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Welcome to the pre-draft season! Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft starting on April 28th, we will be releasing draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Next up…
OVERVIEW:
I know what you’re thinking; why are we looking at drafting another running back after Najee Harris last year? Well, the answer is simple. First, the Steelers are in dire need of a change-of-pace back to help Harris. With Harris having such a high ceiling in terms of production and the Steelers using their first-round pick on him, the last thing they want to do is run the wheels off Harris and give him a short shelf life. Also, this is the AFC North. If you don’t have an effective, threatening running attack, you won’t win. However, with the Steelers having more pressing needs to address earlier in the draft, they’ll be forced to consider more value picks really beyond the fourth or fifth round. This is exactly where White comes in.
PROS:
White is an incredibly shifty running back. When the ball is in his hands, he’s able to change direction quickly and find the open hole. There were multiple times at South Carolina where White would get the hand-off, only to see a mass of bodies at the line of scrimmage, and was forced to bounce to the outside to move the chains. In addition, White is able to shrink himself to weave between the tackles to squeak out those sneaky yards. Although he’s not the biggest running back in the draft, White doesn’t go down after the first contact. He’s great at absorbing defenders at the second level and always ended the play either standing up out of bounds, or falling forward. Finally, he’s great in the passing game as well. If White gets the ball in open space, he can beat a defender one-on-one and pick up solid yards-after-catch. It is a mix of White’s elusiveness, shiftiness, and open space ability that makes him attractive to NFL scouts.
CONS:
As I mentioned earlier, White is a great change-of-pace back, not necessarily a steady three-down starter. Therefore, he’d operate best as a part of a committee which may not mesh well with the Steelers’ scheme. In addition, to succeed as a running back in the AFC North, you must be able to effectively pass block. White unfortunately has trouble in that area. He tends to have difficulties in slowing blitzers and holding his ground. As far as some weaknesses in his running abilities, White tends to dance around the backfield with the ball, waiting for a hole to open, as opposed to listening to his internal clock and taking the yards that are available. This will only last so long against fast NFL defenses. Finally, although he is a very shifty runner, White is also fairly rigid and stiff with the ball. He’ll have to work on keeping his pads low against defenders and not be a tall runner.
DRAFT PROJECTION: Middle 6th to 7th Round
This year’s running back draft class is not as deep as what we’ve seen in recent history. With names like Isaiah Spiller, Kenneth Walker III, and Breece Hall getting most of the attention in the first few rounds, this will cause White to fall back. Also, with White needing to play more of the complimentary role to an already-established starting running back, this will force teams who need a day-one starter to look elsewhere. Early reports indicate White may get called early in the 6th round, but I think he’ll be more later in the 6th to anywhere in the 7th round selection.
VERDICT:
White is probably one of the most underrated backs in this year’s draft. Compared to the current supporting cast around Harris, I like White more than Anthony McFarland, Benny Snell, or Kalen Ballage. White never had the best offensive line in college, so I think his dancing in the backfield will get corrected behind an NFL offensive line and will transition into a more downhill runner. I think White could be a great compliment to Harris and will allow Harris more rest between snaps. As I explained above, the Steelers won’t be looking for a running back in the first two days of the draft, so White will be available to them on the third day and would be a great value pick at that point. Give me White in the 7th round, and I’d consider that a great pick for the Steelers.
Where do you see White going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
ZaQuandre White (Running Back), University of South Carolina, Redshirt Senior
OVERVIEW:
I know what you’re thinking; why are we looking at drafting another running back after Najee Harris last year? Well, the answer is simple. First, the Steelers are in dire need of a change-of-pace back to help Harris. With Harris having such a high ceiling in terms of production and the Steelers using their first-round pick on him, the last thing they want to do is run the wheels off Harris and give him a short shelf life. Also, this is the AFC North. If you don’t have an effective, threatening running attack, you won’t win. However, with the Steelers having more pressing needs to address earlier in the draft, they’ll be forced to consider more value picks really beyond the fourth or fifth round. This is exactly where White comes in.
PROS:
White is an incredibly shifty running back. When the ball is in his hands, he’s able to change direction quickly and find the open hole. There were multiple times at South Carolina where White would get the hand-off, only to see a mass of bodies at the line of scrimmage, and was forced to bounce to the outside to move the chains. In addition, White is able to shrink himself to weave between the tackles to squeak out those sneaky yards. Although he’s not the biggest running back in the draft, White doesn’t go down after the first contact. He’s great at absorbing defenders at the second level and always ended the play either standing up out of bounds, or falling forward. Finally, he’s great in the passing game as well. If White gets the ball in open space, he can beat a defender one-on-one and pick up solid yards-after-catch. It is a mix of White’s elusiveness, shiftiness, and open space ability that makes him attractive to NFL scouts.
CONS:
As I mentioned earlier, White is a great change-of-pace back, not necessarily a steady three-down starter. Therefore, he’d operate best as a part of a committee which may not mesh well with the Steelers’ scheme. In addition, to succeed as a running back in the AFC North, you must be able to effectively pass block. White unfortunately has trouble in that area. He tends to have difficulties in slowing blitzers and holding his ground. As far as some weaknesses in his running abilities, White tends to dance around the backfield with the ball, waiting for a hole to open, as opposed to listening to his internal clock and taking the yards that are available. This will only last so long against fast NFL defenses. Finally, although he is a very shifty runner, White is also fairly rigid and stiff with the ball. He’ll have to work on keeping his pads low against defenders and not be a tall runner.
DRAFT PROJECTION: Middle 6th to 7th Round
This year’s running back draft class is not as deep as what we’ve seen in recent history. With names like Isaiah Spiller, Kenneth Walker III, and Breece Hall getting most of the attention in the first few rounds, this will cause White to fall back. Also, with White needing to play more of the complimentary role to an already-established starting running back, this will force teams who need a day-one starter to look elsewhere. Early reports indicate White may get called early in the 6th round, but I think he’ll be more later in the 6th to anywhere in the 7th round selection.
VERDICT:
White is probably one of the most underrated backs in this year’s draft. Compared to the current supporting cast around Harris, I like White more than Anthony McFarland, Benny Snell, or Kalen Ballage. White never had the best offensive line in college, so I think his dancing in the backfield will get corrected behind an NFL offensive line and will transition into a more downhill runner. I think White could be a great compliment to Harris and will allow Harris more rest between snaps. As I explained above, the Steelers won’t be looking for a running back in the first two days of the draft, so White will be available to them on the third day and would be a great value pick at that point. Give me White in the 7th round, and I’d consider that a great pick for the Steelers.
Where do you see White going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
