like it would have been information overload to do this all in one video so I’m planning to break it up a bit and have it in 7 parts with each part being uploaded about every other day for the next couple of weeks and going through the backs in alphabetical order by first name. After that, I’ll be covering all the rest of the positions starting with my top 50 wide receivers.
As usual, I have a video below if anyone prefers to watch the video version of the eval. Also, before the evals, I have some background on the grading and recent changes for reference.
For anyone new to my running back evals, I evaluate running backs based on their contact balance, elusiveness, receiving, pass blocking, vision, ball handling, future role, and their athleticism or RAS score and then will take the average of each score to a final average grade or score. If you followed my evals last year, the way I grade each category is about the same but the big change I did is I no longer factor their athleticism or RAS score into their grade.
I looked at my rankings with this grading scale the past couple of years and while they are good at identifying some talent, I noticed some misses of players I did like when watching their film. I then looked back at my rankings in previous years before I implemented this grading system and I felt like they were actually more accurate than what I’ve done recently with hits on players like Jonathan Taylor as my RB1 and fading AJ Dillon in 2020 and in 2022 having Kyren Williams as my RB3 and fading Dameon Pierce. I noticed a common correlation between what likely shifted my rankings based on what I saw on film and where they fell in my final rankings was their athleticism or RAS grade shifting their grade with athletic, less polished backs being elevated and some of the bigger body, slower backs who have more polish and well-roundedness fade in the rankings. That would have happened to Kyren Williams had I used this grading back then and hit Bucky Irving last year as he was my RB2 before the combine based on his film and plummeted to my RB7 afterward. I also noticed Devon Achane drop in my rankings as well so with a sample of at least 3 quality backs who either did have their grade drop or would have, I knew it was time to make a change.
Now I still have it included here because I do think it’s still important to consider so now what I will do is have each player either with a green, yellow, or red flag. A green flag means their RAS score falls between 8 to 10, yellow means it falls between 6 to 8, and red falls under 6. The flag results don’t factor into their final score but are there for reference to consider if athleticism could be a barrier or could help them reach their potential.
As for the rest of the categories, they are all still included in the final grading and are mostly qualitative measures other than ball handling. Ball handling is based on a scale I’ve used the past couple of years based on the average fumble rate of NFL starters. So it does have a bit of context and isn’t just a random grade I decided to arbitrarily throw out. The majority of the qualitative measures are probably self-explanatory but I do want to explain how I grade future role since I think that is a bit more vague. My future role grade is a bit of a summary of the prospect. Do they have great athleticism, are they a capable pass catcher, do they have great vision, how is their contact balance and elusiveness, and will they be a liability on passing downs? Based on how they are in each category will determine their grade for future role.
So sorry for the long explanation. I wanted to explain my general process for new readers and for readers who are interested in any changes I’ve made. Now, let’s get the series started with the likely top back of the draft, Ashton Jeanty!
Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Height: 5’9”; Weight: 211 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 21 years and 4 months
Class: Junior
Overall Grade: 3.29/4 (Top Tier Prospect)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 374 carries; 2601 yards; 29 touchdowns; 4 fumbles
Receiving: 33 targets; 23 receptions; 138 yards; 1 touchdown
Vision: B+
Contact Balance: A-
Elusiveness: A-
Receiving: A-
Pass Blocking: C+
Ball Handling: B-
Future role: A-
RAS: Green Flag
Strengths:
Contact balance
Elusiveness
Receiving upside
Experience in zone and gap schemes
Smooth athlete with big play potential
Areas of Improvement:
Short yardage situations
Ball security
Pass blocking
Cuts sometimes lack explosion of great backs
Clean up decision making in zone runs
Comp: Maurice Jones-Drew
After having one of the best seasons of all-time by a running back, Ashton Jeanty feels like a lock to be the #1 running back in most rankings. I definitely think Jeanty should be the top back in this year’s class and outside of his raw statistics, his great athleticism and acceleration are a big reason why he was so successful. He didn’t have many opportunities since he was the focus of defenses but when he was given an opening, he could burst through and break off a big gain. When space is more limited, his great strength and center of balance show with his ability to stay up through contact and pick up extra yards. He is also able to do this thanks to his tendency to keep his legs churning while still maintaining a good base to keep himself upright. He is also pretty solid at timing his movements to manipulate defenders to minimize head-on contact and have an easier job sliding off their tackle. As a rusher, he showed versatility running at a near 50/50 rate of zone and gap run schemes and looked comfortable and confident in both. I would say he seems to do his best work in gap schemes when he can get downhill quickly and use his contact balance and elusiveness to make a defender miss and pick up a huge gain. That being said, he isn’t a liability in zone schemes as he has a good eye for cutback lanes. He is also great at hugging his blocks and has a good eye for the leverage of his blocks and knowing when and where to attack. He’s also able to let openings form by running with good tempo. What may be a bit of a controversial take of mine that I strongly feel isn’t a liability of his is his pass catching ability. He wasn’t very involved in the pass game this season but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if part of the reason was due to Boise State recognizing the stat totals he was putting up and doing what they could to win while also helping his Heisman argument. Tangent aside though, he already showed the capability of being a strong contributor as a pass catcher making 43 receptions on 48 targets with no drops for 569 yards and 6 touchdowns. In the limited opportunities he had this year, he confidently caught the ball with good hand technique and showed the ability to attack balls away from his frame. He also looked comfortable tracking the ball through traffic and had a very smooth transition going from pass catcher to rusher. While I would say he doesn’t look as comfortable as a pass blocker, there is a foundation to work with. Though he is small, he is technically clean on a number of reps and does a good job identifying his assignment and getting square with his target.
So as I mentioned, Jeanty should be viewed as the top back of the class but he definitely isn’t a perfect prospect and arguably isn’t one of the top 5 backs of the past 10 years despite what he accomplished this year. One of the things that will hold him back in the NFL is his size. At the time of writing this, it’s before the combine so I don’t have official measurements. However, he has been listed as 5’9” for the 2024 season and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is closer to 5’8” in his official measurements. That size doesn’t make it impossible to be a lead back, but it does complicate things as we even saw in his 2024 season. Around the goal line, despite having fantastic contact balance and elusiveness, he can struggle to generate consistent push in short yardage situations which may decrease his opportunities in the red zone at his size. Also, his size also shows up in his pass protection as he can really struggle if he doesn’t get his feet set up appropriately leading him to get steamrolled sometimes. Also, he will sometimes try to compensate for his smaller size by lunging which leads to limited success. In general, I think he just struggles to get proper leverage and pop which further reduces his block sustainability at his size. Outside of limitations caused by his size, he will absolutely need to do a better job protecting the ball. Jeanty did a better job protecting the ball this season with a fumble rate of once per about every 99 touches which is pretty solid. However, in 2023, he had a fumble rate of once per about every 53 touches which is significantly worse and would have graded out at a D per my scale. So, if he continues to hold onto the ball like he did in 2024, then it may not be an issue. However, if he fumbles at a rate like he did in 2023, then it’s fair to be concerned if he could be at risk of losing touches down the road. I’d also like to see him clean up his vision and decision making a bit. At times, he can either get stuck in the habit of ducking his head against contact or be a bit delayed in his moves to cleanly avoid the tackle. I think that issue popped up the most in his zone runs and I also noticed he can also default to unnecessarily bouncing a number of zone runs outside. I know it was hard for him since he consistently faced loaded boxes and had little breathing room, but I would like to see a bit more creativity from him as a rusher. I think what could help leave room for that creativity is getting a bit more explosive in his cuts. His cuts aren’t bad by any means, but if you compare the quickness and explosiveness of a back like Jahmyr Gibbs or Devon Achane, Jeanty’s are clearly a step below. I think he can work to add a bit more explosiveness by working to maximize his balance and be able to pop off his cut rather than simply change direction.
