FCS Sleepers

Dan Meylor

zenner

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Every year, future NFL impact players are drafted or signed as priority free agents from small schools throughout the country and more than any other position, it seems like it happens with tailbacks. Just last year, Isaiah Crowell (Alabama State), Terrence West (Towson), Jerrick McKinnon (Georgia Southern) and Lorenzo Taliaferro (Coastal Carolina) all made an impact coming from Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) schools.

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This year there is a pair of tailbacks coming from the Missouri Valley Conference, an FCS conference, that each have the upside to make a similar impact in the NFL – Zach Zenner and John Crockett.

Zach Zenner, RB South Dakota State

One of my favorite sleepers in this draft class, Zenner is a true three-down prospect. In his last three seasons at South Dakota State University, he posted three consecutive 2,000 yard seasons and displayed everything that personnel men look for in a full-time tailback. A quick look at his numbers paints a pretty vivid picture of the former Jackrabbit runner’s abilities.

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As you can see from the numbers above, Zenner absolutely dominated the opposition while in college. He came just 11 yards short of former Georgia Southern tailback Adrian Peterson’s record of 6,559 rushing yards in a career and obliterated nearly every record in conference history.

When looking at a small-school NFL prospect, most would expect him to dominate the lesser competition. Many have looked at the numbers Zenner posted at South Dakota State and immediately snickered and pointed to the lack of competition that he faced during his time on campus. While it’s true that he did a majority of his damage against FCS competition, he also shined in his opportunities against defenses from the power conferences.

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In his only three chances to play against the stiffer competition of the Big 12, Big 10 and Southeastern Conference’s over the last three years, Zenner averaged 163 yards per game on the ground and an impressive eight yards per carry with five touchdowns and some very long runs. No matter if he was facing the Western Illinois Leathernecks or the Blackshirts of Nebraska, Zenner put forth the same effort and came out with the same result – he dominated.

As I mentioned earlier, Zenner has many of the traits most would consider desirable in a featured tailback. He’s a downhill runner who excelled while at South Dakota State in a one cut system. With impressive vision and excellent awareness, he’s a master at setting up his blocks before blasting towards the line of scrimmage. Making quick decisions with the ball in his hands and attacking rushing lanes, Zenner’s very powerful at the point of attack, lowering his shoulder in the hole and breaking through small creases and arm tackles.

When taking on contact, Zenner also displayed impressive balance and body control while in college, often bouncing off big hits to gain chunks of yardage. Although he doesn’t make defenders miss in the open field with incredible juke moves, he does display a good stiff arm and has the uncanny ability to change direction with perfect timing to force defenders to take bad angles when trying to catch him. While his 4.6 40-time didn’t blow anybody away at the combine, Zenner showed on film countless times that he has the game speed to run away from defenders when he gets to the second and third levels.

Although Zenner isn’t the kind of receiver out of the backfield who will run vertical routes or make defenders look foolish with his quick feet, he’s a very capable receiver. While in college he was asked mostly to run screens or in the flat, but he excelled at both. Most likely, he’ll be a check down specialist at the next level but there’s no doubt that Zenner will be a contributor to the passing game wherever he ends up.

While Zenner has the raw tools to be a fulltime tailback at the next level, there are parts to his game that need polished. Due to him rarely being asked to block in pass protection, he showed he needs to work on being able to stop pass rushers – particularly speed rushers on the perimeter. Also, although he scored 69 touchdowns in his career, he isn’t known as a great short yardage back. While he often slipped through small seams to find pay dirt, he showed he doesn’t have the drive and power to move a pile on his own. If he could add some bulk to his 5’11”, 223 pound frame, there is always the possibility he could improve in that area, but at this point he’s not a bulldozer in the short yardage game.

Overall, Zenner is an ideal mid-to-late round NFL draft pick. I have no doubt a coaching staff will fall in love with his incredible work ethic, impressive college production and workhorse running style. Dynasty owners should keep a close eye on where he ends up on draft weekend. He has the potential to surprise as early as his rookie season and is worthy of being selected in the mid-to-late rounds of most rookie drafts.

John Crockett, RB North Dakota State

Another well-built runner out of the Missouri Valley Conference, Crockett also had an impressive career at North Dakota State as part of four-consecutive National Championship teams.

crockettstats

While Crockett showed potential in his sophomore and junior seasons with the Bison, he proved to be a true workhorse in his final year on campus. After sharing carries with former NSDU tailback Sam Ojuri in 2012 and 2013, Crockett got to take over as the full-time runner in his senior season in Fargo. He literally ran with the opportunity, nearly reaching 2,000 rushing yards and averaging 5.4 yards per carry while scoring 22 times and accounting for a majority of the NDSU’s offensive production.

The most impressive part about Crockett’s game is his patience and incredible quick feet in the backfield. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he has the ability to slow down for a brief moment to wait for blocks to set up. His excellent vision allows him to find the crease and he uses an impressive jump cut to change directions before exploding through the hole with great burst. His quick decision making and swift feet are especially impressive for a tailback of his size (6’0”, 217 pounds) and are reminiscent of Jeremy Hill in his first season in Cincinnati.

Another part of Crockett’s game that jumps off the screen when watching him is his fierce competitiveness. A powerful runner with something to prove, he often delivers the hit rather than taking it. After big collisions or nice defensive plays, he’d regularly jump up to let the defender know he was just fine and ready for more. Beaming with swagger, Crockett isn’t arrogant or cocky but he plays with fire and looks the part of an NFL tailback.

As a receiver, Crockett proved in his final year in college that he can be useful out of the backfield. He has soft hands and can make defenders miss in the open field on screens and swing patterns. Due to being such a focal point of the offense, he wasn’t asked to pass block often so pass protection isn’t a strength of his at this point but he has the frame to get the job done and always showed great effort when blocking while in college.

Overall, Crockett would fit very nicely in an NFL rotation as a first and second down runner who could also play full-time if needed. He proved in his senior season he can handle the workload (398 touches) and has the vision, quick feet and burst to be a successful NFL tailback.

Dynasty owners who haven’t heard of Crockett should make themselves aware of his upside. While his 4.62 40-yard dash time and 15 reps on the bench time at the combine weren’t eye popping, watching him on film is. He’s sure to have gotten the attention of many scouts and front office men throughout the NFL and should have yours as well. He’s an excellent target for those looking for a late round sleeper in rookie drafts.

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dan meylor