Fantasy Draft 2020 NFL Draft Profile: J.K. Dobbins has made huge numbers, but will he play third?

If you are concerned about the safety of Jonathan Taylor's ball or fear his lack of assistants in the passing game, another Big 10 may be your preference. J.K. Dobbins had a 2,000-yard season like Taylor in 2019, but he did it without all of the fumbles. Dobbins skipped most of the NFL Combine training events, so there isn't the event buzz that Taylor does, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't lust after him. draft day.

Figures to know

Date of birth: December 17, 1998

Height: 5-9 1/2

Weight: 209 pounds

Bench Press: 23 representatives

Prospect statistics

2019 14 games, 301 peak attempts, 2,003 peak yards, 6.7 YPC, 23 receptions, 247 receiving yards, 10.7 Y / R, 23 TD total

The Dobbins' last four games at Ohio State have been against Penn State, Michigan, Wisconsin and Clemson. In those four games alone, he ran for 714 yards and eight touchdowns.

Career: 42 games, 725 peak attempts, 4,459 peak yards, 6.2 YPC, 71 receptions, 645 receiving yards, 9.1 Y / R, 43 TD total

Dobbins has had at least 22 receptions in each of its three seasons, so you should feel comfortable with its ability to function in the assist game, at least when it is targeted.

History of known injuries

• Upper ankle sprain in January 2020
• Broken bone in his right leg cost him his last year in high school

Strengths

Dobbins had 1,500 total yards as a 19-year-old rookie, so his exit age is certainly a strength. Its bullet safety and reception capacity are obviously too. Dobbins displayed good tape footwork and was very good at putting up defenders behind his remarkable offensive line. He showed us in 2019 that he could also play a role of workaholic.

concerns

While he can certainly catch the ball, almost everyone agrees that his pass protection is currently a weakness. In the NFL, it usually means you don't play third. It is not a big back and as it has not participated in much of the combine, it is easy to wonder how far it is below the other best backs terms of athletics and top speed.

Capture of Josh Edwards

No. 3 RB

Dobbins improved his stock as much as anyone by taking his game to the next level. It shows enormous balance and good lateral speed. The Texas native has found great success in stretch games behind an area blocking scheme. He does a good job of catching passes out of the backfield, but he is no more than average in pass protection. If he wants to stay on the field and be three times, he will have to improve that area in his game.

Dobbins finished second on the Buckeyes' all-time list behind the great Archie Griffin;college footballsole winner of the Heisman Trophy twice.

Fancy comparison

On the bright side, you hope that Dobbins could find his way into a leading role in the first and second tries of the first year, as Josh Jacobs did. It is not difficult to see Dobbins having the same type of rookie season as Jacobs did if he is allowed this type of workload. Something like what David Montgomery gave us would seem close to the ground unless something went really wrong.

Favorite fantasy sizes

Tampa Bay could be the perfect solution for Dobbins if he can make a jump as a pass blocker. At the very least, he would have the opportunity to dominate the job there early. The Dobbins would also be great in Los Angeles with Austin Ekeler, and the way they use their backs in the passing game would leave Dobbins plenty of room to rack up more than 30 catches even if Ekeler pulled him out of the field in third place.

Fantasy Bottom Line

As long as he gets the job, Dobbins looks at worst like No. 2, with a top 10 on the rise. If there is a first round pick in the NFL draft, it will be one of the top four rookie picks in Fantasy and an item to consider in the fourth round in Redraft leageus. If he falls in the second round against a team like the Chargers with an established pass catcher, it's more a mid-project redraft choice and a mid-round rookie choice 1. We expect this there is someone that the owners of Fantasy plan to start week 1.