While there are concerns about Jeanty’s size translating to the NFL, it’s hard not to like him as a prospect. He proved to be a dominant rusher this season and showed his prowess as a pass catcher in 2023. While he has holes in his games, teams can gameplan around them and work to maximize his immense talent. The biggest thing that worries me is his fumbles but those aren’t always sticky stats and are things players can quickly improve in. If he continues to be the dominant rusher and a team gives him more pass catching opportunities, we may be looking at a back who could quickly establish himself as a top 10 back in the NFL. As for a comp, I’m kicking myself for using Aaron Jones as a comp last year since I think he’s a pretty perfect comp for Jeanty. So, I instead have Maurice Jones-Drew as Jeanty’s comp. Similar to Jeanty, Jones-Drew is a great athlete with fantastic contact balance and elusiveness that helped him overcome his smaller size. Both also have an impressive tendency to keep their strong legs churning to shake off tackle attempts that would normally take down a back nearly half a foot taller than them. Also, both have a lot of potential as pass catchers if given the opportunity. Maurice Jones-Drew still found a way to be a consistent force in the NFL despite the limited talent around him and needing to overcome his size limitations and I think Jeanty could do the same. If he is able to become more efficient in short yardage and pass blocking situations, it’s hard not to see him becoming a force for an offensive unit.
Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
Height: 5’9”; Weight: 206 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 2 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2.62/4 (May Have a Future Role)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 183 carries; 1159 yards; 15 touchdowns; 4 fumbles
Receiving: 27 targets; 23 receptions; 81 yards; 2 touchdowns
Vision: A-
Contact Balance: B+
Elusiveness: A
Receiving: C+
Pass Blocking: C-
Ball Handling: D
Future role: C+
RAS: Green Flag
Strengths:
Burst and speed
Nuance to vision
Eye for cutback lanes
Creativity in open space
Balance despite size
Areas of Improvements:
Low volume of gap runs
Ball security
Limitations as pass catcher
Pass protection
Size limitations
Comp: Johnathan Franklin
At the time of writing this, Bhayshul Tuten is one of the hottest sleeper candidates in the running back position. There is a good reason for this as he has some of the best and nuanced vision in the class. He is so good at pressing the line to use his burst to win on the outside. He also has a good understanding of how to best use tempo in his rushes to give his blocks time to develop and adjust the course of the linebackers and safeties. Also, he can balance taking runs outside and breaking runs inside and knows when to go to each. When an opening does appear, he has a great eye for cutback lanes and can quickly attack them. Even if the opening is small, he can get skinny through the hole and does a good job hugging his blocks to maximize his gain. In general, he has such a great eye to find the most optimal route to get the most out of all his rushes. While he likes to use a jump cut, he understands the importance of finishing his runs moving upfield to try to at least break even on runs. When he gets out into open space, he shows off his creativity and great change of direction ability to make defenders miss. He has great timing in his cuts and has explosion in his cuts to consistently make defenders miss. If he’s not able to escape defenders, he has good awareness to alter his angle to minimize head-on collisions to minimize the blow. That along with his great footwork allows him to keep his balance. His height helps with it but he also runs with great pad level to help him consistently finish runs going forward. On passing downs, he has reliable hands when the ball is on his frame. Also, he has good peripheral awareness when he makes the catch to be ready to make a move to try to pick up extra yards after the catch. As a blocker, he has room to grow but does keep his feet active.
