From now until the 2021 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to showcase as many prospects as possible and examine both their strengths and weaknesses. Most of these profiles will feature individuals that the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to have an interest in, while a few others will be top-ranked players. If there is a player you would like us to analyze, let us know in the comments below.
#5 Rakeem Boyd/RB/Arkansas/5’11”, 213 Lbs
The Good
-Elite-level long speed; consistently hit the home run in 2019
-Long strider that destroys angles
-Patient runner with good feet to stay in control throughout rep
-Impressive contact balance for the position
-Rocked-up build to handle heavy workload
-Consistently falls forward at the end of runs
-Flashed solid hands out of the backfield
-High-level ball security; rarely makes mistakes
The Bad
-Vision is a bit below average right now; wants to stay on schedule and go where run is designed for, leading to some missed holes
-Needs a bit of a runway to hit home run; not a sudden athlete by any means
-Though willing, does not have the lower half strength to hold up in pass protection
-Doesn’t have much elusiveness to his game; struggles to make defenders miss in space
-Despite having good hands, struggles with concentration drops
Bio
-Played in 31 games at Arkansas over four years
-Rushed 389 times for 2,273 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Razorbacks
-Added 52 catches for 358 yards at Arkansas
-Finished his Arkansas career averaging 5.