STRENGTHS
Tyjae’s running style reminds me a lot of the Cowboys’ Tony Pollard. He is a smart running back with the ability to stay patient and follow his blockers. Tyjae has the ability to hit the hole AS it opens up and not after the blocks are made TO open the hole. He is able to read the body of his own blockers and know beforehand if the block will be made. That’s a talent and skill set that few running backs have and those in the past that have this talent had great careers. Tyjae’s competitiveness is also noticeable when he runs the ball. He is hard to bring down and fights for yardage when that yardage is needed to move the chains. He can run inside or outside and because of his unique burst and very good speed, he will make big plays at any point on the field. It’s his ability to read blocks, excellent and quick burst, and overall football IQ that allows Tyjae to break the big plays when running between the tackles. In the open field, Tyjae shows good vision and the needed shake and bake to make tackles miss him and gain more yardage. Tyjae has a big running back style, in a small body, nevertheless, that big back style gives him the potential to be more than just a “changeup” running back.
CONCERNS
Tyjae’s hands need to get stronger to catch the ball better and hang on to the ball when running. He also needs to improve his pass blocking. The real issue is that he needs to gain more bulk if he wants to be a featured running back. He has a great work ethic, coming back from a knee injury, and kudos to the Tulane staff that helped him.
BOTTOM LINE: 2.17
Tyjae just needs to gain more bulk if he wants to be a featured running back and his competitive nature tells me that he does. The truth is I don’t have confidence in his ability to catch the ball or pass block as a third down or change up back. I have more confidence that he will be better and more impacting if he is on the field and running the ball as an every-down back. His hands have to get stronger because he is loose carrying the ball and he double clutches passes at times and that makes me nervous. Catching the ball could just be an “anxious” situation or a depth perception situation but carrying the ball loose when running is a whole other issue. That being said, with his work ethic I know he will improve. The teams he was up against didn’t go after the ball very much. They were worried more about just tackling him. At the next level, it’s strip city, and if he starts to fumble he will not see the field until he can prove that he secure the football. Right now, most are thinking of him as a change-up back and he could be a good one but the truth is, his running style is big back and if he can add some bulk he could be something special.
