2022 NFL Draft Preview - Running Backs with Damian Parson

your team, your Miami Dolphins. How's it going everybody? I am your host, Travis Wingfield And on today's show, Damian Parson and the Draft Network is here talking all things running backs from Rahee Mostert, Chase Edmunds, Miles Gaskin, and we're even gonna go to the full back position, talk about the alec Ingold acquisition, I should say, and we wouldn't have Damian on here and not talk NFL Draft the running backs under the microscope today for somewhere in

South Florida. This is the Drivetime Podcast Miami Dolphins. You've been doing this for a couple of weeks. Now I want to go ahead and waste no time and get to my guest today from the Draft Network, Damien Parson, and joining me now is the National Scout from the Draft network dot com, the co host of The Talent Factor podcast and fellow grinder of the tape, Damien Parson, Damien, We've been talking about this podcast for a while now. Man,

it's finally here. What's going on, dude? Nothing much, man, coming fresh off a PDN scouting weekend over in Aeric Phoenix, Well Scotts Stale, Arizona. So I'm, you know, still a little loopy from the time changes, you know, going from east coast to west to back to east. So other than that, man, I'm great. Brother. It's a dry heat out there. I've went there once one time for the Buddy's a bachelor party. I think it was a few years back. Dry heat out there. I think I actually

prefer the humidity down here to the dry heat. I don't know what do you think about that? Man, They're dry. It takes a little bit to get used as first. Like it was like NINETI pretty much all week and um yeah, so like standing outside in the morning, it's like seventy because it was signed like I was like, oh this is great, yeah about eleven. Yeah, it was like nineties and I was like, oh okay, and I'm just like I'm sitting in the shade and I'm like

I still feel the sun. And I was like this is different, but I don't know, Like the humidity, I kind of I think I actually rather take the dry heat. I just would need a little bit more time in it to get fully acclimated, you know what I mean. Like a couple of uber drives are like, yeah, you know, people come in here to go hiking in the the mountains and stuff. They go on the trails and they

forget you have to bring water. I was like, yeah, that sounds like a very bad situation, not bring hydration in this type of dry heat. He's like, yeah, it's not the smartest thing. That's how you wind up on those shows like I shouldn't be alive or whatever, like the hiking. You get lost hiking and you're you never come back in the Yeah, exactly with with a bunch of two plugged into me trying to get my ass

hydrated again. So we got you on here talking about some football, and you know, we talked about this before we jumped on the air, that I was gonna talk a lot about the top part of this class and the potential of a potential running back selection. But since that time, the Dolphins made a big move when out and got a superstar receiver Entyreek Hill and in the

process used the first two draft picks. So we will get to the draft eventually, Damien, but I want to just kind of recap the running back position because you actually chose the first position when I kind of put the feelers out there, and you were very gung ho

about this position. So I wanted to get your take on the Dolphins running back position, and you know, I know you're in the throes of it here a little bit, so we'll take a we'll get to the draft a little brief repri from that and talk about this Dolphins room because they made moves in the running back room this offseason, and I want to get to the on

the field stuff here in just one second. But from a coaching perspective, Damien, coach McDaniel had a real nice track record of getting production out of this position in his career so far. How do you think that translates from run game coordinator slash offensive coordinator in San Francisco

to now head coach in Miami. I think it translates well because now he has the full control over the offense in terms of personnel, what he what, he what he envisions, right, So he's being being with Shannahan for the years and he's been with him, he, you know, which is one of the smartest minds in the game.

