Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson: 2017 NFL Draft Scouting Report
By Andrew Kim
A productive player who was part of the 2017 College Football National Champion Clemson Tigers, Junior running back Wayne Gallman was a powerful runner in the highly touted Clemson offense.
Gallman ran for over 1,000 yards in the last two seasons of his Clemson career while breaking Clemson rushing records along the way. Where does he line up in a stacked running back draft class for 2017?
Measurables
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 210 lbs.
Arm Length: 32 5/8″
Hand Size: 9 1/8″
Statistics (2015-2016 as the Starter)
Sophomore (2015):
282 carries, 1514 yards, 5.4 average yards per carry, 13 touchdowns running, 22 receptions, 226 yards, 10.3 average yards per catch, one touchdown receiving
Junior (2016):
232 carries, 1133 yards, 4.9 average yards per carry, 17 touchdowns running, 20 receptions, 152 yards, 7.6 average yards per catch, 0 touchdowns receiving
Combine Results
Bench Press: 21 reps
40-yard dash: 4.60 Sec.
Vertical Jump: 29.5 Inch
Broad Jump: 120 Inch
3 Cone Drill: 7.17 Sec.
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.28 Sec.
Games Watched: 2015– Georgia Tech, South Carolina; 2016– Auburn, Florida State, Louisville
Strengths:
The biggest strength to me is that he plays with power but can cut and go and in open space, he can make guys occasionally miss with good enough acceleration. He may not be the shiftiest guy but has the burst and explosive running style that teams would covet.
In this play against Georgia Tech in 2015, you can see his ability to hit the hole and go. While these plays are not always displayed on a consistent level, he has the talent to do it if the run blocking is there for him.
He is also an underrated receiver that caught the ball out of the backfield nicely as a bigger running back and is a pretty good run blocker when blocking ahead of Deshaun Watson on quarterback runs.
Gallman also uses his size and aggression as a runner to be a tone setter. He runs with a physicality and toughness that defenders have a problem with. He was a grinder that had the ability to run on the outside.
In 2015 against Georgia Tech on this play, Gallman runs through the hole and just bursts into the defender, using his moderate size but tough mentality as a better inside runner.
Gallman uses his hands well to stiff arm defenders and has a good set of running back moves to gain yards as a consistent move the chains guy for the Clemson offense.
Clemson’s offensive line was also was inconsistent, and while Gallman had some breakout runs, most of the time the blocking was not ideal for Gallman and most of the time, he bounced around to find holes, which he does very well. He was tackled by multiple defenders many times due to the offensive line or by the defenders blitzing and stacking the box.
He has some attributes of a power back but is balanced enough to be a one-cut back that can catch the ball. I see three down potential with Gallman if he polishes some things on the field but the talent to be an all around back is there.
Weaknesses:
Gallman has average measurables, and in a very good crop of talented running backs in this years draft, he could be seen as nothing special compared to them with measurables or traits the top running backs have.
With an average combine, his stock may be the same or lowered because of his subpar 40 time and ordinary drill times.
I noticed he tends to run more upright and does not have the ideal quickness or breakaway speed that separates average running backs from very good to elite running backs and gets caught behind the line of scrimmage more often than not.
For pass blocking, he has to work on his technique as he uses his body too much and shows a lack of awareness for his blocking assignment sometimes.
NFL Comparison: Devontae Booker (RB) – Denver Broncos
Other than a slight height difference (Gallman is an inch taller); I see similarities in Devontae Booker, the former 4th round pick out of Utah in the 2016 NFL Draft, and Wayne Gallman. Both are similar in weight with Gallman being lighter then Booker currently (Gallman is 8 pounds lighter to Booker weight from the 2016 Scouting Combine at 219 lbs.) and Gallman bench pressed one less rep than Booker.
While Booker does show more shiftiness and Gallman might emphasize more power in his game, both have similar running styles as one cut running backs that can find the hole on the offensive line and accelerate.
Team Fits: Colts, Chiefs, Raiders, Eagles, Giants, Packers, Vikings
Gallman would fit a lot of teams that need a backup or a back to have a committee of running backs in an offense. He could be a contributor early and then eventually be the starter in an offense as he has the potential and talent to do so.
Teams with good run blocking or zone schemes would best fit Gallman in his playing style as a one-cut back that excels in shotgun or Iso formation but has enough speed to cut to the outside on single back sets. He is also a willing and pretty good blocker and is a reliable pass catcher. Due to the depth at the position, I see him going either Day 2 or early Day 3 of the draft and could make an impact as a rookie running back for a team.