2021 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report: Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
- Name: Travis Etienne
- School – Clemson
- Height: 5’10
- Weight: 210
- Position: Running back
2019 Statistics: Rushing: 207 Attempts, 1,614 Yards, 7.8 Yards Per Run, 19 Touchdowns
Receiving: 37 Rec 432 Yards 4 Touchdowns
Total Scrimmage Yards: 244 touches, 2046 yards, 23 Touchdowns, 8.4 yd average
Travis Etienne is scary good. He is very dangerous when the ball is in hands, when he touches the ball you can’t help but stand up out of your seat and watch what he does next. Travis is an exceptional running back that will make the first guy miss nine times out of ten.
The way he can run through the first defender or make them miss is an incredibly special attribute that he carries. He is deceptively fast and hits the hole at full speed making it terrifying for defenders to get a hand on him. His one cut ability makes him very hard to be touched along with his shifty moves.
With all that being said it makes sense why Etienne leads the nation with 91 broken tackles and even average 5.07 yards after contact. Clemson’s play-calling helped him out tremendously by calling as many screens for him as they did, it gave him the chance to be in the open field and make a successful play for his team.
One thing that concerns me is his pass blocking, it definitely isn’t his strong suit because when he attempts to pick up the blitz he will try and shoulder them instead of facing them head up. When Etienne goes up against bigger linebackers he struggles with them but he will give his best effort at it.
Watching him play I see a lot of Green Bay Packers star running back Aaron Jones. They both show significant ability to make defenders miss and/or break tackles. Aaron Jones led the league in broken tackles in the NFL in 2019 so they both share that in common as one did it professionally and they other collegiately.
I could see this young star joining the Washington Football Team or Detroit Lions and making an impact immediately.
About the Author: Ryan Fernandez was a wide receiver at Becker College. He has a passion for scouting and would love to scout at the professional level. Ryan will be breaking down 2021 NFL Draft Prospects on NFL Draft Diamonds, so make sure you follow him and support him on Twitter @BigDreams_9.
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