Draft Profile: J.K. Dobbins

March 23, 2020 /
  • Height: 5’9″
  • Weight: 209lb
  • College: Ohio State
  • Tape watched: Clemson, Northwestern, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Nebraska
  • NFL Comparison: Mark Ingram

Pros

  • Vision
    Dobbins may possess the best vision of any back in the 2020 NFL Draft. The absolute perfect fit for a zone-read option offense, Dobbins plays with great anticipation and field vision. He slips through the smallest holes in the line and turns on the burners for big runs. He creates extremely well off developing plays, eyeing up cutback lanes and holes that haven’t opened yet.
  • Balance
    J.K. Dobbins is excellent at changing direction for his size and stature. Able to string together multiple cuts, Dobbins keeps himself in advantageous body positions to maintain his momentum through every level. He absorbs big hits with his ability to stay low and win the pad-level game often.
  • Athleticism
    Dobbins sat out of the combine drills due to an ankle injury sustained against Clemson, so official times and testing results are unknown. However, Dobbins shows a great athleticism on tape. He has top-end finishing speed, which can change the landscape of a game on one run.
  • Lateral Agility
    Not his best trait, but one that is underrated is Dobbins ability to make defenders miss. He excels at making one cut and leaving the defense in his dust, but he showed ability to juke and make defenders miss in open space as well.

Cons

  • Pass Protection
    Dobbins often gets sucked up into clean pockets, and can miss leaking pressure on the boundaries. He has the will to be a competent pass protector, but identification and scaling back his urge to throw his body around can be improved.
  • Power
    While Dobbins certainly can pick up difficult yardage and prevent negative plays, he doesn’t move piles and can come down pretty easy at times. He may have issues moving NFL run-stopping fronts, especially if he doesn’t get a full speed start.
  • Receiving
    Ultimately I think Dobbins can become a true three-down running back. The only knock on his receiving game is his knack to turn his head up field before he secures the catch. Most of his receptions came from screens and quick flat routes. He did show the ability to run choice routes and matches up well with linebackers in coverage.
Here Dobbins demonstrates his promise as a receiving back. A great angle route paired with speed at the top of his route and focus to catch a ball in traffic.

Overview

As balanced of a back a front office could ask for in this draft class, J.K. Dobbins offers a little bit of everything. He will excel in the new age of spread offenses, where he can get the ball quickly and use his speed and vision to get to the second level. Dobbins may not break a lot of tackles in the NFL, but he has the momentum to fall forward on most tackles anyways. If he can refine his receiving down skills, he provides the successful pedigree at running back that coaches can trust.