Scouting Report

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Rhamondre Stevenson is a tough, North-South, punishing runner. With Trey Sermon transferring to Ohio State, Stevenson adopted the role as lead back for the University of Oklahoma. In just six games, Stevenson ran for 665 yards and seven touchdowns. Stevenson has been falling under the radar throughout the entire pre-draft process, but he should be an effective running back for whatever team he gets drafted by.

Stevenson is physical. He can both run between the tackles and run over defenders. While he might not look like a track runner, he is deceptively fast. His strength and speed combination is hard to stop in the red zone and early on he will be utilized as a goal line back. Stevenson has good vision, this results in him finding holes where he can meet a defender heads up and utilize his strength. The combination of physicality and burst makes him elusive. He makes quick lateral movements and he is tough to bring down in space. In the passing game, Stevenson can be utilized as both a receiver and blocker. Stevenson power shows off in pass protection. As a receiver expect him to be used in screens, swings, and routes where he can get the ball out of the backfield. He won’t necessarily route any line backers up, but he can still be a play maker on pass plays. Stevenson has the potential to be a major late round steal.

The reason why he will be a day three pick has to deal with his long speed and lack of athleticism. If we’re talking in track terms, Stevenson doesn’t have the speed to run a 400, but he would do well in the 100 meter dash. He also has a lot of sub-2 yard runs which may cause vision concerns. The amount of short runs was a concern I had with Jonathan Taylor coming out of Wisconsin. Taylor struggled for the first ten or so weeks of the season because he kept having these dull runs. The more comfortable Stevenson gets in the NFL, the better I expect him to get. Rookie running backs usually struggle out of the gate because it takes time to adjust to the speed of the NFL. Stevenson may be limited to a goal line back in his rookie stint. 

Most of the concerns I have with Stevenson are coachable. I think he can be apart of a one-two running back punch. On my board, he is touted as a third round pick, but due to the decreasing value of highly drafted running backs, he will most likely fall to day three. Stevenson should be in a role where he is utilized in short down and distance situations. He should also be used in the passing game as a blocker or receiving threat. Stevenson has the potential to be one of the best power backs in the NFL and would be a good fit in Arizona, Los Angeles, or Buffalo.