And you know you listen to Mike talk. I was so excited when he became a candidate for the Dolphins because my mindset was, this is a team that needs to run the football and bringing a guy like him and he's going to make sure that's an improvement. Run game first has improved, that improved the trenches. Let's get

no matter who you have in the backfield. You can have Adrian Peterson back there, but if you don't have an offensive line to reset that can reset the line of scrimmage and get pushed and get vertical, it's not gonna give Adrian Peterson much room to work. Now. He's a he's a Hall of Famer for a reason. He's going to create his home lane some way, somehow. But I love him. Mike mcdanieys does because he's creative in terms of creating the advantageous blocking angles. He does a

good job with pre snap motion as well. And one thing about preestnap motion. Typically when people hear that term, they're think, well, okay, is for the quarterback to identify the coverage that. While that is true, um, it also helps the run game because when you start motioning guys, especially when you have special you know, elite type of weapons such as a Tarrek Hill Tyreek Hill, you're sending him going backside on the pre snap motion, on the

jet motion or a ghost motion pre snap. Those guys have to shift over on the second level and then that safety has to move to account for him in either a quick passing game or play action uh quick play action game as well and getting the ball down field to him. So these guys are gonna bump over like a gap. So now they're thinking, okay, we gotta keep When they come out of the huddle, they're gonna like where's Tyreek Hill at all times. But they also

had to figure out where's Janalen Waddle. So do you think about Janellen Waddle being on one side, Tyreek Hill be on the other? You you motion Tyreek to the same side as water. It's like, okay, now most of our attention defensively is on the left side of the field, and then you run zone to the offenses left defense is right and they're out man. So he knows how

to create those box counts for the run game. That's one that's literally one of the most important pieces to being an effective run game coordinator or running team is creating those advantageous numbers. You want to get three on two, you want to get you know, two on one, and things of that nature. You think about this, his his um, I would say, his his chemistry with for he moster, he knows what Raheine can do and how he fits and meshes with what he does as a coach. He

fits that that outside zone scheme perfectly. He's patient, has been vision, knows how to read his blocks, and he has that Ferrari Lamborghini type of open field speed that once you miss and once you you know, overset on the second level and open up a gap for him to cut and and find off his blocks. We've seen it so many times in saying frame when he was healthy, it's fifty, it's sixty, it's forty, it's touchdown, baby. So I love what Mike McDaniels gonna, what he is, how

it translates on the field. Now, I kind of wish you said McLarens. I'm a Daniel Ricardo fan, but he's kind of the bottom of the standings right now, So I won't hold that against you. But yeah, man, speed speeds the name of the game for sure, and you touched on a couple of things. They're the two things I've I've talked about probably more than any other phrases this year on the podcast are conflict and false steps. And what you just described I think creates a lot

of both of those two problems for opposing defenses. At least that's the hope here for the Miami Dolphins. He touched on where he mosted there a little bit with the personnel. Let's go back to Chase Edmonds as well,

another edition here in the Dolphins backfield. The more I watch his game, the more I come away thinking, Okay, I think I maybe not slept on this guy in Arizona, but I wasn't as aware of how really dynamic his game is based upon what you know I I saw when I was watching just kind of part time compared to going over his tape. So do you remember scouting him out of Fordham or and and if so or if not, either way, how do you think he can help this Dolphins backfield out this year? Well, I didn't

scout him out of Fordham. But I write for Revenge of the Birds, for Espy Nation, for the Cardinals anyway, So I watched all of his tape. I love Chase Edmons. It was crazy. I can't remember how soon after he signed with you guys, I got a message from my guy Ksey Kyle Krabs and he was like, hey, DP, tell me about Edmonds. And one thing with Edmonds man, he's a firstatile, first little piece in the backfield and Tyler relied on him a lot, especially in the passing game.

They would motion him out of the backfield, get him into those tight uh tight alignments, closer to the to the tackle line up. There's a number three if you count from the sideline one to three as a receiver threat and he literally get him massible linebackers. Man slants, whip routes, drags and have these linebackers chasing him. And he has good foot where he knows how to find soft spots um in zone and then in the run game, he predominantly ran out of the inside zone in shotgun,

so he has a very very good patience. He knows how to press create those false steps on the second level, make those guys commit that he does a good job jump cutting to that open lane. There's a play against Dallas last year where he meets Michael Parsons, you know, the defensive rookie of the year, right. He meets in one on one in the lane in the alley, and he puts a move on it and just gets right

