Israel Abanikanda, RB Pittsburgh: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Abanikanda was a three-star recruit from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the class of 2020

Pittsburgh Panthers running back Israel Abanikanda plans to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. The junior earned All-ACC and All-American honors for his breakout performance in 2022. Few running backs in the upcoming draft can match Abanikanda’s explosiveness and home run potential.

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Israel Abanikanda, RB Pittsburgh: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior running back from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Background: Abanikanda was a three-star recruit from Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 428 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 507 for On3.com. Abanikanda was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. He committed to Pittsburgh over offers from Boston College, Duke, Rutgers, Syracuse, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and several other programs. Abanikanda was named New York’s Gatorade Player of the Year for 2019-20 after he amassed 136 carries for 1,350 yards and 20 touchdowns, 13 receptions for 182 yards and three touchdowns, 30 tackles and two interceptions on defense, and averaged 36.3 yards per kick return. During that standout senior year, Abanikanda led the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL) in rushing and scoring. He was the New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA) Class AA Co-Player of the Year, Brooklyn Borough Most Valuable Player, and the New York City Coaches NYC Player of the Year. Abanikanda earned a First-Team NYSSWA All-Class AA selection as a senior and a Second-Team selection as a junior. He was a defensive selection for the 2018 American Family Insurance ALL-USA New York Football Team. Abanikanda was selected to the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame 2020 NFF Team of Distinction, which honors graduating senior players across the country who best capture the scholar-athlete ideal through exemplary academic achievement, athletic accolades, and community involvement. Abanikanda volunteered locally on behalf of winter coat and food-donation drives, helped at a soup kitchen, and assisted the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots program. He was the Most Valuable Running Back at The Opening New Jersey regional. Abanikanda also participated in track and field. He was a two-time 100-meter gold medalist at the New York City Mayor's Cup Race and a 100-meter bronze medalist at the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Outdoor Track and Field Championship. His father (Saidi) played football at Georgia Tech while his brother (Michael) played at Buffalo and Temple. Abanikanda was born on Oct. 5, 2002.

2022 Production: 11 games, 239 carries, 1,431 yards, 20 touchdowns + 12 receptions, 146 yards, 1 touchdown + 12 kick returns, 228 yards

2021 Production: 13 games, 123 carries, 651 yards, 7 touchdowns + 24 receptions, 197 yards, 1 touchdown + 7 kick returns, 206 yards, 1 touchdown

2020 Production: 7 games, 28 carries, 95 yards, 1 touchdown + 1 receiving touchdown

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed one and a half games with an injury in 2022

Awards: 2022 First-Team All-ACC, 2022 Third-Team All-American

Pros: Age, elite acceleration and burst, above-average straight-line speed, explosive home run hitter, quickly blows past the second level, quick feet, sharp cuts to switch from east-west to north-south, choppy feet to help change directions, beats defenders to the edge, willing blocker in pass protection, instances of well-framed blocks, properly identifies and targets threats in pass pro, leverage to stay below the defender’s pads, some ability to slip arm tackles and bounce off shoulder tackles, battles for yards after contact, vision reveals cutback lanes, flashes of patiently waiting for the rushing lane to develop, stresses downfield angles with his speed, squeezes through gaps, rarely penalized, effective kick returner, upside to offer more as a pass catcher, stiff arms defenders who attack his lower torso

Cons: Five drops over the last two seasons, catches with his body, limited route tree, three fumbles in 2022, build lacks bulk to break tackles and generate yards after contact consistently, runs high, not twitchy or sudden in the open field, limited to no juke moves once he hits the second level, not much lateral movement downfield, elusiveness is average at best, some lower body tightness limits short-area agility, not fast enough to consistently erase angles downfield, doesn’t move the pile or fall forward, struggles to create between the tackles, doesn’t hit the throttle unless he sees a runway, vision comes and goes leading to pinballing into offensive linemen, lean lower half leads to an inconsistent anchor in pass pro, feet and hands play out of control in pass pro at times, struggles to sustain blocks, reading downfield blocks needs to improve, not very creative as a kick returner

Overview: Abanikanda is unofficially listed at 5'11", 215 lbs. The New York native is one of the younger running back prospects in the draft. He displays elite acceleration and burst to accompany above-average straight-line speed. Abanikanda is an explosive home run hitter who quickly blows past the defense’s second level. He has quick, choppy feet that allow for sharp cuts to switch from east-west to north-south. Abanikanda uses his speed to beat defenders to the edge and turn upfield. He’s a willing blocker in pass protection who occasionally has well-framed blocks. He properly identifies and targets threats in pass protection, but his lean lower half leads to an inconsistent anchor. Abanikanda’s feet and hands play out of control in pass protection, and he struggles to sustain blocks. The All-ACC running back has the natural leverage to stay below the defender’s pads as a runner and blocker. He’s shown the ability to slip arm tackles and bounce off shoulder tackles. Abanikanda battles for yards after contact and throws a nasty stiff arm at defenders who attack his lower torso. His vision reveals cutback lanes, and there are flashes of him patiently waiting for the rushing lane to develop. Abanikanda stresses downfield angles with his speed and squeezes through gaps. He’s an effective but not very creative or twitchy kick returner. The junior has the upside to offer more as a pass catcher. However, he has five drops over the last two seasons and still relies on catching the ball with his body too often. The former three-star recruit fumbled three times in 2022, and his build lacks the bulk to break tackles and generate yards after contact consistently. He runs high and isn’t twitchy or sudden in the open field. Abanikanda displays limited to no juke moves once he hits the second level. His elusiveness is average at best, and there’s some lower body tightness that limits his short-area agility. Abanikanda isn’t fast enough to consistently erase angles downfield. He lacks the play strength to move the pile or fall forward consistently. Abanikanda struggles to create between the tackles. His vision comes and goes, leading to pinballing into offensive linemen. His ability to read and set up downfield blocks needs to improve.

Overall, Abanikanda is a one-cut running back who displays elite acceleration and burst, but he lacks the play strength to operate as physically between the tackles as he wants to. Abanikanda would’ve benefitted from another year in college, but he decided to strike while the iron was hot and head to the NFL. Teams should view him as a two or three-year project with high upside.

Role & Scheme Fit: Rotational back in an inside or outside zone scheme

Round Projection: Early Fifth to Late Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 12-28-22