CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN'S DRAFT TRADES
J.K. DOBBINS
HEIGHT/WEIGHT/AGE
5-foot-9
210 pounds
21 years old
BIG PICTURE
The Big Ten's leading rusher (and third in the nation) concluded a brilliant three-year Buckeyes career last season that included three 1,000-yard seasons. Dobbins peaked as a junior with over 2,000 yards on the ground and 6.7 yards per carry while being named first-team All-Big Ten. Showed decent hands in the passing game. Didn't run at the NFL Combine, but showed breakaway speed on tape combined with the ability to run through tacklers.
COMBINE NOTABLES
23 bench reps (T-5th)
VIKINGS COMPATIBILITY RANKING
1 out of 5. Teams like the Vikings need to have their depth chart filled out before addressing running back. Dobbins shouldn't be in play.
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT DRAFT EXPERTS SAY
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: "Good football player who bounced back from a sub-par 2018. Proved he could shoulder a heavy load and rise to the occasion against the best his schedule had to offer. He can make a sudden tackler miss and fits as a one-cut runner, but his running style is more battle axe than buzzsaw as a lunch-pail runner with the fortitude and toughness to wear down defenses. Dobbins isn't going to be that creative back with the wiggle and juice to create something out of nothing, but he has the efficiency, production and third-down value teams covet. Dobbins could land a shared-carries role quickly and has the potential to become a solid NFL starter."
Benjamin Solak, Draft Network: "J.K. Dobbins is a late Day 1/early Day 2 candidate for teams looking for a feature back. Dobbins' vision is perhaps the best in the class, and his delightful change of direction skills allow him to flip angles and sneak through gaps that backs of his size typically don't take advantage of. Dobbins has plus explosiveness through angles and is able to bust runs into the second and third level because of how much momentum he maintains through soft changes of direction. Dobbins is not the fastest running back in the world, and he can be too married to blocking schemes at times, which leaves him susceptible to taking the single when he could have created a triple, but he is an eddy-steady back who still shows creativity at appropriate moments. Dobbins is a high-floor starter in Year 1 who is athletically and mentally fit for the NFL, with a modest ceiling by Year 2 and 3."
WHAT PFF SAYS
73 missed tackles forced last year
1,208 yards after contact (4th)
31 carries of 15+ yards (1st)
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
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