DeWayne McBride, RB UAB: Offseason 2023 NFL Draft Profile

McBride was a three-star recruit from Vanguard High School in Ocala, Fla. in the class of 2020

The 2023 NFL Draft will have no shortage of running backs, including small school products like UAB’s DeWayne McBride. The Florida native was one of the most productive players in all of college football last season, but fans might want to pump the breaks on his hype train before things get off the rails.

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DeWayne McBride, RB UAB: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior running back from Starke, Fla.

Background: McBride was a three-star recruit from Vanguard High School in Ocala, Fla. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 1,914 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,583 for On3.com. McBride was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 73 grade out of 100. MaxPreps credits him with rushing for 963 yards and 12 touchdowns on 121 carries in nine games as a high school senior. McBride was born on July 8, 2001.

2021 Production: 13 games, 204 carries, 1,371 yards, 13 touchdowns

2020 Production: 6 games, 47 carries, 439 yards, 4 touchdowns

Injuries & Off-Field: Left the game against UTEP (2021) with an undisclosed injury

Awards: 2021 Second-Team All-Conference USA

Pros: Averaged over 4.7 yards after contact in 2021, will lower his shoulder and move the pile, impressive burst, strong build with a compact frame, active and sturdy stiff arm, shows some ability to bounce runs outside, above average contact balance, gets north to south in a hurry, momentum usually leads him forward for yards after contact, shows patience behind his linemen, plants his foot, turns up field, and is off to the races

Cons: Four fumbles in 2021, no experience in the slot, hasn’t played a role as a pass catcher (under 20 career receiving yards), allowed two sacks in pass pro in 2021, competition level, lacks home run speed, not a sudden or twitchy runner, inconsistent when attempting to win the edge, displays limited open field elusiveness, limited lateral agility, occasionally stumbles when trying to execute cuts, stop-start agility leaves him vulnerable behind the line, unlikely to play a significant role in the NFL on third downs, needs to hit the hole at full speed more often to maximize his production

Overview: McBride is unofficially listed at 5'11", 215 lbs. He finished fifth among all running backs last season with 962 yards after contact. McBride’s frame is fairly unique among the most productive running backs in this draft class. His compact frame reminds me a little of a smaller Michael Turner, although McBride will look less physically imposing when facing better competition on a weekly basis. While the rising junior displays excellent burst for his size and a willingness to finish through contact, he lacks many of the versatile and dynamic traits NFL teams covet. McBride is unproven as a pass catcher and uninspiring in pass protection. He appears to be too linear or stiff of a runner to display sudden cuts or twitchy movements and rarely makes elusive moves in the open field. McBride’s stop-start agility occasionally gets him in trouble behind the line of scrimmage too.

Overall, McBride is one of college football’s most productive running backs, but he lacks the athletic traits and third down potential to be anything higher than a Day 3 selection. NFL teams will likely seek out less productive backs with better athletic profiles.

Role & Scheme Fit: Early down rotational back in an inside zone scheme

Round Projection: Mid Sixth to Early Seventh

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 07-20-22