The 2020 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the J.K. Dobbins 2020 NFL Draft profile.

Background

Position: Running Back

Size: 5-foot-9, 209 pounds

Class: Junior

2019 stats: 301 carries, 2,003 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, 23 catches, 247 receiving yards, 2 touchdown catches

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9zolkgXREE

Dobbins joined Ohio State as a U.S. Army All-American and didn’t disappoint once he arrived. After a stellar three-year career, Dobbins is now one of the best running backs in the 2020 NFL Draft class.

As a freshman, Dobbins split time in the backfield with Mike Weber. He rushed for 1,403 yards and seven touchdowns as the Buckeyes went 12-2 with a win in the Cotton Bowl. He split time again with Weber in 2018 and finished the season with 1,053 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns. Ohio State went 13-1 with a win in the Rose Bowl over Washington to cap off the season. In his final collegiate season, Dobbins ran for 2,003 yards and 21 touchdowns. The Buckeyes made the College Football Playoff, but lost to Clemson, which ended their season.

After three seasons at Ohio State, Dobbins decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2020 NFL Draft. As one of the best running backs in the class, he is projected to be drafted at some time in the second or third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Strengths

Dobbins has great vision, which helps him maximize his talents. This starts at the start of the play, when he reads the offensive line and finds the biggest hole to run through. His vision is especially great at the second level. Once the dust clears from the first level, Dobbins knows how to read a defense to make a solid gain into a big one. He will be a threat for big plays at the next level because of his vision.

His quickness in short areas is among the best in the class at his position. He has good acceleration as soon as he is handed the ball. Dobbins also has great agility to change his direction at the drop of a hat. His ability to be quick and agile makes him very difficult to tackle.

NFL teams should be able to keep Dobbins on the field for all three downs because he is a solid pass catcher. He runs good routes, although he needs to run a wider variety of them, and is hard to cover. Dobbins has natural hands to make catches and can run after the catch well, as he treats it just like he does when he is running the ball against the second level of a defense.

Weaknesses

While it is an asset that he runs hard, Dobbins does little to protect his body. He will take a lot of hits and does get banged up a lot. Dobbins was able to play through injuries at Ohio State and he never missed a game, but those will start to pile up. The wear and tear on his body has already started, even if he hasn’t missed time. He’ll need to find a way to run hard, but still protect himself in the NFL.

Dobbins has no fear when blocking in pass protection. He is totally willing to step in and block a player that is much bigger than him. The willingness is admirable, but he needs to improve his technique to truly be trusted to block in the NFL. If he can square up players when they are getting through the offensive line and pop them with some power, Dobbins can be a more well-rounded back.

In 2018, Dobbins had a down year. He didn’t look like he was running as hard and he definitely wasn’t as aggressive as his freshman or junior seasons. He averaged just 4.6 yards per carry, which is way less than his 7.2 and 6.7 averages in his other two seasons. If he can stay fresh and aggressive he is a much better running back.

Projected Draft Range: Second Round Pick-Third Round Pick

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