Running Back/Full back

Stanford

6-0 231

40 time: 4.53

Draft board overall prospect rank: #52

Draft board running back rank: #4

Overall rating: 77*

 2/28/10: Gerhart proved that just because he’s white, doesn’t mean he’s not athletic. Gerhart ran a very impressive 4.53 at 6-0 231 and also had a 38 inch vertical and 22 reps of 225 pounds. He likely shot himself ahead of a plummeting Jonathan Dwyer.

1/17/10: He’s a Heisman runner up, but, contrary to popular belief, that does not make him a future star at the next level. He is very slow and doesn’t change direction and he runs really upright and isn’t going to break nearly as many tackles next year against linebackers with refined tackling abilities. He does have good size though and runs with a lot of force and explosion so he should be a solid change of pace back, goal line back, or even fullback if his lead blocking improves, so he has a spot for him at the next level. It just won’t as a feature back or a star. 

12/12/09: Not a feature back at the next level, but a good change of pace back, goal line back, and possibly fullback. Jacob Hester was the same way out of LSU a few years back and went early 3^rd round, so Gerhart looks to be a pretty safe 2^nd round pick right now. A 40 time lower than 4.55 (projected 4.61) could change the whole game for him in the eyes of the scouts. 

            9/26/09: There are very few big guys who move like Toby Gerhart. At 235 pounds, he’s bigger than a lot of linebackers which allows him to break a lot of tackles and run a lot of guys over, but he also displays great agility for his size. He very rarely gets tackled in the backfield and always is able to do something with the football. Stanford hasn’t been great at quarterback in Gerhart’s time there so defense have been keying on in him, but that hasn’t stopped him from quietly being one of the more productive running backs in the country. He had 1136 yards and 15 touchdowns last year on a 5.4 average and has 516 yards on 91 carries and 5 touchdowns already in this young season. He doesn’t run a good 40 and has no 2^nd gear. After his initial burst he doesn’t get you a lot more. His 40 time could be as high as 4.6, which, even at his size, is very poor. He’s obviously a lot more mobile than his 40 time indicates and he sees holes very well, but I don’t think he has enough of a repertoire to be a feature back in the NFL. He should be a solid depth guy too and can be used on some short yardage plays. He has decent hands for his size. He also is on the Stanford baseball team, though he appears committed to football. He blocks very well, mostly because of his size, but that extra blocker in the backfield can be the difference between a completion and a pressure forced incompletion for a quarterback. He may have a future at fullback. I wouldn’t use more than a 3^rd round pick on him as I don’t envision him as more than a depth guy at running back or a future fullback.

NFL Comparison: Peyton Hillis

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here