2023 NFL Draft Profile: RB Tyjae Spears

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In this NFL rookie Draft Profile RB Tyjae Spears upped his stock with a big week during the 2023 draft season.

College Performance

Unlike some of the other running backs I have profiled this year, Tyjae Spears played all 4 years at the same school. The Tulane product spent his freshman and sophomore seasons in a backup role, before breaking out as a junior. In 2021, he totaled over 1,000 scrimmage yards, which set him up for his senior season. Getting 229 carries and 22 catches in 2022 allowed him to produce over 1,800 scrimmage yards and 21 touchdowns.

Considering his small frame, and small school, Spears needed a big week at the Senior Bowl. And a big week he had as he impressed all the coaches and scouts during the week of practice. Specifically, Spears showcased his speed in space and shiftiness in tight spaces.

Film Grade

Looking at the overall Rookie RB Film Grades, Spears is tied for 6th in this class. Influencing this placement is that fact that he ranks inside the top 15 in all 4 major categories. Specifically, Spears scored in the top ten in both body fluidity and burst. Considering what coaches and scouts were saying about him at the Senior Bowl, this simply confirms what I saw on tape. Spears is great at making defenders miss tackles, and his burst score is incredibly impressive.

All-in-all, out of 28 running backs that I evaluated, he ended up tied for 3rd in the burst category of the film scores. Actually, Spears had an identical burst grade as shown in the previous Draft Profile that I wrote up. However, when comparing to Zach Charbonnet, Spears’s speed shows up in a different way. While Charbonnet’s uses his burst to hit the hole in a decisive manner, Spears’ burst helps him get around the corner and turn outside runs into big gains.

Athletic Testing Metrics

The Relative Athletic Scores are used as a way to standardize all of the athletic testing metrics into one number. Specifically, Spears has a RAS of 7.46, which is great, but not quite in the elite tier of other rookie running backs. However, part of the calculation that RAS utilizes is a player’s height and weight. Being below 6’0″ and 200 pounds, Spears was always going to get dinged relative to his peers. While his 7.46. RAS is not awful, it is the second lowest score among my top 10 Pre-Draft Rookie RB Ranks. Overall, I currently have Spears ranked as the 10th best running back in this 2023 class.

Overview

In the 21st century NFL, there is certainly space for smaller backs such as Tyjae Spears. His quickness and speed should help him carve out a role on a team that makes heavy use of outside zone running. Even considering his smaller stature, I still have Spears ranked as a top 10 RB in this class.

One main concern for Spears’ success is the lack of an advanced pass-catching profile. While he did hit to 20 reception threshold once in his career, he just barely eclipsed that with 22 catches in his final collegiate season. A lot of the productive smaller running backs have some sort of receiving role in the NFL. And while he does have some pass-catching experience, I do not view him as an elite level receiving back. That is why he ends at the back end of the top ten, as opposed to a potential top five guy. Still, we should be excited for Spears’ transition to the pros.

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