2022 NFL Draft: Aggies RB Isaiah Spiller a menace at contact

Strengths in Spiller’s Game

The first thing that, of course, stands out with Isaiah Spiller is his abilities at contact, most notably his balance. He bounces off of would-be tacklers like a pinball, and has the lower body strength to keep the feet going through low tackling attempts. Spiller drops his pads well at contact to maintain good balance and get through defenders to pick up extra yardage.

Spiller also has very good hip flexibility, which helps in a lot of areas. At the line of scrimmage, Spiller can press downhill quickly but has the flexibility to open up his hips and get into creases that open up elsewhere on the line. That flexibility also helps him maintain his burst in open space, and he has good curvilinear speed (a good term learned from Matt Waldman) to weave through space.

Spiller’s burst, as noted above, is very good. When creases open up, Spiller takes advantage with good acceleration that gets him to the second and third levels quickly. His footwork is impressive as well, as he can change direction quickly at the line and in space.

In pass protection, Spiller does a good job initiating contact, and while he’s more sustain than anything, it helps to get a good initial strike in rather than absorbing bigger defenders. Spiller has a good set of hands as well, which should contribute to a (hopeful) rise in targets as a junior.