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Alfonzo Graham Scouting Report | Morgan State RB | 2023 NFL Draft

Alfonzo Graham Scouting Report | Morgan State RB | 2023 NFL Draft
Alfonzo Graham the start studded running back from Morgan State is a player to keep an eye on in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Player Bio

Before winning the MEAC rushing title with Morgan State in 2022, Alfonzo Graham traveled across the United States to earn an opportunity to play college football at the highest level.

Hailing from Baltimore, Maryland, Graham began his high school career at Franklin High School before transferring to Reginald F. Lewis High School. As a junior, Graham led Lewis High School to an 11-1 record – the best record in program history – and recorded 1,400 all-purpose yards and 20 total touchdowns. After dominating his competition at Lewis, Graham transferred to Dunbar High School for his senior season and won the Baltimore City Division 1 title and Maryland Class 1A State Championship in 2017.

Despite leading his team to a state championship behind another 1,400-yard season, Graham did not garner enough attention from Division I football programs to earn a scholarship at the next level. Instead, Graham took the JUCO route and enrolled at Arizona Western College for the 2018 season.

As a true freshman at Arizona Western, Graham played sparingly in all 11 games of the season, recording 13 carries for 72 rushing yards. After the season, Arizona Western was forced to shut down its football program, leaving Graham to find a new home to continue his football career.

Graham continued his football and academic endeavors at Independence Community College in Independence, Kansas. Although Graham played a decent amount during spring practices, he opted to transfer from Independence CC and enroll at Fullerton College, one of the best JUCO football programs in California.

In one season at Fullerton College, Graham accumulated 53 carries, 278 rushing yards, 14 receptions, 175 receiving yards, and three total touchdowns in eight games.

Unfortunately for Graham, the Covid-19 Pandemic forced Fullerton College to cancel its entire 2020 season, forcing Graham to transfer for the third time in three years.

Before the 2021 season, Graham decided to travel back home to Baltimore and play Division I FCS football at Morgan State University.

Graham burst onto the scene in his first season at Morgan State and led the team in total offensive yardage. Despite a 2-9 season, Graham collected 506 rushing yards on 54 carries (9.4 yards per carry), five rushing touchdowns, 17 receptions, and 148 receiving yards. He also added 329 kick return yards on 15 attempts.

In his final collegiate season at Morgan State, Graham cemented his place as one of the top running backs in all of FCS football. In 11 games, Graham recorded 196 carries, 1150 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 14 receptions, 85 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. Graham earned First Team All-MEAC honors for the first time in his career and received an invitation to participate in the HBCU Legacy Bowl All-Star Game after the season.

Overall – in four college seasons across JUCO and FCS – Graham accumulated 316 carries, 2,006 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, 45 receptions, 408 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns, 18 kick returns, and 402 kick return yards.

Scouting Report

At 5-foot-8, 182 pounds, Alfonzo Graham is an undersized running back prospect with a slight build and below-average arm & hand measurements. Despite his small stature, Graham possesses multiple positive qualities that helped develop him into one of the best FCS running backs in the country in 2022.

Graham operates with excellent play speed and is a dynamic playmaker with the ball in his hands. With proficient initial quickness, burst, and acceleration, Graham is most dangerous when he can beat defenders to the edge and utilize his impressive straight-line speed and elusiveness to create explosive plays in open space. Graham has also proven to be an effective runner between the tackles; He possesses underrated power, runs with great toughness & a low center of gravity, and keeps his legs driving upon first contact. If Graham can break through the first line of defense, he becomes a tough assignment to bring down in the open field.

Graham is an intelligent ball carrier who uses his sharp instincts, vision, and patience to create running lanes for himself. Since Graham does not have the prototypical running back size, he has to rely on his athleticism, instincts, and toughness to make an impact in the running game. When allowed to be RB1 in an offense, Graham ran for over 1,110 yards, proving that he can be a smart, productive ball carrier despite his stature.

To go along with his production on the ground, Graham flashed reliable ball skills and fluid route-running ability out of the backfield. Given his top-end speed, initial quickness, and route-running acumen, Graham has the potential to develop into a capable slot receiver. He also possesses some versatility as a kick return specialist on special teams.

Scouts will likely harp on Graham’s size and lack of play strength as a reason to discredit his NFL potential, he satisfies most of the critical factors and specific skills used to evaluate the running back position. In regards to play speed, instincts/vision, toughness, durability, and ball security, Graham checks all of those boxes. Graham also possesses strong ball skills, versatility as an inside and outside runner, and special teams versatility.

Additionally, Graham’s football journey, which saw him attend four different colleges in four years, exemplifies his drive and passion for the game of football.

If NFL scouts can look past the size concerns, Graham should warrant some attention as an undrafted free agent with the potential to earn a practice squad spot after training camp.

Draft Projection

Undrafted Free Agent

Damond Talbot

NFL Draft Diamonds was created to assist the underdogs playing the sport. We call them diamonds in the rough. My name is Damond Talbot, I have worked extremely hard to help hundreds of small school players over the past several years, and will continue my mission. We have several contributors on this site, and if they contribute their name and contact will be in the piece above. You can email me at nfldraftdiamonds@gmail.com

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