So, between everything above and his grades, it’s clear Tuten is a great rusher. My concern is how much he can contribute outside of rushing. He is very much a body catcher and seems to have a bit more trouble hauling in throws away from his frame and will often double-catch these throws. That limited catch radius contributed to him being limited to swing and screen passes. His blocking is much worse though. His size already makes it hard for him to be a reliable contributor as a blocker but his technique makes it nearly impossible. He has trouble identifying his assignment which makes it hard for him to recover and set the block. That issue and poor discipline cause him to have struggles getting square with his target. He also tends to lunge and has poor focus with his hands and feet leading to defenders being able to shed his blocks very easily. Though his height helps him with his pad level, it doesn’t help him enough in his blocking as he struggles to get good leverage and also has bad timing with his hip roll. That leads to weak blocks and a weak anchor which lets defenders move him into the quarterback on a number of plays. Also, something NFL teams will need to decide if they feel comfortable with is how he can transition into a traditional offense. He ran a majority of zone run plays in his career and benefited from a high number of wide zone and read option runs which won’t be run as frequently, if ever, by the NFL team he goes to. So, teams could have some concerns about how he’ll translate in a different scheme. Finally, teams will have to determine if his fumbles will carry over or if he can put those behind him. He had 4 fumbles this past year at Virginia Tech and 6 fumbles in 2023. While his grade of a D for his ball security is poor, it would be much worse if I did this based on his final two seasons combined and would have been a D- and nearly would have been an F+.
My biggest concern with Tuten is that he’s going to be limited to being a two-down back or maybe just struggling to get much playing time. He is undoubtedly a great rusher but a rusher at his size with his limitations as an athlete often doesn’t align with success in the NFL. He will either need to greatly improve his ability to help as a pass catcher or a pass blocker or be at risk of losing touches in the NFL. On top of those issues likely to put him at risk of losing touches, his fumbles could be the final nail in the coffin of his contributions if he continues to give the ball up at such a high rate. As for a comp, I have Johnathan Franklin as a comp for Tuten. Both are shorter backs but have good contact balance and elusiveness to pick up extra yards as rushers despite their size. Both also show really good vision with a good grasp of nuance to their vision and rushing to make the most of their opportunities. Both can also be contributors as pass catchers by making catches around the line of scrimmage. However, neither look that comfortable catching past the line or while catching away from their frame. Also, both are poor pass blockers in part due to their size and technique issues. Both also have major fumble concerns which may cost them opportunities. Franklin had some really exciting moments in his very brief NFL career but had his career cut short due to a neck injury. I think had he stayed healthy he would have been a good committee back with a larger role likely being dependent on his fumbles and how he improves in passing situations. I think Tuten could face a similar challenge. With the hype I’ve seen around Tuten around the time I’m writing this, I caution people to be careful of having too high of expectations for him.
Brashard Smith, SMU
Height: 5’10”; Weight: 194 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 0 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2.81/4 (Good Role Player)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 235 carries; 1332 yards; 14 touchdowns; 2 fumbles
Receiving: 51 targets; 39 receptions; 327 yards; 4 touchdowns
Vision: B
Contact Balance: C-
Elusiveness: A-
Receiving: A
Pass Blocking: C-
Ball Handling: B
Future role: B-
RAS: Yellow Flag
Strengths:
Former receiver and best pass catcher in class
Great in open space
Impressive vision for a first-year running back
Progression as a back in the year is encouraging
Very high ceiling
Areas of Improvement:
Pad level
Drive in short yardage situations
Eye for cutback lanes
Nuance to the running game
Pass protection
Comp: James Cook