around him very quickly. He's a deliberate runner in terms of knowing how to re leverage, knowing when to put his foot in the ground and get north and south. And then of course when he gets you squared up, he will square a defense a defender up, put a move on you. He's a guy that doesn't want to if he has to try and run through you to get that first down, he'll do so if necessary. But he's more of the elusive back. He wants to get around you, uh, and get around you quickly so he

can get more yards. Um, you know after the cats or even after contact. That's that's a great scouting report, Damian I. I saw the Revenge of the Birds thing in your profile and didn't put those two together. So thank you for getting us there. A host air on my part, but you helped us out and pick us back up there and and carry the team as it were.

So you know, you know, last year the Dolphins running back room, there was a bit of attrition there as far as injuries going, guys missing some time, and so it was it was a challenge to get you know, bodies up and we had to kind of go deep into the bag of tricks there. So he hope that those guys can provide not just top end of the roster production, but also just make the room deeper in general.

And one of the guys that's been so durable and reliable the last couple of years has been a former seventh round draft pick and Miles Gaskin out of you dub and he's been productive. He's he scores touchdowns, he catches the football out of the backfield, produces in the running game as well. I get the sense, Damian, and you can tell if I'm wrong. I get the sense

that Myles Gaskins a Damien Parson guy. I do. I've watched Miles since he was in college, and I was like, man, he's he's smaller, but he's a tough kid and he's a tough runner. Um, you know, he he does not care that he's smaller than most pretty much almost all other twenty you know twenty one players on the field, including offense and defense. But he runs hard, and but he's a very he's a jitterbug type of guy too.

So you think about even with when we talked about Chase, he's another guy who you want to the ball in his hands and getting his hands quickly. You're talking about in the screen game, you can line them up motion him, but you know in and out of the backfield, create that chaos and that um that that discussion and that communication anytime. That's the other part about motions as well. It forces the defense to communicate, forces guys to say, okay,

not just communicate, but commit. Okay, who do you have if he's if he motions out, who's your guy? So do we know we're not running into each other, right, But when you start having a lot of moving parts pre snap, it's hard for those guys to pinpoint and key in on who's their guy, and it creates those difficult conversations, so difficult discussions on the on the defensive side of the ball, and it creates better opportunities offensively.

So Miles Gaskins is a guy that you can if you know, because where he mostly doesn't give you a lot in the passing game, so you think about having too and in the shotgun some split back personnel with gascons and edmonds, and then you can go spread ahead and go empty because now teams are like, Okay, well we're gonna bring in and we see these two guys in the backfield, maybe we take a line back or out bringing safety. Well we're gonna split these guys out.

We're gonna go full empty. And now you have to figure out, Okay, somebody's running short, who's gonna be as hot. You're trying to figure so many different things out, and all two it has to do is to play point guard. Man, Just play point guard, be that Chris Paul, you know, and get these guys the ball in the quickest way, in the most efficient and effective way, which we know he can do. And then when those long those long

ball opportunities come, you take those. But Miles guys will give you something in the run game, in the inside zone game as well, especially now the improved offensive line. That's why I'm excited for him as well, because he's not the biggest guy, he's not the strongest guy in terms of be able to move the pile and just run into a wall and create that four yard gaining himself.

But now you even prove that offensive line where okay, we're gonna get some push and all he has to do is read his blocks well, playing his foot and get up. Feel he's going to be productive, which is what he's done for his entire football life, right, a very productive career you dub here at the Miami Dolphins as well, finding way to to get in the box score and get in production and getting that stas sheet there. Damian.

