Late Round Gems: Rex Burkhead
We like glitz and glamour and we like it when something or someone makes us say, “wow.” That isn’t any different in the world of football and fantasy football, in particular. We like the players who can run the super fast 40 yard dashes or make the one handed diving catch in the end zone. Those are great attributes to have, but often times we forget to realize that is just a very small part of the game of football. After all, it is pretty rare that someone gets to run 40 yards in a straight line without being touched or that they get the chance to make that catch during a game.
Why am I talking about all of that? Well, there are lots of players who are not going to wow many people but who could still easily become very good football players. One of those is former Nebraska Cornhusker Rex Burkhead. In case you forgot about him, he was the other running back drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals after being taken in the sixth round.
Before I go any further, let me remind you, he is a sleeper pick. I’m not recommending you choose him in the second round of your rookie draft – that would be a huge mistake. Burkhead (like the rest of our late round gems) is not meant to be a top 20-25 pick. This group includes players you can take in later rounds who have a good chance to outperform their draft position. Taking them in the second round completely negates that value and means they are no longer a sleeper, but someone you are expecting to produce.
Anyway, back to Burkhead. Allow me to share some of his combine data with you for a second because it didn’t get a whole lot of press:
- Vertical Leap – 39 inches (Second best running back)
- Board Jump – 125 inches or 10’5” (Second best running back)
- Three Cone Drill – 6.85 seconds (Fourth best running back)
- 20 Yard Shuttle – 4.09 seconds (Second best running back)
- 60 Yard Shuttle – 11.51 seconds (Fifth best running back)
You might be wondering how someone can be top in the top five (if not top two) in just about every combine drill and not be a highly regarded prospect. Is he is just a track guy? We get those from time-to-time. At 5’10” and 214 pounds, Burkhead has the prototypical NFL running back size. Is he a workout warrior? Not really. He was the full time starter for the Cornhuskers starting midway through his sophomore season all the way through his senior year.
What seems to be the problem then?
There’s one important drill that isn’t on the list – the 40 yard dash. No one is going to confuse him with Chris Johnson when it comes to straight line speed. He ran just a 4.73 second time at the combine. The question is how big of a deal is that? If you believe the stories, Emmitt Smith and several other greats ran times somewhere around there, so it doesn’t mean Burkhead is destined to fail. It just means he is going to have a little different role than players like Johnson and CJ Spiller.
If you watch the college game film of Burkhead and look at his combine performance, they tend to agree with each other. He isn’t fast by any measure of the word compared to other running backs; however, he is extremely quick and agile. He has great lateral movement and does a wonderful job of cutting back to find and take advantage of a hole. His quick feet allow him to break through weak tackles and get a few extra yards as well. When you factor in that he does a decent job catching passes out of the backfield, you start to see someone who could definitely carve out a role for themselves in the NFL.
When you look at his production, it seems to back that up as well. In his time as a starter, Burkhead averaged 5.4 yards per carry. He also managed 27 touchdowns and 47 receptions over those three years. While those numbers aren’t eye popping, they are definitely respectable for someone playing in a major conference. What might be even better is his stats became more impressive with each year if you extrapolate out his injury shortened senior season.
Unfortunately, it isn’t all roses when it comes to Burkhead.
I already talked about the lack of top end speed. He also lacks a little bit of strength. I mentioned he can use his feet to help break weak tackles, but I can’t say the same for solid hits. For someone his size, he should have been able to power through solid hits a little more often than he did. He also should have been able to block a bit better than he showed on film. When it comes to the injuries I mentioned above, he had a tendency to get nicked up a bit, missing six games during his senior season due to two separate issues.
The good news about those negatives is that aside from the top end speed, they are largely fixable. When you look at the fact Burkhead is one of the highest effort guys you will find on a NFL roster, you almost have to give him the benefit of the doubt that he will be able to fix the blocking and that he’ll develop a little more power. His extremely high character (go look up stories on Jack Hoffman and his relationship with Burkhead) and leadership abilities will also help him stand out to his coaches.
When it comes to his situation with the Bengals, you really couldn’t have asked for a much better spot. We all know what the law firm of BenJarvus Green-Ellis brings to the table. He’ll be 28 at the start of the season and is little more than a north/south plodder. Fellow rookie Giovani Bernard is definitely explosive, but many (including me) question his ability to be anything more than a committee back.
When I look at the Bengals, I see a team that will move forward with the combination of Burkhead and Bernard as their 1-2 punch. Bernard will clearly be the explosive home run threat and probably the primary pass catcher out of the backfield. Burkhead could fill the role of the early down runner who can handle the heavy lifting.
What does all of this mean for the fantasy owner? His upside is probably a little limited due to the time share that he’ll almost certainly be in. I would say the best case scenario puts him at a low end RB2 or more likely a RB3 unless Bernard gets injured – that is still pretty good value for someone that you should be able to get in the fourth round of your rookie drafts. You could definitely do a whole lot worse.
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Three - April 28, 2021
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round Two - April 26, 2021
- Final 2021 Pre-Draft Rookie Mock: Round One - April 25, 2021
