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With the 128th pick in the RCF NFL Mock Draft
the Dallas Cowboys Select...
Bryce Love, RB Stanford
HEIGHT 5'9"
WEIGHT 200 lbs
ARMS 29 3/8'
HANDS 9 1/8'
the Dallas Cowboys Select...
Bryce Love, RB Stanford
HEIGHT 5'9"
WEIGHT 200 lbs
ARMS 29 3/8'
HANDS 9 1/8'
Player Bio
Love has taken advantage of great athletic genes (father and uncle played college football), first as one of the best young track stars in American history. In fact, he earned the nickname "Baby Bolt" after setting U.S. records for 11-year-olds in the 100- and 400-meters and winning the 200-meters at the U.S. Track and Field Junior Olympics. Love also starred on the high school football field, rushing for more than 5,300 yards and 71 touchdowns, averaging 10.5 yards per rush. The four-star recruit contributed quite a bit as true freshman (29-226-7.8, two TD rushing; 15-250-16.7, one TD receiving) and was the No. 2 back behind Christian McCaffrey in 2016 (111-783-7.1, three TD rushing; 8-83-10.4, one TD receiving). Once McCaffrey went to the NFL, Love earned his own trip to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist, ranking second in the nation with 2,118 rushing yards, fourth with 8.1 yards per carry, and fifth with 19 rushing touchdowns. The Doak Walker Award winner and Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year set a FBS record with 15 straight games with a rush of 30-plus yards. His senior year did not go as planned, however, as he rushed for 739 yards and six touchdowns on 166 carries (4.5 average) and caught 20 passes for just 99 yards (5.0 average) in 10 starts. He was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection. Love skipped his team's bowl game to get "completely healthy" and prepare for the draft but only later was it announced that he suffered a torn right ACL in the Cardinal's regular-season finale.
Overview
Frenetic runner with explosive engine that was grounded in 2018 due to lingering injury and substandard run-blocking. Love lacks the desired size of a volume runner, but his sudden burst and top-end speed offer home-run potential that is unlikely to be ignored by teams looking to add a big-play option into their offense. Love could find his calling in a time-share situation, but his ceiling as a pro might rest on his ability to run with decisiveness and threaten as a pass-catcher..
Strengths
- Character considered an A+ by scouts
- Highly intelligent and quick to process new information
- Willing to play through pain
- Keeps feet moving through his reads
- Quick, controlled steps provide balance and on-demand acceleration
- Wins foot races around the corner against linebackers
- Burst and top-end speed to turn 16 yards into 60
- Runs feet through contact as interior runner
- Able to get skinny and squeeze through tight creases
- Slides and pivots around big bodies littering his path
- Rare ability to stay square in his lateral movements away from tacklers
- Better pass-catching option than numbers would indicate
- Tweener size might hinder both rush volume and draft value
- Excessive stutter-and-gather in his downhill approach
- Running style is more frantic than fluid
- Will need to run with better trust and anticipation as a pro
- Somewhat average in setting up defenders before his cuts
- Field vision and recognition of backside opportunities is average
- Lacks size to prolong NFL runs after contact
- Could struggle to hold his ground in blitz protection
- Looks less confident in gap-scheme than zone
"He got hurt early on and kept re-aggravating it when he was trying to gut it out and help his team. His blocking stunk this year so you can basically just write him off of last year's (2017) tape. He’s an explosive player." -- West Coast scout for NFC team
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/bryce-love?id=32194c4f-5604-4766-ac8b-19be320b56b7
Why?
Zeke is a terrific back but in today's NFL you need depth at the position. Love had an off year last year but battled some injuries. 2 years ago he was a Heisman finalist with a bright future. He's a different runner than Zeke as he's quick to the edge and can turn up field in a hurry. Being the 2 in the 1-2 punch behind this offensive line makes it a perfect landing spot for Love. Dallas' offense will have a lot more options as well with Love at their disposal.