STRENGTHS
Israel has the same running style as former Pitt great Running Back, Tony Dorsett. He is fast like Tony and doesn’t waste a lot of movement when he makes his cuts between the tackles or in the open field. Israel has good vision and balance and the ability to break tackles if you make a mistake trying to tackle him. He can run between the tackles and although he is not used on many sweeps and screens, in the open field he is very difficult to stop from making big plays. He is the type of running back who makes a cut at the line of scrimmage and while the defense thinks they have him bottled, quicker than you can say abracadabra, he appears in their end zone handing the ball to the official. Israel is very smart and knows how to set up blocks in spite of the fact he runs behind mostly a zone-blocking scheme. He also is a tough pass blocker for his quarterback when he needs to be. I suspect there is a lot more talent in this kid’s bones that he has been able to show for his college team because of the offensive system he has been used in. He is a big play running back with the size and speed and high football IQ to be considered as the sleeper in this class.
CONCERNS
We know he can run the ball, and we know he can block, but we have no idea if he can catch the ball because they didn’t throw the ball to him. They do put him in the slot at times, but he only runs one route and they never throw him the ball, open or not open!
BOTTOM LINE: 1.82
I saw Israel early in the season, make a cut at the line of scrimmage, and run to daylight. As that happened there was a safety, in coverage cutting across to take the angle and possibly make a tackle on Israel in the open field. Israel, with his speed, might have been able to beat that safety to the angle but instead went right to the safety and used his receiver to make the final block that got him into the end zone. Now looking at Israel’s teammate after the play, I knew right away that skinny wide receiver was never going to make a block on that safety in his freaking dreams. Israel put that skinny unable to block anyone receiver, in such a position that he had no choice but to make that block, and abracadabra, Israel was handing the ball off to the official in the end zone. Israel makes his cuts north and south without much movement and just goes by tacklers like they don’t even see him. Some smart team is going to select Israel’s first-round talent, later in this draft and be surprised by his overall talent to play in more than one style of offensive system and impact. Coaches will watch him in practice and abracadabra, a franchise running back will appear.
