Jaylen Samuels, FB, North Carolina State: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

A versatile H-Back in the 2018 NFL Draft Jaylen Samuels comes out of South Carolina with unique skills

Jaylen Samuels, a 2014 three-star recruit, started 35 of 52 career games for North Carolina State. He did not miss a game during his four years at the school. He lines up all over the field in the Wolfpack offense. Listed as the H-back, he played wildcat quarterback, running back, fullback, wide receiver and tight end. He played for one head coach and two offensive coordinators during his college career.

Samuels leaves North Carolina State as the school’s all-time leading receiver with 202 receptions. He led the Wolfpack in receptions each of the past three seasons. For his career, he caught 202 passes for 1,855 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing the ball 181 times for 1,103 yards and 28 touchdowns. He was named first-team all-ACC as a sophomore and senior and third-team all-ACC as a junior. He possesses adequate size on a solid frame with good athletic ability. He’s accepted an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

North Carolina State Wolfpack Football /

North Carolina State Wolfpack Football

Age During Rookie Season

22 (July 20, 1996)

Measurables

Height: 5’11”

Weight: 228 lbs.

Games Watched

2017: Clemson, Florida State, Notre Dame, South Carolina

2016: Louisville

Strengths

After taking the snap as a quarterback or the handoff as a rusher, Jaylen Samuels demonstrates good awareness as he finds an open running lane. After cutting upfield, he displays solid play speed, accelerating to top speed in the hole while possessing the burst to explode through before it closes. Samuels does the same thing as a receiver on the following play. After going in motion to the left, he catches the screen and explodes through the hole past five Florida State defenders to pick up 27 yards on third-and-13.

If a defender fills the gap, Samuels utilizes solid play strength as he takes on the defender and maintains his balance through contact to push forward. Once past the first line of defense, Samuels showcases good athletic ability by eluding defenders and changing direction without slowing down.

As a receiver, Samuels does a solid job adjusting to passes around his frame. He displays very good hands as he doesn’t allow passes into his chest. Once he possesses the football, Samuels gathers himself and turns upfield quickly.

Samuels was consistently the Wolfpack’s go-to player in big situations. Whether it was third or fourth and short or a goal line play, Samuels was the school’s number one option. The reason why can be seen in the following play. Against Florida State in 2017, Samuels takes the handoff on fourth-and-two from the two-yard line. Despite facing 10 men in the box, Samuels is able to find a small running lane, make one cut behind the line of scrimmage and explode into the end zone.

From the side view, we can see the effort it took to convert this play. Samuels displays elite competitive toughness and awareness as he fights his way through the crowd and extends the ball across the goal line.

When lined up in the backfield, he displays a willingness to block in order to give his quarterback extra time to throw the ball.

Weaknesses

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If a running lane does not open, Jaylen Samuels struggles to improvise. He possesses marginal patience and will bounce a play outside rather than wait for a lane to emerge. When this happens, as well as when he’s in the open field, a lack of long speed prevents him from getting to the edge or separating from defenders. Although Samuels will push a pile forward, he rarely breaks a tackle which hampers his ability to maximize yards after contact. When contact is made, adequate ball security results in him losing possession of the football as he goes to the ground. Samuels fumbled four times on 395 career touches.

As a receiver, Samuels is a marginal route runner. He’s slow throughout the stem of his route and rounds off his pattern once he reaches the top. As a result, he struggles to create separation and gives his quarterback a small window in which to place the football.

In this play against Clemson, Samuels is lined up as the tight end to the left of the formation. Matched up against a linebacker, he starts running downfield. The linebacker gives him an initial bump with his left arm and Samuels responds by getting into the linebacker’s chest and driving him downfield. After about nine yards of this, Samuels attempts to push off and falls to the ground having created zero separation.

The same thing happened against Notre Dame minus the fall at the end. As the tight end, Samuels drives the defender downfield before pushing off to create separation. The problem here, besides the obvious pass interference, is the route takes too long to develop. By the time Samuels is able to get open, the ball is already in the air intended for another receiver.

As a blocker, Samuels plays with an adequate anchor and struggles to maintain his blocks. On running plays, he displays marginal awareness and is unsure of which defender to block. In many cases, he zeroes in on second and third-level defenders rather than the first line of defense. The following play is a good example of this as the left side of the offensive line blocks down on a designed run to the right.

Lined up in front of the quarterback in the backfield, Samuels needs to make sure the edge rusher can’t make the play. Instead, he goes right after the inside linebacker off the snap. Realizing the defensive end is in position to make the play, Samuels tries to correct his mistake. At that point, it’s too late and the running back is stopped in the backfield for a loss.

Overall

Overall, Jaylen Samuels is an offensive weapon who will see the majority of his snaps from the backfield at the next level. He wins with competitive toughness and versatility. He’s not someone who possesses the size or route running to play tight end in the NFL. He’s not the biggest or fastest player in the 2018 NFL Draft, but he’s someone who every offensive coordinator in the league would be happy to have.

Next: Braden Smith, OL, Auburn: 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Samuels possesses a very unique skill set, however he’s somewhat of a cross between former Cincinnati Bengals running back Rudi Johnson and current San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Like Johnson, Samuels is much quicker than he is fast and possesses very good vision to find an open running lane. His receiving ability out of the backfield, much like with Juszczyk, is what will earn him snaps early in his career. Juszczyk has made great strides as a blocker since entering the league and the team that selects Samuels will hope for similar growth.

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