When you mentioned the twenty two personnel, don't if you saw my face here on zoom light up, but you basically went right into my transition because as you were talking about that, I was thinking, like, man, they've got to have so many different options for how they cannot just deploy these backs in terms of the rotation, but

the potential personnel packages they have. I was like, could they go thirty one or thirty personnel and just go like you know, Mike Gasicki in the thirty one package with most dirt gaskin and chase Edmunds and then maybe Waddle or Hill take some breather like they there's so many options they could do with with the depth of the skill positions they have on offense now and the one position group. You know, Damian we established here, I think pretty well on early in drive time that you're

a bit of an expert on running backs. Does that translate to the fullback position because we've got alec Ingold in house now. I was a huge fan of his at Wisconsin. I was bummed we didn't get him when he went to the Raiders. Now we do good. Cha get a crack at him, pretty highly tired prospect out of Wisconsin. How do you see him fitting in here? Man? I really like this this fit. And I'm not gonna call him Kyle use check, but I think he could

be using a very similar way with Mike McDaniels. And you know, McDaniels had a very big part of what Kyle you ship, was able to do over there for the San Francisco for United. And you think about in today's NFL, you know, today's football game, football period, in the run game, it's a lot of split zone action. You got that slicer coming backside, getting the unblocked defender that typically the outside linebacker in allowing that tackle to

get up to the second level. That backside slicer comes across, makes that makes that contact and makes that block, and the running back just reads and cuts, you know, you know, off of off of whichever block is advantageous for him, and angle can give give you guys that, but I think he can also give you guys some h back. He's he's gonna be a verse ortle guy, which again

goes back to the versatility of Mike McDaniels. Are really excited to see how he just puts everything into peace, right into place rather and you think about I use the analogy as a painter, so he's got a blank cav canvas. But the main thing about the painters like, Okay, I can't paint what I want if I don't have the equipment and the things that I need. I don't have my brush, I don't have the colors. I know what I want to paint, but I need all of

my all my ingredients and all my equipment. And I think now for the most part, if not all of it, Mike mcdames has has his ingredients and he can paint that picture for the Miami Dolphins office that he wants. He could be as creative as he wants to be, and you can see situations where he can angle, can make may line up somewhat as another tight end, as that h back, as that slicer, as that lead blocker, if you want to go to some power game where

he mostered as well. I'm really excited because this backfield, it's so talented in my opinion right now, much better than it was in the previous years. That legitimate Mike McDaniels, and it speaks well for two and like, if you're gonna play too high because you're worried about Tyreek Hille, you're gonna have to worry about Jaylen Wago. Of course, then Mike Kasaki is gonna roam in the middle and you have to play that too high. And that's something

with teams are kind of focused on now anyway. It's like, well, we got all these big arm quarterbacks, so we need to play too high to take the deep passing game away. Then you have a guy as as one dB from the SEC told me a year ago, two was the

most difficult quarterback he ever had to play. And he this is a guy that this is a kid that also played Trevor Lawrence and so it's like, you know that was high praise and he's like, yeah, he's surgical, he's precise, and he's so frustrating to the FEN because when you think you got when you think you're in the hip pocket of the receiver, he puts it right in front of them and they're able to pull away,

especially when you got those runnings to catch guys. So you you you now at alec angle and I can even see some situations where even he motions into the slot, you start using him as a dictating piece to see, Okay, does he if you motioned him into the slot, does that linebacker flow with him and kind of lines up man and man? Does he stay stationary? Is it shows that its own defense? And now it's like, okay, we kind of know what what the pictures with the pictures

gonna look like post snap Damon. You just gave us a reference to an SEC player talking about the accuracy and pinpoint level of two his game. You've give us an F one reference and I think there was a bit of a Bob Ross reference and they're talking about your ease on how you paint the picture there. Folks, stay tuned. We're gonna take our first break and come right back and get into the draft. Here with Damien Parson from the Draft Network on the Drivetime Podcast, your

host Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation. Back here on this edition of the Drive Time Podcast, I am your host, Travis Wingfield, where you're brought to you by Auto Nation. My guest today is Damian Parson of the Draft Network. Damian having a blast on this episode. And one thing I have asked all my draft gurus, my draft experts here on the podcast this year is a question that has brought a lot of variety, and

