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NFL Comparisons (Class of 2020)

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DMoney

DMoney

D-Moni
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Not everybody in this class will make the NFL. We will be blessed if a couple become Pro Bowlers. When we compare players, it does not mean they will have the same careers. A lot of things have to go right. But it's fun to compare guys based on physical traits and playing styles.

These are some comparisons for the 2020 class. Feel free to add your own. Unless noted, all measurables are verified from high school testing:

Don Chaney- 5’11, 198, 4.55 forty, 4.16 shuttle, 39 VJ
Kenyan Drake- 6’1, 195, 4.52 forty, 4.18 shuttle, 38 VJ

Natural athletes who may not be consistent chain movers but can make plays to change the scoreboard.







Jaylan Knighton- 5’9, 194, 4.49 forty, 4.26 shuttle, 33 VJ
Dalvin Cook- 5’11, 196, 4.46 forty, 4.18 shuttle, 31 VJ

Maybe it’s the #4, but both guys have an explosive, North-South running style.




 
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Avantae Williams- 5’11, 169, 4.52 forty, 4.25 shuttle, 36 VJ
Budda Baker- 5’9, 174, 4.51 forty, 4.15 shuttle, 35 VJ

Stole this one from 247. High-energy players who line up at RB, KR and S.







Tyler Van Dyke 6’4, 212, 4.91 forty, 4.28 shuttle
Matt Ryan 6’5, 224, 4.89 forty, 4.51 shuttle (NFL combine)

Big, pro-style QBs from the Northeast who played multiple sports.



 
Elijah Roberts- 6’3, 267, 5.01 forty
Marlon Davidson- 6’3, 303, 5.04 forty (NFL combine)

DE/DT tweeners who win with toughness, motor and quickness.








Quentin Williams- 6'3, 234. 4.80 forty, 4.41 shuttle, 33.4 VJ, 43 ft. PB, 111.03 SPARQ
Chad Thomas- 6'5, 240, 4.85 forty, 4.35 shuttle, 30.9 VJ, 43 ft. PB, 108 SPARQ

Twitchy, high-effort linemen who play inside and outside.



 
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I'm out on those RB comps. Solid athletic profile testing comps, but I see different styles.

I don't have a comparison for Chaney, though he used to remind me a bit of how Shaun Alexander ran at Bama. Of course, different formations and sets makes a big difference, but once they were through the hole and in the open field, it's what used to spring to mind. I'll wait to see him here before comparing him.

You can see a tiny bit of what I mean when you watch Alexander lean into his cuts, but again, Chaney did some things cutting back (sharper) his senior year that made me pause on this comp:


Chaney's running style is completely different than Drake's, who runs with very little lean between the tackles and as he tried/tries to bounce outside. Chaney's "squattiness," despite his decent height, makes his gait completely distinct from Drake. It's why you see Chaney fall forward on some his sweeps. Drake reminded me more of VT's Kevin Jones' style. All you have to do is watch the first clip of each of their videos to see the difference in how they lean and how they start and stop.

Knighton reminds me more of the Josh Jacobs style and compares more to his size. (Not saying he'll have that type of career)

Knighton 5' 9" 195 HS Senior
Josh Jacobs 5' 10" 200 HS Senior (unverified height tells me it's probably closer to Knighton)

Watch Jacobs consistently plant on one foot and get upfield, but watch his feet and Knighton's. More steps than the longer, more gliding strides of Cook. You'll see Knighton and Jacobs "pitter patter" more than Cook. Again, I see a different style and gait.

Watch Jacob's HS highlights and I see a lot of his style in Knighton:
 
LuCane said:
I'm out on those RB comps. Solid athletic profile testing comps, but their styles are very different.

I don't have a comparison for Chaney, though he used to remind me a bit of how Shaun Alexander ran at Bama. Of course, different formations and sets makes a big difference, but once they were through the hole and in the open field, it's what used to spring to mind. I'll wait to see him here before comparing him.

Chaney's running style is completely different than Drake's, who runs with very little lean between the tackles and as he tried/tries to bounce outside. Chaney's "squattiness," despite his decent height, makes his gait completely distinct from Drake. It's why you see Chaney fall forward on some his sweeps. Drake reminded me more of VT's Kevin Jones' style. All you have to do is watch the first clip of each of their videos to see the difference in how they lean and how they start and stop.

Knighton reminds me more of the Josh Jacobs style and compares more to his size. (Not saying he'll have that type of career)

Knighton 5' 9" 195 HS Senior
Josh Jacobs 5' 10" 200 HS Senior (unverified height tells me it's probably closer to Knighton)

Watch Jacobs consistently plant on one foot and get upfield, but watch his feet and Knighton's. More steps than the longer, more gliding strides of Cook. You'll see Knighton and Jacobs "pitter patter" more than Cook. Again, I see a different style and gait.