Brashard Smith is probably my favorite sleeper of the running back group so I just want to get that out of the way before I gush over him. After being a wide receiver for the majority of his college career, he transferred to SMU to switch to running back. In just his first full season at the position, he totaled nearly 1700 total yards and 18 touchdowns being a regular contributor on the ground and in the air. His receiver background shows with his ability to make some really impressive adjustments that no other running back in this class can make. It’s just one example, but he did the Santonio Holmes sidelines catch against Pittsburgh this season if you want an idea of how good his ball tracking and concentration is. He has such great hands for the running back position and still has the route running ability to run advanced routes from the receiver spots and get consistent separation. Also, he shows good awareness to move with his quarterback on roll outs and find openings in the defense. All of those factors make me feel confident in Smith being the best pass catching back in this class. Despite being a former receiver, he doesn’t look soft like some receivers sometimes get labeled. He doesn’t shy away from contact as a runner and will often cut his runs back inside if there is an opening instead of being safe and going out of bounds. He also has good discipline and effort to keep his legs moving through contact. He also showed really impressive discipline and improvement in his vision as the year went on. With each passing week, he seemed more and more confident and would shift from going for home runs and take more consistent gains which is a good development. He also was a bit wary of trying to fit through tight creases at the start of the year but did a better job knowing which were good to attack and improved his inside run ability as a whole as the season went on. Even at the start of the season, I was very impressed with his eye for leverage and his comfort hugging his blocks which can sometimes take running backs multiple years to figure out. He even showed signs of using tempo in a lot of his runs which is again, is something backs sometimes have trouble figuring out. He also showed a good eye for optimal paths to take to maximize his opportunities. When he did face a defender in the open field or in the hole, he used his quick feet and great change of direction ability to make them miss. I’m sounding like a broken record but for a back who is new to the position, he has a surprising arsenal of moves he can use in open space. While he still has room to further develop in his pass protection, he does seem confident finding his assignment which is a good start. Something to keep in mind with my grading is while I do factor in potential to a degree, it doesn’t factor in as much as some other evaluations I’ve seen. So, for Smith to grade this high in his first full season at running back is incredibly encouraging and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect him to jump into that next tier of backs if he continues to develop at the rate he is. Jahmyr Gibbs is becoming a popular comp for undersized backs and is becoming the new Kamara comp in the way that every small back who can catch and has solid athleticism is “the next Gibbs.” While I don’t think he’s close to the level of Gibbs, I do think he’s likely the most deserving of a comp to Gibbs which just speaks to how high Smith’s ceiling is.
However, as much as I want to get excited I can’t pretend that he isn’t still a project and an undersized one at that. I’m writing this soon after the Senior Bowl and he measured in at just 5’9” and 195 pounds which is pretty small. Typically you want a back to be at least 200 pounds otherwise we can start to see some issues on the field in terms of staying healthy and in their contact balance. We saw some of those contact balance issues for him throughout the year as he really struggled to get any push and was often stonewalled in short yardage situations. More times than not, if a defender got him square they won the battle and the play stopped there. He needs to work on doing a better job anticipating contact and adjusting his body to more easily slide off defenders and use that elusiveness to win more consistently. Also, he needs to work on running with better pad level since he is a very upright runner which further limits his contact balance. While he did a better job taking what the defense gave him as the year went on, he can still get stuck hunting for the big play and needs to be more consistent with taking short gains. Sometimes that hunting also led him to be indecisive in the hole and go jump cut happy as he tried to look for an opening. He also needs to be more decisive in the open field since he can sometimes be a bit slow in choosing which move to use to make a defender miss. As I mentioned, he has a lot of moves he can use but now he needs to work on his timing and when to use them. He also needs to work on the nuances of a runner. He isn’t at the point where he’s comfortable regularly pressing the line and needs to have better awareness for cutback lanes since he can sometimes rush things and miss them. Finally, he will absolutely need to polish his pass blocking if he wants to be able to put those pass catching skills to use. It’s a big work in progress with him often having bad timing with his feet and upper body often leading to minimal pop that he’s delivering. Also, his hands are often slow at the point of attack and he will often have his base crumble as he braces for the hit leading to him being able to be easily shed by defenders. Right now, he more often than not seems to be more trying to hold up his target but I want to see more intensity to try to level them. When he is trying to give a bigger hit, he often does a lot of ducking which is dangerous and often leads to blocks that didn’t quite hit their mark.