I love the variety and the answers. I'm curious to know how you watch film, Like is it late at night? Is the first thing in the morning? Is it all day long? Are you snacking on something You've got a dog at your feet? Like what does your your film study process look like? Oh? Man, um so I typically, uh, it's typically more so later in the evening, once a

little man. You know. My wife gets my son ready for bigas arts, ready for bad and um I'm typically I thought some music going because for me, it's crazy. A lot of people like I don't know, my wife will even tell me. It's when I do homework. She was like, how do you how do you write a paper? How do you do research? Write a paper and listen to music at the same time. It's like I can't do that, need silence, I said. For me, that's similar to silence, like I'm in a zone and let's me like,

hone in on what I'm doing. A lot to you, not I could. I could literally have just a clouded bringing, but I'll put on some good tunes and I can type out a mock draft and literally thirty minutes like I start going and it's like I zone in. So that's kind of how how it starts me later in the evening, throwing some good music, focus on what you know, I have to turn the TV off because I watch TV. So I turned the TV off, of course, but I left the music kind of just lead me into what

I'm doing. And it depends on the position of course, you know, I'm looking at I try to look at everything. I would watch the same play. It could be kind of the extensive process I typically try. I watched the same play like three times, three or four times because I want to see everything, especially from a running back span point I put myself up kind of in the shoes and the the running back okay, read make sure of its zone. I want to read that tight ends leverage.

Only see what's going on pre snap to where these guys are aligned, and like kind of paint the picture before I see the play, actually before I see the ball snap. Like, okay, I see the thirt or four in linement. These guys are kind of wide angled, wide splits. Let's see if this line. Let's see if the line does what I think they would do, is that center and gargle a double team the nose, then that garden up to the second level and will then then we'll be running back and feed to see that and then

you know, break up off of it. So it's so it's it varies from position to position. But like I said, man, even time it's quiet in the house, like I think, like quietness bothers me. I guess, like just being pure silent.

So I throw some tunes on got you know what I'm got My I'll either use my note pen on my phone because it's easier for me to watch and then just like literally type notes as I'm going, uh, and sometimes I'll you know, write stuff down kind of the old school way and my note, but but yeah,

that's pretty much my process. I love the silence and music thing is right up my alley too, especially with film, because you're so used to watching, you know, broadcast when you're like watching as a fan, and then when you get the film and it's just silent, it's like, I gotta have something. I gotta have some other stimulus here to get me through this process because, like you mentioned, right theory. I talked with a variety of how folks

do this. The common theme is that it's a very exhaustive process that we all watch the play over and over and over again because you're not gonna get full context until you do that. So great stuff, Damian. Let's go ahead and get into this running back draft class here. And I've been using this theme on the draft preview series and it's worked out nicely, so we'll go ahead and keep doing it. But the Dolphins were scheduled to pick twenty nine and fifty before the trade to bring

the Cheetah to South Florida. So my question to you is if the Dolphins fan out there was looking for a certain prospect at those spots, you know, whether it's a Kenneth Walker, Isaiah Spiller, Breeze Hall, some of the guys that have been in the consensus top fifties seventy five range. If you wanted a satellite of those types of guys, say around pick one oh two, who are

you looking at in that range? And I would say, and I think that because we actually talked about this recently over t n Look when you look at this running back class, it's it's a good group, right, It's note is loaded, like we're gonna see how much running backs are devalued in three if all those kids declared, because it's gonna be like, Okay, NFL, show me, you're not gonna take be Gen Robins in the first round, Zach Evans and take yeah, take Evans for Auburn in

the second. Show me that you're going to let these guys fall to the third and fourth round if they're really devalue. We're gonna see how that works out next next draft season. But this is a good group. But I think what it is is it's the draft overall is deep in a lot of different areas, So it's gonna de positional value. I think it's gonna kick in and push some of these running backs down the board. Right, So the guys that I look at that could potentially

be there in that third round. I think about Arizona State running back over Shot White six six ft six one to fifteen, a zone fit. He's kind of he has that almost the Eric Dickerson kind of running style at times where he's kind of high cut when he's coming through the lane, but he's got good footwork, he's patient. He will press, make guy and move guys, manipulate the second level and then cut up off of those blocks.

