The 2023 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Tyjae Spears 2023 NFL Draft Profile.
Tyjae Spears Background
Position: Running Back
School: Tulane
Size: 5-foot-10, 201 pounds
Class: Redshirt Junior
2022 Stats: 229 carries, 1,581 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns, 6.9 yards per rush, 22 receptions, 256 receiving yards, 2 touchdown receptions, 11.6 yards per reception
Spears improved every season he was at Tulane for his four-year college career. Now he is in the 2023 NFL Draft.
As a three-star prospect out of Louisiana, Spears decided to stay in-state to play for the Green Wave. He redshirted in 2019 after rushing for 192 yards and one touchdown. In his redshirt freshman season, Spears had 274 rushing yards, 30 receiving yards and two touchdowns. His role expanded in 2021 with Spears delivering 863 rushing yards, 145 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Tulane struggled with a 2-10 record. In 2022, Spears had a big year with 1,581 rushing yards, 256 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns. He led Tulane to a 12-2 record and a win in the Cotton Bowl.
Following the Cotton Bowl win, Spears declared for the 2023 NFL Draft. He is currently projected to be a mid-round pick.
Tyjae Spears Strengths
Spears is a patient runner who lets his blocks get set up in front of him. After blocks develop, he shows his good vision to find the right hole to run through. He hits the hole hard. In the open field, he shows good vision as well. He is a creative runner and runs to open space.
He has the ability to make defenders miss with regularity. Spears has good agility and can leave defenders flat-footed. He has a good jump cut. His elusiveness and speed give him a chance to create big plays for an offense.
His long speed also shows up on tape. He was able to average high yards per carry and yards per reception rates because he can leave defenders in the dust when the ball is in his hands. He has breakaway speed to turn routine plays into big ones.
Tyjae Spears Weaknesses
Although he has decent size for a running back, Spears lacks power. He runs hard, but has trouble running through defenders. With his lack of power comes average contact balance. He wins because of his elusiveness and may not be suited for short-yardage situations.
Spears could have trouble seeing the field on third downs for a few reasons. He is a solid receiver, but has had some drops in his college career. Spears is great with the ball in his hands, but plays were mostly designed to dump off the ball to him. He also struggles in pass protection and needs to square up rushers to protect the quarterback.
He has been able to recover from a torn ACL in 2020, but teams will want to look into his injury history. It looked like he bounced back well over the last two seasons, but teams will want to check things out to make sure it will hold up with an NFL workload.
Projected Draft Range: Third Round Pick-Fifth Round Pick
Draft Grade: Fourth-Round Pick
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