Brashard Smith is probably going to be a player who will get a fair number of fans and it will be interesting to see if he blows up in our faces or not. I think he is at worst a good committee back who could contribute regularly in the passing game. That alone has its value and could appeal to a lot of pass-heavy teams. Normally, I am lower on backs who lack good contact balance but Smith having the pass catching ability he has combined with some really great progress in his vision make it really hard to not become a fan. He is likely the ultimate lottery pick and could really pay off big if he goes to a team with a creative offensive coordinator. As for a comp, as I mentioned, I love Smith, but I’m not crazy and am about to compare him to Gibbs. So, though it may be another lofty projection, I have James Cook as his comp. Similar to Smith, Cook also had a lot of experience playing from the receiver spots and is capable of being a regular contributor in the passing game. Also, both have solid enough vision to be regular contributors on the ground and have good elusiveness to make up for their lacking contact balance. Both are also undersized which shows in their ability to hold up in pass catching and short yardage situations. However, both can be major playmakers for the right offense and can be leaned on in the right situation. We’ve seen James Cook really take off as he’s gotten more comfortable with his vision and I think we could see Smith have a similar situation where he really takes off in the second half of his rookie contract.
Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
Height: 5’10”; Weight: 219 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 2 months
Class: RS Senior
Overall Grade: 2.86/4 (Good Role Player)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 293 carries; 1711 yards; 21 touchdowns; 3 fumbles
Receiving: 52 targets; 45 receptions; 605 yards; 3 touchdowns
Vision: B+
Contact Balance: A
Elusiveness: C
Receiving: A-
Pass Blocking: C-
Ball Handling: B-
Future role: C+
RAS: Red Flag
Strengths:
Reliable pass catcher
Good vision in tight quarters
Good jump cuts
Incredibly tough to bring down
Has good drive and effort to push pile
Areas of Improvements:
Ability to miss defenders miss in open space
Productivity playing out wide and in the slot
Lacks breakaway speed
Ball security
Pass blocking discipline
Comp: Rhamondre Stevenson
Cam Skattebo is one of the better stories of the running back cycle and of the entire draft this year. He has a similar career arc as Cam Ward, getting very little attention as a recruit in high school and receiving a single Division 1 scholarship from Sacramento State. After having the 2020 season canceled due to COVID and putting up impressive numbers in his first two years of action, he transferred to Arizona State where he has made a name for himself with his versatility as a rusher, pass catcher, passer, and even punter. His pass catching is the thing that helps him have a likely high floor in the NFL as he catches the ball with good hand technique and has reliable hands. He can easily track the ball in the air and has a smooth transition going from receiver to rusher. There is still room for improvement as a pass blocker but he at least shows good identification skills of his assignment and has the strength to potentially be a good blocker in the future. His vision is another reason why he will likely earn touches in the NFL. He showed good vision in both gap and zone runs and has a good eye for cutback lanes. He’s a really patient runner who lets openings form then will burst through them and will use tempo to bide time. He also does a good job hugging his blocks and well-timed jump cuts to bounce around traffic. He is also one of the better runners at pressing the line to get defenders biting which is much needed to help him overcome some of his athletic limitations. His great eye for optimal angles and how to take the most efficient path also helped him overcome some of those limitations. While he may have some speed limitations, he certainly doesn’t have any power limitations with some of the best contact balance in the class. He finishes nearly every run going forward and brings so much pop to hits that lets him drive through high arm tackle attempts. He also comes at defenders with great pad level while never stopping his legs to consistently have good drive. He has great leg strength and balance to often withstand the initial tackle attempt and shows no fear looking to lower his shoulder into another defender. Though he can seek violence, he also shows good awareness of getting off-centered from the defender to make it harder for them to bring him down. He also shows some advanced awareness by taking advantage of safeties and cornerbacks’ anticipation of needing to bring power to tackle him and making last-second adjustments leading to whiffs on tackle attempts
