Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State: NFL Draft Scouting Report
When you have the Division One NCAA record for rushing, you should be expected to garner all the hype coming into the NFL Draft. Donnel Pumphrey would probably have that hype if he was a bigger back than his 5’8 175 pound stature presents. That’s not to take away his talent but it does diminish teams vision of him as a featured back in the NFL. Pumphrey, despite his size, has a great opportunity to make an impact in the league. For the team that believes in him, they may be getting a game changing back during the process.
Name: Donnel Pumphrey
Position: RB
Height: 5’8
Weight: 176
School: San Diego State
2016 Season Stats: 2,133 rushing yards, 17 rushing touchdowns; 27 receptions, 231 yards receiving
Strengths
We often see smaller runners attempt to shoot gaps and use their speed to outperform bigger defenders. Pumphrey however is a patient runner who understands that every yard has its value. To go along with that, he does do a great job of accelerating through the hole once he finds it and can make touchdown runs look effortless. If you’ve ever seen ice skating during a football game it happens when Pumphrey is on the field. When it comes to cutting back and setting defenders up, he’s undoubtedly the best in this class and was a huge reason for his yardage total.
The best part about Pumphrey’s shiftiness is that as a pass catcher it allows him to be a threat in the open field. NFL teams may look to use him similarly to the way that Darren Sproles has been used over the years. While he’s not as thick as Sproles, Pumphrey can be electric if given just an inch of space. It remains to be seen if he’ll add to his smaller frame but Pumphrey has all the talent to be a game changing back at the next level.
Weaknesses
The most obvious weakness for Pumphrey is his size. If he was performing like this at 5’10 215 pounds he would be the first back off the board. However even just the 40 pound difference will keep him from being a day one and likely day two prospect. His frame could probably add another 15-20 pounds and he could attempt to do what Darren Sproles did. However Sproles was already a more muscular build and was able to maintain his speed. For Pumphrey, his long speed has been brought into question and adding weight may further hinder that ability. Again, with his size it limits what teams can use him for. He doesn’t have the size to be a blocking back and while he can catch, he’s not excellent and would need work to be effective in the slot.
Outlook
Pumphrey is going to get a shot in the NFL and it’s assumed he’ll take full advantage. Teams will look to use him in every space opportunity they get. Whether that be special teams, screens, jet sweeps, toss plays, he’ll be used as an offensive weapon. His size clearly hurts his draft stock but his heart and determination will be all he needs to have a successful career.