2024 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Will Shipley, RB Clemson
The running back class in 2024 is a wide-open race to the top that anyone could win. Will Shipley is a player who aspired to be the top of whatever NFL class he joined, but he has some major injury red flags he has to overcome. Shipley’s medicals may push him down some teams’ draft boards, but he is a talented, all-around running back who will try to prove his worth in the coming months.
Recruitment
Image courtesy of 247 Sports.
Shipley was a five-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. He was considered a top 50 prospect and the number two running back in the nation behind TreVeyon Henderson.
He attended Weddington High School in the Charlotte, NC suburb of Matthews. In his junior season, he ran the ball 188 times for 2,066 yards and 30 touchdowns. He also caught 34 balls for 582 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. He led the team to a 16-0 record and a North Carolina Division 3AA State Championship.
He got offers from 24 schools, including Alabama, Florida and Georgia, but he chose to stay in the Carolinas and go to Clemson, committing in his junior year. Shipley’s senior season was moved to the Spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, so he sat out the season.
Collegiate Career
Image courtesy of College Football Reference.
Shipley earned the starting running back job at Clemson midway through his freshman season and did not look back. He peaked in his sophomore season, rushing for 1,182 yards over 210 carries for 15 touchdowns. He was second in the ACC in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns that season. For his breakout season, he earned All-ACC and All-American honors.
He struggled with injuries in his junior year in 2023. Despite the nagging injuries, he still ran for 5 yards per carry over 167 carries in 12 games. He was healthy enough to play in the Gator Bowl against Kentucky, but he was forced to leave the game with a scary-looking knee injury. Luckily, the injury did not require surgery and he did not suffer any structural damage.
The best game of his senior season came against North Carolina. In an upset win over his home-state school, Shipley ran for 126 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. He also caught two balls for 53 yards. We see he is a hard runner with some shiftiness in his feet. He is also able to hit a second gear on outside runs to get around the edge.
Shipley finished his college career playing in 36 games. He ran 526 times for 2,748 yards and 31 touchdowns. He also caught 85 passes for 602 and two touchdowns through the air. Sipley also excelled in the kick return game, averaging 26.6 yards per return on 34 tries.
Strengths
- Great athlete
- Quick feet to slither through holes quickly
- Good contact balance
- Explosive through the line
- Reads his blocking well
- Solid in pass protection
- Good hands and route running
- Looks for yards after the catch without exposing the ball
Weaknesses
- Underwhelming size and strength
- Injury issues throughout his college career, especially last season
- Can take too long to get to the line of scrimmage. Sometimes looks for the home run play instead of taking what’s there
- Lacks speed in space
Draft Value
Image courtesy of NFL Mock Draft Database.
There is so much time before the NFL Draft at the end of April. The outlook of the running back position is going to depend greatly on the winter all-star games, Combine, pro days and private workouts. Currently, mock drafts have Shipley as high as a first-round pick, and as low as a fifth-round pick.
With so much stock riding on the pre-draft process, Shipley could be at a disadvantage because of the leg injury he suffered in the Gator Bowl. He didn’t need surgery, but he may still be recovering next month in Indianapolis. That could certainly have an impact on his draft value. Several mock drafts have the Vikings targeting Will Shipley. After a lackluster season from Alexander Mattison, Minnesota could be looking for an upgrade at the position.
Dynasty Outlook
Despite the injury issues, I believe Shipley will start to climb up the running back ranks in the pre-draft process. Shipley is the consensus RB6 amongst DLF rankers. Shane Hallam, who has him at 20th overall and fifth at running back, says Shipley “plays well every game I see him, but lacks that it factor.”
"Will Shipley is a do-it-all running back with consecutive 1000-yard seasons with 30+ catches in a struggling offense, but doesn’t have top-tier physical traits or efficiency numbers. Solid floor with a questionable ceiling." — @FF_TravisMhttps://t.co/0h3SGWjQhJ pic.twitter.com/s4pGvKxZGG
— DLF (@DLFootball) January 23, 2024
I really enjoyed the tape I saw from Shipley, and believe he will find himself solidly inside the top five at running back in May rookie drafts. He’ll likely be a second-round rookie draft pick, and his rookie-year production will depend on his landing spot. He’ll probably need to go someplace where he can split a backfield 50/50, but he is absolutely capable of doing that and being in the RB3 conversation for fantasy in his career.
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