So there’s a lot to like about Skattebo and his production and skill set often leads to success in the NFL. The biggest thing that holds me back from being confident that will be the case for Skattebo is his lack of athleticism I mentioned before. While he brings great power and effort, his straight line speed is often lacking with a number of times when he gets tracked down from behind. While his power and contact balance are great to see, that often isn’t enough to be successful in the NFL. He just seems a bit too reliant on just trying to plow through defenders and can also have this habit around the line of scrimmage leading to him dropping his head and missing holes. Outside of his lack of speed, his stiffness also shows in his struggles changing direction and with his limited ability to make defenders miss in open space due to his cuts lacking explosion and being too slow developing. While people will point to his versatility as a reason why his lack of athleticism is overblown, I think it’s important to look at the results in those spots and specifically at the receiver spots. Skattebo had a combined 51 snaps out wide and in the slot per PFF but was rarely targeted in those situations which shows with an ADOT of just 0.2 this year. Getting away from the stats, you can tell by watching him that the defender is often right in his hip and has him covered since he lacks the ability to create separation with his athletic limitations. So, while it’s fun to think about the versatility, we need to also consider the functionality in those situations. Another thing that could likely hold him back is his poor pass blocking. Despite Skattebo having a physical approach to the game, he is a pretty sloppy pass blocker which often wastes his efforts. He often settles for lunges and dives which also lead to a high number of whiffs. When he does stay upright, he has a lot of head ducking which can be dangerous especially if he throws his body at defenders. He also needs to improve his timing with his hands and hip roll as the lack of synchronicity often leads to less of an impact than he was planning for. He also needs to improve his footwork as a blocker as his feet are too static and his base is often not stable enough to provide a clean hit or stay with his target. Also, his ball security is average at best and could be improved if he had more focus to hold onto the ball while trying to break tackles. Finally, I think there is a bit of tune-up he can do with his eye for blocks. I think he mostly does a good job but there are a few times when he seems to misread the leverage of his blocks. Also, he can sometimes be a bit too patient looking for an opening leading to a minimal game around the line of scrimmage. He also can do a slightly better job keeping his head up when he gets to the second level to better use his blocks around him.
While Skattebo is a fun name and a good story, I think we need to be honest about his limitations. There is a track history of successful running backs who weren’t great athletes recently including David Montgomery, Kyren Williams, James Conner, and more. So there is a precedent for a player like Skattebo working in the NFL. The problem is that those players and slower players in general usually get playing time thanks to being good to great pass blockers. Right now, Skattebo isn’t close to even being an average pass blocker which makes him harder to trust. Despite that, I think he adds enough on the ground and as a pass catcher to at least be a productive committee back. Achieving anything past that will depend on how he responds to NFL coaching. As for a comp, he’s a tricky player to comp since a lot of players with similar playstyles are much bigger than him. However, Skattebo does have a history of playing in the 220s which gives some wiggle room. So, I’ll use that wiggle room and comp him to Rhamondre Stevenson. Similar to Skattebo, Stevenson got a lot of fans in the pre-draft process thanks to his contact balance and soft hands as a pass catcher. Both also can generate a lot of push and show good vision as runners. However, both lack great top end speed and explosion in their cuts to help them break off big gains. Both also struggle to make defenders miss in the open field and can have ball security issues. While I feel Stevenson is another case of a back with size and good pass blocking skills, I think he more accurately shows the type of player Skattebo could become in the NFL if he gets playing time. While Stevenson disappointed fans last season, he still provided good value when the Patriots selected him on day 3 and Skattebo could provide that same value if he falls that far.