And then you think of what we talk about Chase Edmands and Miles Gaston brings to the to the to the passing game, and as the receivers. He's very, very fluid as a receiver in the backfield. He can run the width routes, he can run the texas and the angle routes. He can run the quick outs out of the back field as well. You know, I was I was in mobile the Senior Bowl and there was literally no linebacker that could really cover him, like in space.

He's very, like I said, being a tall, long, tall, and longer back to put the moves on guys that he can do in space as a receiver is incredible, really really efficient footwork. Another guy that and like I said, he could be a three down type of back. Another guy I think that could be there for you guys as well. He's not so much. I don't think he's a three down back unless he adds some weight and

improves his contact balances a little bit. But James Cook, the younger brother at Georgia of of Dalvin Cook for the Minnesota Vikings, James Cook is electric as a reciens and you see if you put on I believe it's the believe is this year against Obama, then motioned him out wide against Christian Harris, who anybody that knows runs a four for aid. I believe he's a legit athlete

at linebacker position, former tight end in high school. Cornerback Christian Harris, and he literally dusted him like his speed and in fluidness in space as a running as a receiver. Man, when you talk about what I said when right running the diver variety of routes, oh yeah, James Cook can do all of that as well. Great hands, he knows how to track the ball, like he said, down field, like they literally sent him on a go route on the nine, and he ran right by. You know what

I'm saying. He ran right But he uses little subtle head fakes and dips that you typically see from receivers when they're going up against off coverage. A guy at seven eight yards off the ball, he literally paced himself, gave him a shoulder dip in the head fake, and went right by him, and then said had been laid it out to him, and he tracked the ball perfectly like a receiver. He's so talented. He's gonna give you some things in the passing in the run game as well,

but his a game is in the passing attack. Um, and someone else said, I think, well, I definitely think could be there. Uh. Two guys, Um, Tyler baty of electric, just shifty, one cut type of guy five eight one ninety four over from Missouri. He's also a Senior Bowl guy as well. Um, He's someone that fits that zone blocking scheme very all. He kind of he reminds me. I think he's smaller than Chase Hamans, but kind of similar games in a way. Um, I think Chase is

a more refined route runner. And then ty Chandler eleven two old three from North Carolina. He played at Tennessee that he transferred the U n C. And he's a guy that that can run between the tackles, he can run the outside zone stuff, he can run depending and pulling his good vision. He's good feel and flow to

the game. And he's another guy who can really hurt teams and hurt linebackers in the passing game that I don't think they used him enough in North Carolina in that realm for him to have the high high production

as a receiver. But he's another talented back. Also, I'll be curious to see how that that kind of group of players where they go off the board, because like you talked about positional you you know, one of the things about having a good but deep class at the tight end position, I feel this way about too, Like it's potentially a situation where you could see like teams saying, well, yeah, he's good for this spot. But also there's like five times we like in this class maybe what they bumped

down because of that. And I'll be curious see if that actually happens in running back position because like you mentioned that and also next year's class. I mean when you mentioned that, my my face lit up because I know there's so many guys going back to school that can flat out ball right now, there is one more young man. I forgot to mention him, Pierre Strong from

