STRENGTHS
T J has that type of speed that looks so smooth you don’t think he is running fast until you try to catch him. He has good lateral agility but he has this little trick he does with his hips turning them just enough not to give the tackler a good shot at taking him down. It looks like he is sliding off tackles when in reality he has made his tackling target zone smaller so that his opponent can’t get a clean shot at him. He does a decent job blocking for his quarterback when asked to and has the hands to catch the ball down the field and be used in the slot as a receiver in the red zone causing matchup problems. Logan has third down back written all over him for the team that selects him in this draft but I suspect in the right offense he could be a feature back because of his multiple talents to play more than one position.

CONCERNS
If T J learns to lower his pad level and gain a little more lower body strength he will be the type of running back with a lot more power to run between the tackles. He has the vision and because of his style of running (slippery Hips) he will be able to break tackles and make the tough yardage as well as make the impact plays. If he can lower his pad level, T J has the talent, style of running and the potential similar to former Bills Thurman Thomas.

BOTTOM LINE
It was weird for me watching T J on film. That little slippery hip trick he uses is the same hip trick Thurman used for years to keep his opponents from getting a clear shot at tackling him. T J also has that smooth style of running with very little effort that Thurman had also. He seems to move forward all the time like Thurman and doesn’t waste a lot of effort when taking the ball outside on sweeps and catching screens. If he ran with his pads lower and had bigger thighs I would swear this kid was Thurman’s son. Right now because he runs high he will struggle securing the ball at the next level just like Thurman did in his early years. T J has the talent to be a lot more of an impact player at the next level than he was in college. The question is, does he want to be more than a third down back? I can’t answer that, only T J can but if this kid decides to get stronger in his lower body and lower his pad level he could become a feature back in a spread offense for the team that selects him. If that team decides to run a no huddle offense with a strong arm quarterback there is no telling how much impact T J can have if he stays healthy and improves in the area’s I have suggested. It was really weird watching him on film because most of the time you compare players to other player’s because of a few things they may do similar… but with T J, it was just downright eerie. For the purposes of this draft you have to select T J with the thinking that he will be a good third down back and that will affect his draft status. But you never know when it comes to running backs, T J could impact more.

Drew Boylhart  APR.2017