Corey Kiner, Cincinnati
Height: 5’9”; Weight: 209 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 3 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2.24/4 (Unlikely to Contribute)
2024 Stats:
Rushing: 204 carries; 1153 yards; 4 touchdowns; 3 fumbles
Receiving: 16 targets; 16 receptions; 111 yards; 0 touchdowns
Vision: B-
Contact Balance: B+
Elusiveness: B-
Receiving: C+
Pass Blocking: D
Ball Handling: C
Future role: C-
RAS: Red Flag
Strengths:
Great vision on zone runs
Can find and even create cutback opportunities
Surprising contact balance at his size
Able to fall forward consistently despite size
Good pass catching fundamentals
Areas of Improvements:
Primarily ran zone runs
More creativity in space
Limited experience as pass catcher
Poor pass blocking technique
Size will likely limit upside
Comp: Robert Turbin
I’ll admit that I haven’t watched much of Cincinnati this year and was going into Corey Kiner’s eval pretty blind. When I got to him, I was near the end of my list of backs to grade and was a bit burnt out. However, Kiner injected some life into me. Despite his small size, I was very impressed with his great contact balance. He runs with good pad level, though to be fair that’s easy at his size, but he keeps his strong legs moving to be able to break through tackles and get more push than he should be capable of at his size. His ability to finish most runs falling forward is very impressive and helped him get some form of positive gain on nearly every play. He’s just so great at getting defenders to slide off him and has good footwork to help keep himself up and avoid tacklers. When he has a good plan in space, he can make defenders miss. He always has a good plan when he’s reading the defense on his runs and has a great eye for cutback lanes. He also has a great eye for the leverage of his blocks and is a quick processor of his blocks in the second level. He also does a great job getting skinny through tight holes and shows the ability to press the line of scrimmage. While he wasn’t the most productive pass catcher, I do think there is a bit of untapped potential there. When he was targeted, he caught the ball with good hand technique and looked comfortable catching the ball away from his body. It wasn’t a high number of targets but Kiner didn’t have a single drop on his 16 targets which should at least show he is more reliable of a pass catcher than his season total may indicate. His pass blocking definitely needs work but he does a good job identifying his target and does a good job getting square with his target.
While Kiner showed a lot of promise as a pass catcher, he just hasn’t shown the ability to earn targets with just 32 career receptions. When he went out for routes, he ran a very limited route tree that was primarily near the line of scrimmage. Also, his transition from pass catcher to rusher can sometimes be a bit awkward and gives the defense time to crash down on him. Also, while his vision was very impressive, he ran most of his runs in zone schemes with few gap runs. He may be able to translate his vision to gap runs but it’s never a guarantee and will need to be something he proves to NFL teams. Even on his zone runs, I’d like to see him run with a bit more tempo as he can sometimes rush things a bit too much and not give his blocks time to develop. Also, he can do a better job hugging his blocks more consistently. I’d also like to see him be a bit more creative when he gets in open space. He definitely is capable of making some really great runs and cuts but he often seems a bit too slow in deciding the best course of action. He also has this spin move that I swear he spams sometimes like he’s been controlled by someone playing Madden. As a pass blocker, he often resorts to lunges instead of clean blocks. Also, he has poor timing with his punch and often doesn’t get his base set which further impacts his anchor. Honestly, he got blown up and bullied so many times in pass protection due to poor technique and his smaller size that I’m not confident it will ever get to a passable level. On that note, his small size will likely limit him more in the NFL and it is a fair question to wonder if his contact balance will still be as good against better and more athletic defenders.
Kiner was a pleasant surprise for me but I don’t want prospect and eval fatigue to get the best of me and ignore his limitations. I think the difficult thing with Kiner is that there are a lot of question marks about him that makes it difficult to know what to expect from him. His vision is great and should translate but he needs to prove he can play well in gap runs. His contact balance was good in college but could take a step back in college. His pass catching looks good but he just has so few reps proving that he can be counted on more. If one of those things turns into a clear yes for NFL teams, I’d be more comfortable having him higher. However, at this time there are just more answers for the prospects above him. As for a comp, I have Robert Turbin as his comp. Turbin was a bit thicker than Kiner but I think both are similar players with good, not great athleticism and slightly smaller height. Both however were explosive athletes which showed in their cuts and feet and ran with great contact balance. Neither were big contributors in the passing game but had the ability to not be liabilities. However, both were very poor pass blockers which limited their opportunities to play on passing downs. Also, both had their contact balance worsen when they entered the NFL. Turbin wasn’t the most flashy player but he did have a long NFL career which is impressive for a day 3 running back. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kiner is capable of similar results especially if he proves that either his vision or contact balance can translate to the NFL.