South Dakotat man, that's my man, dude, that's my guy. Yes, he's He's another one that I could see and I basically labeled him as this year's version of Elijah Mitchell. So that kind of correlates because if the top guys are gone and he's available in that third, fourth, you know, fifth round, you know range, that's a really good fit um for that scheme, similar to how Elijah Mitchell was just a perfect fit for what Shantahan wanted to do and that's why he was the top dog for that

offense last year. That's a great he's the way he creates urgency with like you see those second level defenders, third level defenders come down and they're like, if I better make this tackle because if I don't, he's not coming back. And to create that mental chaos and that panic going to front for the linebackers and second level of defenders is a running back. That's what you want to do because then out of that you know that

they're gonna over commit. They're going to be too aggressive, and you just need to do subtle things, subtle moves, so those shifts and altering your weight and just be a little maybe a little slippery instead of being more physical, and you can really take advantage of that comparis with your speed down the field, with your your horizontal motion, you're you know, if you wanna want to want to run, mesh will definitely mess up the linebackers in that regard

to great stuff. Damien, let's take our last break here and come back and put a bow on this episode of Drive Time with Travis Wingfield, brought to you by Auto Nation, my guest Damien Parson. We're back here, final segment of the running back edition of the preview series for two NFL Draft Here on the Drive top on podcast,

your host, Travis Wingfield, my guest, Damian Parson. We are brought to you by Auto Nation, and Damian, the way I've been closing these out is to throw you draft gurus something of a bone for the hard work you've done, because you know, the last two years, Damian, I've I've needed guys to come on the podcast for almost an hour because of all the picks the Dolphins had, but now the addition of some Pro Bowl veteran talent, it's a bit of a year off up top for us

right now. But I still want to give you the chance to talk about a potential top fifty pick here in your position group, a guy that you would bang

the table for. So for the sake of a Dolphins podcast here, let's go ahead and say you're sitting at pick one oh two, the Dolphins first pick in this year's draft, and you see a running back on the board around fifty sixty maybe seventy five, and you're willing to send up additional draft capital from either this year or next year, maybe the player or whatever the case may be, you have to go up and get this guy.

Who is that guy for you? RB one? You can walking open from Michigan State man, you know, and why to talk about him? He's a scheme versa little guy. He can run in the zone scheme, he can run the inside zone. Michigan State ran traps, power pull, you know, outside zone, inside zone. They ran a lot of different things. And then their sets were so virtaile as well, where they would have double wing kind of king pistol sets

and go to Queen pistol. They did a lot of different things out of the pistol sets and just having two tight ends and twelve personnel, loving personnel, and I love everything that he brought to the game. He's a quick processor, he has really good vision. But what what's what? He's patient. But what I really love about him is his sudden and twitchy movements. There's a play against Miami

where there's a nickel corner unblocked. The moment he gets the hand off, he makes a sudden change of direction. Sudden move makes the guy looks silly. And his burst and his pace, and one thing about a guy that is patient, that has the which he ran like I think a verified four three six or at the at the combine. So with you know a lot of people I've don't trust that. I don't trust that time. But if you go back to his first carry at Northwestern, he went seventy eight yards. He was not caught in

the big tent with a lot of great athletes. Right, It's not like he's playing in the Pack twelve, you know, or the Big twelve, no disrespect, but the big thing got some athletes. Man, So he's out running a lot of guys. And you think about the game that put the Bowl on the season for him was against Michigan, the potential number one pick, Aidan Hutchinson. He squared him like he bounced it out to Aiden Aidan's side. He squared him up, juked him and got right around him right.

So it's just like he has the ability to cause chaos on the second level with his patients and his ability to press gap where he has the jump cutting ability, has ability, you know, the quick and efficient and effective feat He's electric in space. Uh And what I love about his he paces his runs. You know, he hits you with different tempos and that doesn't that that causes linebackers and second level, second and third level defenders they

can't get a gauge. Okay, is he gonna come upon me quickly or you know, and they're trying to They're trying to figure out how quick do I need to come up and meet him and challenge him. There's a play against Rutgers that I tweeted out and and Travis he he has he has his blockers set up and there's a there's a battle with I think it's his right tackle on the end there's an unblocked linebacker. That's

no one's accounted for sitting. I believe in the D gap and he's pressing and he kind of and he sees the he sees the end trying to stack in shed. He's peeking. He's stack peeking and he's wanting to shed. He sees at the end adjust his leverage. When he kind of leans inside to that gap, that linebacker shoots down with full commitment. That defensive end literally readjust his

