2020 NFL Draft Prospect – Anthony McFarland, RB Maryland

Noah Ballweg

Our NFL rookie profile series continues with this analysis of 2020 NFL Draft Prospect Anthony McFarland, RB from Maryland. We will continue to provide you with these in-depth rookie profiles and a ton of other fantasy football rookie analysis right up through the NFL Draft. Stay tuned, and stay ahead of your league!

The University of Maryland has produced some historically great prospects in the last decade, particularly at the wide receiver position. Stefon Diggs, DJ Moore, and Torrey Smith are just a few of the latest stars to arise. While Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin have typically been the production site for great running backs, redshirt Sophomore running back Anthony McFarland is looking to start a new trend of Maryland running backs in the NFL.

The Stats

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Statistics from sports-reference.com.

Many may not know that McFarland was a four-star recruit coming out of DeMatha Catholic High School. Before his commitment to Maryland, McFarland was the third-ranked running back in the nation with a 112 overall SPARQ rating. However, he suffered an unfortunate leg break his senior season, dropping him in the rankings and allowing Maryland to snatch up the home talent.

McFarland redshirted his freshman season at Maryland recovering from a leg injury, and proved to the rest of the conference that he was fully healthy in 2018. As a redshirt freshman, McFarland rushed only 131 times in 12 games, carrying the ball at a 7.9 yard per carry clip and breaking the 1,000-yard mark.

Many expected the output to continue for McFarland in 2019. However, a few nagging ankle injuries slowed the sophomore down and his final stat line featured only 114 carries for 614 yards and eight rushing touchdowns. While his touchdown total doubled, his YPC and rushing totals were nearly cut in half.

The Film

Our DLF Film Crew has done a great job of compiling a few different games of McFarland’s that give you a glimpse into the prospect you are drafting in 2020.

At first glance, you will notice McFarland’s 5’8″, 208-pound frame. He is an undersized back from an NFL standpoint and will need to keep adding lean muscle for adding strength and durability. This could raise some top-end speed concerns.

What is not in question on film is McFarland’s speed. His 4.44-second 40-yard-dash speed is on constant display as he often fights to the outside of the field, and can hit open lanes quickly and elusively. He has raw athleticism which is why so many NFL scouts are praising his game. One aspect of his game film that I love is McFarland’s ability to keep driving his legs at the end of a play. Despite the small frame, he does not play small. At times he may get stood up at the line of scrimmage, but often you can see his legs moving through the end of the whistle.

His pass protection and vision will be in question as he heads into the NFL. His game tape reveals a tendency to often try to bounce plays to the outside, rather than seeing open holes and using his lateral quickness to move upfield. Similarly, his pass protection will need to improve significantly for him to be trusted in passing situations. He appears to have the capability to pick up blitzes, but his actual blocking needs work.

McFarland will not be a short-yardage back in the NFL. His size and frame will simply not allow it, but given more experience, he should be a great change of pace running back, capable of outrunning entire defenses and using his elusiveness to find holes in the defense.

The Measurables

Despite being in the 86th percentile for his 4.44 40-yard dash time, every other one of McFarland’s physical traits places him in the bottom third percentile among current and former NFL players, according to MockDraftable.

While some may write him off has undersized, he still has some great comparisons that hold the same skill set as McFarland. Ray Rice, Darrell Henderson, and, Duke Johnson all measured in the same range and have a similar type of playing style. However, McFarland is the most explosive of the three comparisons and could have the most potential as a true runner, rather than just a receiving option. While he lacks the strength of Rice, his agility and elusiveness could give him an edge.

Dynasty Value

McFarland currently holds a 197.50 ADP ranking, making him a mid-17th-round draft pick in startup drafts that include rookie players. In a current DLF Mock Draft that I am participating in this month, McFarland was taken with the 15.07 pick. I would expect his current ADP positioning to increase depending on his landing spot in the draft.

In simple rookie ADP rankings, McFarland is currently the tenth running back being taken off the board, with an ADP of 36.00 (third round), behind Eno Benjamin. I like the prospects of being able to use a third-round pick on McFarland in 2020. As a change of pace back with some breakout potential, he is a great value pick that late in rookie drafts.

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Conclusion

McFarland’s speed and one-hit-wonder abilities have the potential to boost him higher into the top ten of incoming rookie running backs. His landing spot and role within the offense should be a determining factor of this. An offense needing a pass-catching back such as Tampa Bay or New York could really benefit from what he brings to an offense.

However, his game does need a bit of work before he gains any true traction in dynasty leagues. McFarland will certainly need to improve upon his pass-blocking technique and show improvement on his downhill running vision, rather than bouncing plays to the sideline.

With 4.44 speed combined with his confidence, McFarland could be a third-round gem that grabs a significant snap percentage early on in 2020. The landing spot will tell all.