Welcome to the 20/20 series. As part of our continued Dynasty Scouts coverage and in preparation for the NFL Combine, we’ll be profiling 20 of the top incoming rookies of the class of 2017 by giving you 20 facts you must know.
1.) Player Name – D’Onta Foreman
2.) College – Texas
3.) Height/Weight – 6’1″, 249 lbs
4.) Birth date – 4/24/96 (20)
5.) Class – Junior
6.) College stats – 2015: 95 attempts, 681 yards and five touchdowns; 2016: 323 attempts, 2028 yards and 15 touchdowns
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7.) NFL Draft round projection – Second-third round. There are likely to be three running backs to go in the first, and D’Onta Foreman won’t be one of them. Even though I consider Foreman a late second round pick, he could slide into the third. His combine numbers will be very important in many scout’s minds.
8.) Current NFL comp – Jonathan Stewart.
9.) Best possible destination – Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings most likely will lose Adrian Peterson and will need someone to carry the load. If Foreman can drop down to the 46th spot in the second, they will have their man. Other possibilities could be Indianapolis at 48, and Oakland at 56, especially if the Raiders don’t retain Latavius Murray.
10.) Worst possible destination – Los Angeles Chargers. Melvin Gordon is the man there, and he would have a hard time fitting in since they are both similar type backs.
11.) Best current skill – Power. He will absolutely truck defenders who get in his way. His powerful legs and hip drive are amazing, as he can explode through the hole.
12.) A skill that needs to be improved – His third down role. He not only struggles to catch the ball, but needs to work on his blocking skills as well. He doesn’t square up and at times will dip his shoulder instead of using his whole body.
13.) Past/current rookie ADP – He’s ninth overall (RB6) in DLF rankings. The top five running backs (Dalvin Cook, Leonard Fournette, Joe Mixon, Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara) and Foreman are all grouped together inside the top ten, but that will change depending on draft position and situation.
14.) Projected dynasty value – A very good running back class will be hard to miss. Everything depends on where he lands, but that goes for most players. He takes a significant dip in PPR leagues, but if he goes to a strong offense, his value will go up in standard.
15.) Wrecking ball – There are going to be plenty of defenders explaining why they just got run over, and will be reciting the line from Miley Cyrus “He came in like a wrecking ball… never been hit so hard.” There is no doubt that Foreman is and looks like a wrecking ball. Foreman sees the field well, and he may be the first wrecking ball with vision. He will tire defenses early and get stronger as the game goes on.
16.) Burst – At the very minimum, D’Onta Foreman can be a solid contributor to the goal line and short yardage offense. He has quick feet and can bounce runs from the outside. He keeps his legs churning and is very difficult to arm tackle. His physical appearance is solid as he has a nice size and weight combination that isn’t excessive on either end. He knows how to use his body and legs together and can turn his hips well.
17.) Runway – Some big backs struggle in the NFL because they need those extra steps or clearance on the line to get through holes. Many of his runs came out of the shotgun, which means he doesn’t need the take off room to garner speed.
18.) Double – Using baseball vernacular, players such as Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook have that special ‘home run speed’, while D’Onta Foreman is more like a double. You may need a slow-motion replay to watch someone like Christian McCaffrey but will need the fast forward button on Foreman.
19.) All-around worries – Foreman hasn’t been a perfect picture of health. He missed the UTEP game with a minor hand injury, and also played with a broken hand this season. Against Oklahoma State Cowboys, he injured his abdomen on a touchdown run. In total, he has missed at least one game in his three seasons at Texas. There are three things he needs to work on in a hardcore way. The first two I already mentioned (pass pro and catching). The third is his fumbling issues. The first two will limit his time on the field; the third will keep him off. He lost six of his seven turnovers.
20.) Around the Web – Lance Zierlein “Foreman has that instant gas that other don’t possess.” Matt Waldman “He has good feet for a man of his size. His stiff-arm is active and effective against all three levels of the defense. And he has the kind of balance to bounce off hits to his legs by linebackers and safeties.” Rob Rang via Twitter “I do not see a Top 100 talent. Hope advice he received came from NFL.”
Note: A one-year starter and true junior, D’Onta Foreman rushed for more yards per game (184.4) than any other back in the FBS last year and his 2,028 rushing yards were second-most in school history.
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I think his NFL comp is Legarret Blount. Probably not going to be much of a fantasy factor at the next level unless he ends up on the right roster. 5th round talent if you ask me.
Although he’s 20ish lbs. lighter, I think Jordan Howard might also be a decent comp to Foreman. Howard’s college game was similar, and scouts had the same concerns about his potential in the passing game at the next level. Chicago took him the 5th and he turned in a pretty good rookie season, putting to rest most of the concerns raised by analysts and experts before the draft. Especially in the passing game.
My money is on Foreman going right around the end of the 3rd, or very early 4th come April. Obviously the Combine and team interview process will go a long way toward determining this. The 2,000+ yards he churned out last season on a horrible Texas team will do wonders for his draft stock, so if he lasts until the 5th I’ll be pretty surprised. Some team would be getting really nice value that late.
Thanks for this piece Mike, Foreman’s a guy who’s barely clinging to a spot in my top 12. Looking fwd to the rest of the draft process to unfold so I can lock him into the right slot before rookie drafts roll out this summer.
