Josh Jacobs - 2019 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Breaking the streak of Iowa tight ends, I am going to look at both a different school and a different position by taking a look at Alabama's Josh Jacobs. Jacobs has been getting a ton of buzz, and I wanted to see if whether I should buy into the hype or whether this was just a product of him being surrounded by such talented players that he is being overrated. I took a look at his games against Clemson, Mississippi State, and Tennessee.

The guy is smooth as all hell.

He starts the run by breaking through the leg tackle by a Tennessee linebacker, then jukes the poor safety out of his boots.

Jacobs rarely goes down on first contact.

This is a third down play where he gets met by a linebacker right at the line to gain. If the linebacker wins, it's fourth down. Instead, Jacobs bounces off the linebacker and charges forward for almost ten more yards after the initial contact.

He also doesn't shy away from contact.

He could scamper out of bounds without taking any contact, but what fun is that? Instead he delivers a hit to the safety to gain a couple extra yards on the carry.

But he's also smart enough to not take contact if he doesn't have to.

This is stupid. There are two Mississippi State defenders ready to tackle him for a loss as teh defensive end totally outplays the right tackle and the corner converges on the run. Jacobs is running right for them, and then he just plants his right foot in the ground to cut up field and ends up with a touchdown.

Although this play isn't going to make many highlight reels, it does a good job of showing Jacobs's vision.

A lot of times he is just following a very good offensive line and doing what the play asks, but on this stretch play, he has to make a decision about where to cut up field. While many backs may continue to go outside, looking for a home run, Jacobs sees a seam that he can use to get a first down and does just that.

Now combine the last two plays and you have this one.

Jacobs loses no speed when making his cuts, and it's runs like these that make it very easy to believe in the hype. But I promise the man is not perfect.

His blocking needs work.

I saw this multiple times in pass protection. Jacobs drops his head when trying to block, and it's really tough to hit something you can't see. He at least made some contact by spearing the defender in the chest, but that technique is not a recipe for success.

Luckily, I was rather impressed with him in the other facet of the passing game.

This is obviously a fairly easy catch, but he frames the ball with his hands as opposed to catching it with his chest, and he takes the time to see the ball in, tucks it, and runs to the end zone.

On top of having good technique, he can also make the tough catches.

This is a great adjustment on this ball. He gets turned around but focuses on the ball and makes the play. With these skills, there is no doubt that Jacobs can be a three down back that can hurt you in both the running and passing games.

The most impressive thing about Jacobs is that this was not against inferior competition. Mississippi State and Clemson have a pretty strong argument for being the best two defenses in college football this year, and he was still able to show off his skills against the best of the best. Outside of pass blocking, he basically excels at every other aspect of playing the running back position. On top of that, since he was at Alabama, there isn't a lot of wear and tear on his body which makes him even more appealing. He reminds me of Sony Michel in that he can do everything, and Jacobs has the advantage of not having any significant injury history. Michel was a late first round pick, and I can easily see Jacobs getting taken in the middle of the first round. The running back position may not be valued like it once was, but it's tough to see a situation where this guy doesn't make a team happy by taking a running back early.

Previous Scouting Reports:
Noah Fant - Iowa Hawkeyes - Tight End
TJ Hockenson - Iowa Hawkeyes Tight End