Watch Jacob's HS highlights and I see a lot of his style in Knighton:
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I could see Jacobs, but he is a more powerful back than Knighton. He was also 220 running 4.6 by the time he got in the pros, which is a different physical projection.

Neither Chaney nor Drake run with great lean and contact balance to me. They are more athletes than runners. That’s one of the reasons I compared them. It’s feast or famine. Shaun Alexander was more of a consistent, pure back.
 
DMoney said:
I could see Jacobs, but he is a more powerful back than Knighton.

Neither Chaney nor Drake run with great lean and contact balance. They are more athletes than runners. That’s one of the reasons I compared them. It’s feast or famine. Shaun Alexander was more of a consistent, pure back.
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Chaney literally is squatted or leaning over while he turns upfield more in one clip than all of the highlights I've seen from Drake. Don't know what you mean by "consistent, pure back" re: Alexander. Watch him run. We're not talking about production. We're talking about style: how they run, lean, move. We see things completely different on this one.

And, if you watch Jacobs run in HS, I barely see a difference.
 
LuCane said:
Chaney literally is squatted or leaning over while he turns upfield more in one clip than all of the highlights I've seen from Drake. Don't know what you mean by "consistent, pure back" re: Alexander. Watch him run. We're not talking about production. We're talking about style: how they run, lean, move. We see things completely different on this one.
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Chaney was on his back and his side a lot in the games I watched. Didn’t see a guy who was consistently playing with a low center of gravity in traffic.

With respect to Alexander, I say he is a pure runner because he was efficient in his movement and broke a lot of tackles. Chaney and Drake get by more on superior athleticism and don’t always run with that efficiency.
 
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DMoney said:
Chaney was on his back and his side a lot in the games I watched. Didn’t see a guy who was consistently playing with a low center of gravity in traffic.

With respect to Alexander, I say he is a pure runner because he was efficient in his movement and broke a lot of tackles. Chaney and Drake get by more on superior athleticism and don’t always run with that efficiency.
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Perhaps we compare players differently. When I compare a RB, I look at how they cutback, turn upfield, their gait, how they lean or squat, etc. Watch Chaney do those things. Then watch Drake. Drake's younger highlights look like a tall, lanky WR/athlete playing RB. That's what you see in Chaney's movements?

It's like comparing QBs on how they move in the pocket and release the football vs comparing them based on the result (which I'm interpreting is partly what you're using for comparison?).

As for the Alexander point, I never remember him as a "pure runner" (someone like Ladanian or Gore). He was nagged for not hitting the hole hard, for hesitant/unclean steps, and much more. But, the comparison I offered above (which again, I said I had to take back as I watched Chaney his senior year) was how Chaney and Alexander sorta leaned into their sweeps and broke into the open field.
 
LuCane said:
Drake's younger highlights look like a tall, lanky WR/athlete playing RB. That's what you see in Chaney's movements?
Click to expand...

I do see an athlete playing RB, particularly over the course of the game. I also see a guy who likes to bounce it outside, like Drake.

You called Ronnie Brown a “pony” back when we were in college and that’s the term I’d use for both Chaney and Drake. They are wild horses.
 
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LuCane said:
I can see Marlon Mack way more in Chaney's movements. Pretty decent. I think Chaney has more potential to play downhill.
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Just watching the highlight Dmoney posted that was my first thought. Chaney can probably grow to that 210 size also.
 
DMoney said:
I do see an athlete playing RB, particularly over the course of the game.

You called Ronnie Brown a “pony” back when we were in college and that’s the term I’d use for both Chaney and Drake. They are wild horses.
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Ha. I see very different movements in Chaney. Doesn't at all look like a WR to me. Drake did (and sometimes does). I wouldn't compare Ronnie Brown and Drake, fwiw. Yes, the results of their movements are some wildness, but again, I look at how RBs squat, cutback, length of stride, etc.
 
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motorcitycane said:
Y’all think Chaney can keep the 4.5 at 220-225?
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I think he's got a good chance. If you've seen him in person, he's not chiseled. He's a hard worker who I think is still physically blooming. He was a 4.55 guy in HS, tremendous VJ, and I think he puts a lot of athletic tools together. Whether he converts his ability to squat and lean into power through the hole, explode downhill, etc., is to be determined. Whether he stays healthy is also TBD. But, just watching the difference in his cutbacks from junior to senior year tells me to hold out hope for another leap forward.
 
DMoney said:
It's a longshot TVD's career ends up that way. This is more a comparison of traits and playing styles.
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Got ya

I think sometimes (myself included)we read these things improperly. Lol
I basically looked at Matt Ryan and didn't read the context
 
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