leverage inside walker jump cut right around him. And that's when you saw that burst that speed and the oily hips to be able to not have to slow down to put a move on the guy. Like that's a scary thought from a defenders standpoint, your safety and you're fifteen yards away and this guy can We'll go and move going sixty miles per hour or three miles per hour wherever it is. Like he he's up to full speed, but he still can move you Like, that's terrifying. So

for me, now, don't get me wrong. He does have to improve with pass protection, and pass protection typically is similar to playing defense in the NBA. It's kind of a one to thing. It's not just about having the technique. It's like, hey, I need to make sure and I'm going to make sure that my quarterbacks is up right.

Whether that's a three hundred pounds those tackle coming through or two pound linebacker coming through, I need to dig my feet into, take my cleats into the to the earth and use my base and take this hit and

sometimes deliver that hit. And he's a physical runner, so I think NFL coach staff has to let him know, like listen, it's how long is you are as a runner, and the potential is there for you as a pass passing back as well catching the ball of the back that they didn't do that a lot with him at Michigan State and wait for us, but the potential is

that he catches the ball just fine. So especially with his his explosiveness and and and speed, you get him into space catching the football is gonna be really hard to corral him. But just telling him like, hey, we need you to hone in on this specific aspect that's past protection. So hey, you have to make sure to has that extra tick of a second or two because Tyreek Hills coming open that can make a break of play, can have like talk to him, coach him up on it,

and hey, let him know. If you can't do this, you're gonna be her primarily two down back because we can't risk you allowing our quarterback to take big hits and potentially get hurt. But overall, his skill set fits what you guys do. I'd be really surprised if he didn't, you know, come in and attack that head on, just based upon the way you know, people have spoken about his work, happens and things of that nature too. So me too. I believe I'm with that you might have.

You might have swayed me and my running back one I had as a spiller. He was my kind of my guy, that's my process. But you might have swayed me there, man, So just real quick to I mean, what was just a short word, a couple word answer here? Where do you think that talk running back goes off the board? Is the first round? No, it's possible. Yeah, I could see Breese Hall going to Buffalo as a slight, slight chance, But I think that the first back is going to come off the board more than likely at

the end of the second round. Looking at the Atlanta Falcons, uh them re reinventing themselves during the rebuild, so I think they could be the team that snatches. And Arthur Smith said, let's go get me a Bill Cow, a true back that I can rely on because he doesn't have that yet. Um So, but I still think that third round is gonna be kind of a sweet spot

for running backs. There you go. I mean, I guess I told you we were going to give you a bone here, But it sounds like that's about where you think it starts to come off the board for us, So maybe we're sitting pretty when it comes to that possession. He mentioned a couple of clips on Twitter. You can find those at DP Underscore NFL. He's Damien Parson from the Draft Network, the Talent Factor podcast, and he also writes for Revenge of the Birds the Arizona Cardinals. Check

out all of his content. Damien, it was great catching up with my friend. You absolutely crushed you here. Enjoy the rest of this month and get some well earned downtime next may, I hope. Yeah, what do you guys think that was? That was informative, to say the very very least. A really fun podcast there with Damien Parson from the Draft Network. In the meantime, that's gonna be my time. We're gonna keep on rolling here with these draft previews series. I forget where we are on the schedule.

Will have a new episode for you up here in a couple of days. I think receivers is next on Friday. We'll get to that one coming up. You're here shortly, but in the meantime, that's gonna be my time. You all. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast on Apple podcast, Leave us a raining, leave us a review. You can follow me on Twitter at Wingfield NFL, follow the team at Miami Dolphins across all social channels. Please check out the YouTube channel for Dolphins Today for media availabilities and

all the drive time free agent interviews. Don't forget the fish Tank podcast with Seth an o j And of course our weekly Twater Spaces show on Wednesday at da Luck and last but not least, Miami Dolphins dot Com until next time, fins up Caroline Daddy when he's coming home.