The Vitruvian Prospect

BRYCE LOVE -- RB, STANFORD Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Full disclosure: because Bryce Love is such an interesting and unique prospect given the vast difference between his 2017 and 2018 seasons, and because there is very little to go off of as far as the specifics of his measured athleticism goes, this article will make some assumptions and take some artistic license in order to form a more complete profile from which to evaluate Love. I did not do this in my evaluations of any other RB in this class, and this is an inherently unfair evaluation (in Love's favor) with a much higher level of subjectivity involved than there is in my other breakdowns. I don't have any preconceived biases towards Love (or against him), but I think constructing a pseudo-profile for him is better than not evaluating him at all. With that being said: Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile Measuring in at the Combine at just under 5'9 and 200 pounds means it

MIKE WEBER -- RB, OHIO STATE Kevin Jairaj-USA Today Sports Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile Former Ohio State Buckeye Mike Weber is on the low end of size for an NFL workhorse, but there is precedent for a player of his build to receive heavy volume on the ground. Tre Mason, Marlon Mack, Devonta Freeman, Dalvin Cook, Knowshon Moreno, Ray Rice, Sony Michel, and Marshawn Lynch are all runners weighing between 205 and 215 pounds and carrying between 3.00 and 3.05 pounds per inch on their frames who've averaged at least 10 carries per game for their careers (Aaron Jones also fits this mold and has averaged 8.9 carries per game). He's not built like a 25-touch per game bellcow, but Weber is physically suited for a starter's share of work in the NFL.  Athletically, Weber's profile is a bit of a rollercoaster. He shows great strength for a guy his size with 22-rep ability on the bench, a 67th-percentile effort, and displays 80th-percentile speed

DAMIEN HARRIS -- RB, ALABAMA Photo uncredited via saturdaydownsouth.com Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile At 5'10 and 216 pounds, former Alabama runner Damien Harris is almost the exact physical average of all RBs in our database (70.8 inches, 216.6 pounds), and that traditional body type makes him a fine fit for a heavy volume role in the NFL. He certainly meets minimum thresholds for what a workhorse back looks like: of the 70 backs in our database who've averaged at least 10 carries per game for their careers, 53 of them weigh at least 210 pounds and carry at least 3.00 pounds per inch on their frames. He's not a next generation, Saquon Barkley-level superhuman prototype, but when NFL scouts and GMs go to the create-a-player screen, the default size sliders are calibrated to spit out a guy who looks a lot like Harris.  Harris is pretty close to the create-a-player defaults for athleticism as well. His 55th-percentile 40-yard dash time of 4.57

DARWIN THOMPSON -- RB, UTAH STATE Troy Babbitt-USA Today Sports Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile Darwin Thompson out of Utah State is not a big guy. At just 5'8 and weighing less than 200 pounds, the 2.91 pounds per inch he carries on his frame means it's unlikely he ever receives a large workload on the ground in the NFL. Of the 71 players in our database who've averaged at least 10 carries per game for their professional careers, only Christian McCaffrey, Jeff Wilson, Kevin Smith, Jahvid Best, Jamaal Charles, Darren McFadden, Phillip Lindsay, and Chris Johnson have been sub-2.95 pounds per inch players, and of that group, only Best, Lindsay, Charles, and Johnson weigh less than 200 pounds. These guys show that it is possible for a small back to get high-volume carries, but they're obviously a small percentage of the heavy-workload rusher population. The Darwin Thompson body type isn't one that typically gets offensive coordinators excite

TY JOHNSON -- RB, MARYLAND Alex Chen/The Diamondback Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile Maryland's Ty Johnson weighed in at his pro day at 5'10 and 210 pounds, a bit small for an NFL workhorse but not to the point where his size should be a concern for his professional workload (and he told media that he cut weight for the pro day, so his playing weight is likely ~5 pounds heavier). Hitting the 210 and 3.00 pounds per inch marks means he profiles physically similar to high-volume rushers (at least 10 carries per game for their careers) like Marlon Mack, Dalvin Cook, and Sony Michel.  Athletically, Ty Johnson is a beast, at least in a straight line. There were varying reports of his pro day 40-time -- playerprofiler.com  has him at an adjusted 4.45, I saw reports of 4.26, but the most common time I came across was 4.33, which adjusts to a "Combine time" of 4.38. Whatever Johnson ran, it's clear that he's very fast. He also performed

DEXTER WILLIAMS -- RB, NOTRE DAME Tribune Photo/Michael Caterina Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile At 5'11 and 212 pounds, Notre Dame's Dexter Williams is a bit on the slim side for a high-volume NFL rusher, but there are examples of players with his body type who've shouldered large workloads as pros. Kevin Smith, Kerryon Johnson, Darren McFadden, Joe Mixon, LeSean McCoy, Matt Forte, Melvin Gordon, and Adrian Peterson are all guys who came into the league weighing at least 210 pounds and carrying fewer than 3.00 pounds per inch on their frames that then went on to average at least 10 carries per game for their careers. Williams isn't built like a prototypical, 20-carries-a-game thumper, but his size shouldn't be a concern for his potential role in the NFL.  Athletically, Williams is a good match to some quality professional backs. He boasts a strong athletic profile made up of 85th-percentile burst and 76th-percentile agility (per pla

PATRICK LAIRD -- RB, CALIFORNIA Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Physical Measurables & Athletic Profile College walk-on, wide receiver convert, and former California Golden Bear Patrick Laird is built like a prototypical satellite back. At 5'11 1/2 and 205 pounds, the 2.87 pounds per inch that Laird carries on his frame aligns his body type with those of guys like Theo Riddick, Chris Thompson, Dion Lewis, Christian McCaffrey, and Reggie Bush, all successful NFL receiving backs in that 2.85-2.90 pounds per inch range. It's rare for a player with such a frame to receive a heavy workload on the ground (McCaffrey and Darren McFadden are the only players in that height-weight ratio range in our database to average at least 10 carries per game for their NFL careers, while Bush and Steve Slaton are close at 9.6 and 9.8 carries per game, respectively), but Laird is well suited to a role as a receiving threat out of the backfield.  All I want out of a RB prospect