Rookie Profile: Corey Clement, RB Wisconsin
The suspense is almost gone as we turn the final corner and head down the home stretch with the last few rounds of the draft. The scouting process never ends for our dynasty teams. Even after the draft there is still work to do when it comes to analyzing the new batch of rookies. Some of our beloved prospects will land in less than favorable situations come draft day and other lesser known prospects will unsuspectedly get drafted by a team that could initially use them early in their career.
Corey Clement is a talented prospect who is well under the radar for a lot of draft analysts and dynasty enthusiasts. It’s easy for some of these talented running backs to slip through the cracks, considering the running back position in engulfed with talent. DLF currently has him ranked 19th amongst rookie running backs and 43rd overall. His current rankings aren’t very encouraging for his perceived dynasty stock, but he would be ranked much higher if he was in any other draft class. He’s one of those players who could get drafted by the right team in the later rounds of the draft and eventually work his way into becoming a suitable dynasty asset. With this draft class being extra deep at running back position there should be a late round or undrafted back like Clement hit in this year’s draft.
Clement was a four-star recruit from Glassboro High School which is located in Glassboro, New Jersey where he rushed for 6,245 yards and 90 total touchdowns during his high school career. According to 247Sports, Clement ranked 12th amongst running backs in the 2013 recruiting class. He received offers from 15 different schools, including Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Florida State and Penn State before eventually signing with the Wisconsin Badgers.
[am4show have=’g1;’ guest_error=’sub_message’ user_error=’sub_message’ ]
Statistics from sports-reference.com.
He played in 12 games during his freshman season and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week twice. Clement eclipsed the 100-yard mark during the first two games of his career by rushing for 101 yards against Massachusetts and 149 yards against Tennessee Tech. His freshman campaign ended with 547 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Clement broke out during his sophomore season while sharing the backfield with star running back Melvin Gordon by rushing for 949 yards and nine touchdowns while catching 14 receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns. His best game came during week six against Illinois when he rushed for 164 yards and one touchdown. He finished his sophomore season with a 14.46 percent market share of the team’s offensive production.
Injuries and a suspension destroyed his junior season, causing him to play in just four games, rushing for 221 yards and five touchdowns. Sports hernia surgery caused him to miss a significant amount of time, the injury occurred while playing in the season opener against Alabama. Clement took part in a scuffle that happened off campus which caused him to be suspended for one game. He also had an ankle injury that lingered during the back half of the season.
Clement decided to come back for his senior season, rushing for 1,375 yards and 15 touchdowns while owning a 28.17 percent market share of the team’s offensive production. He had big games against Ohio State and Penn State, rushing for 164 yards in both contests. By having eight games with more than 100 yards, Clement finished the season third in the Big Ten in rushing.
Let’s take a look at his Player Profiler page and see how his athletic and production metrics compare to his peers.
His 33.1 percent dominator rating ranks in the 70th percentile amongst running back prospects which is very encouraging and can be an indicator that he could become a productive athlete at the next level. However, his 4.4 yards per carry is a major red flag on his resume and stems, mainly, due to having 14 games with under 4.0 yards per carry.
I don’t know what happened during the combine, but maybe he ate some bad Taco Bell, because his scores were horrendous. His 106.0 burst score ranks within the fifth percentile amongst running back prospects, which is so bad that it’s almost impressive. His 4.68 40-yard dash suggests that he’s not going to be able to break away from the defense for many long touchdown runs. Clement’s 11.19 agility score is his saving grace since it ranks within the 68th percentile.
His best comparable player is Alex Collins, which is very interesting, because both backs were counting stat dandies in college while submitting less than optimal athletic scores. Collins had three seasons with over 1,000 yards rushing at Arkansas, compared to Clement’s up and down collegiate career.
Mock Draftable is one of the best web sites on the internet when it comes to providing athletic metrics for NFL players and prospects in an easy to read “spider-web” illustration. Let’s see what they have on tap for Corey Clement.
Clement’s broad jump, vertical jump, 40-yard dash and the bench press all rank well below the 50th percentile amongst running back prospects, making him a below average athlete. Alex Collins reemerges on his comparable list, along with BenJarvus Green-Ellis. It’s safe to say that Clement is not likely going to burn linebackers and defensive backs with his quickness and speed.
Below is footage from his performance in the Big Ten Championship game against Penn State when he rushed for 164 yards and one touchdown while catching three receptions for 43 yards. This was one of the best games of his career, considering Penn State’s defense finished the season allowing just a 3.9 yard per carry average.
Clement is one of those players who look more athletic on tape than what his combine metrics portray. He appears to have enough burst to get through the creases provided by his offensive linemen and enough quickness to get by linebackers at the second level of the defense. He’s very efficient with his footwork while eluding defenders, by effectively slide stepping or jump cutting to avoid tacklers in the open field. Clement also has the power to run through arm tackles and push defenders back at the point of contact.
He can be very indecisive at times by dancing or pausing before making his move and will sometimes hesitate before taking his runs downhill. Clement is also very impatient by not allowing his linemen to sustain their blocks before making his move, causing him to run into the backs of his defenders and miss opportunities due to being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Vision can also be an issue as he sometimes seems to have trouble reading the defense and lack the ability to anticipate where the defenders will be before approaching the line of scrimmage.
Clement can be a fantasy asset if he goes to a team with solid offensive line play and a quarterback that can keep the defense honest. I expect him to start his career as the second or third string running back on his team to start his career and will need the right circumstance to occur in order for him to become a starting running back. Dallas might be the best landing spot, he can back up Ezekiel Elliott and will have the opportunity of playing behind the best offensive line in the league. He will need efficient run blocking in front of him for him to be successful, making Dallas the perfect destination for him.
He projects as a late round pick in rookie drafts with a 48.90 ADP, making him a fourth-round pick in rookie drafts. That’s a palatable price tag for his talents and if he goes to the right team, he could become a steal. The dominoes must fall in the right direction for him to become fantasy relevant but with the price point of virtually free it’s hard to go wrong with selecting Clement. I think he has the intangibles to become a starting running back if somehow he receives an opportunity to become a team’s every down back.
[/am4show]
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: Luke McCaffrey, WR Rice - April 19, 2024
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: Will Shipley, RB Clemson - April 6, 2024
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: Braelon Allen, RB Wisconsin - March 29, 2024
