2015 NFL Draft: Michael Dyer Scouting Report

Oct 30, 2014; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals running back Michael Dyer (5) stiff arms Florida State Seminoles linebacker Reggie Northrup (5) during the second quarter at Papa John

Michael Dyer, Running Back, Louisville

Year: Senior Height: 5’9” Weight: 215 lbs

Michael Dyer was a productive college running back, who at one point, was seen as a potential first round pick, after his freshman and sophomore years. In his last two years of his college career, no particular aspect of his game stood out and because of this drop off, he will most likely be waiting until the very end of the draft to hear his name called.

 Strengths: Dyer displayed that he has the ability to find the proper hole when he is given the ball. He consistently runs up the middle, thought he isn’t a power back, he grinds out what he can. He has decent acceleration through the hole and is able to pick up the yards his offensive line blocks for him. One positive that may go over looked when it comes to Dyer is ball security. He only fumbled once in 153 carries, while playing for Louisville.

Weakness: Dyer lacks great speed and displayed very little ability to beat defenders one-on-one. Dyer is a very stiff run, really limiting his agility and he is unable to make defenders miss. He is also doesn’t stay particularly low when he is carrying the football, which is another thing that NFL scouts will knock him for. Not great on designed outside runs and lacks the size to be consistently effective when running up between the tackles. He was also very rarely used as a pass catcher, either out of the backfield or as a receiver.

 Awards and Highlights: BCS National Champion (2011), BCS Nation Championship Game MVP (2011), SEC Champion (2010), First-Team All-SEC (2011), Freshman All-American (2010), Freshman All-SEC (2010)

 Draft Outlook: Michael Dyer projects as a late Day 3 prospect and he is currently in the running for this year’s Mr. Irrelevant. Even if he is able to latch on with a team, either through the draft or free agency, Dyer will find it difficult to make a team’s opening day roster.