2012 NFL Draft: Fullback Rankings

The top 2012 fullback prospects available for the 2012 NFL Draft in the order in which I believe they will be drafted.

This page was last updated April 24, 2012.

By Charlie Campbell.
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1. Terrance Ganaway, RB/FB, Baylor
   Height: 6-0. Weight: 241.
   40 Time: 4.63. 10-Yd Split: 1.58.
   Bench: DNP.
   Arm: 31 3/4. Hand: 9 1/2.
   Projected Round (2012): 5-6.
   4/24/12: Ganaway did not impress at the Senior Bowl. He looked slow and sluggish. His 40 time of 4.60 athe Combine was better than expected, but he really struggled in the receiving drills. Ganaway did not catch many passes in college, and he will need to improve a lot in this area.
   
   Right now, Ganaway looks like a situational back in the NFL. If team wants him to play at fullback, he will need to be developed as a lead blocker and a receiver. It could be that moving to fullback would be the best use of him.
   
   Ganaway played running back for Baylor and had a good senior season. He ran against very easy fronts because teams played the deep part of the field to try to limit quarterback Robert Griffin III and wide receiver Kendall Wright. Ganaway ran for 1,547 yards (6.2 average) and 21 touchdowns in 2011. He has a nice mix of size and speed to run through tackles and break off some long runs.
   
   In the NFL, Ganaway could be a hybrid power back and fullback. He needs to improve on his receiving ability, having totaled only 12 receptions for 133 yards and one touchdown in his collegiate career.





2. Cody Johnson, FB, Texas
   Height: 5-11. Weight: 250.
   40 Time: 4.7.
   Projected Round (2012): 5-7.
   4/24/12: Johnson couldn’t participate in an All-Star game because of an injury. He also didn’t work out at the Combine, but he did have a good pro day. Johnson ran well with 40 times in the 4.7 range. He showed enough athletic ability to learn how to contribute as a pass receiver.
   
   Johnson did a superb job of lead blocking in 2011. He had 48 rushes for 200 yards and six touchdowns. Johnson also had one reception for four yards. He should have the ability to contribute in the NFL as a short-yardage back in power formations while also being a starting fullback.
   
   8/22/11: Cody Johnson enters the season as the top fullback in the nation. He ran for 592 yards and six touchdowns last season, while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. A concern for NFL talent evaluators is Johnson’s miniscule production in the passing game. He had just four receptions for 49 yards last season. A year earlier, Johnson ran for 335 yards with an average of 3.9 yards per carry with 12 touchdowns. That year, he had seven catches for 42 yards. Johnson’s receiving ability will get tested at the combine and in pre-draft workouts, but he looks like he can contribute as lead blocker and short-yardage running back in the NFL.



3. Drake Dunsmore, FB/HB/TE, Northwestern
   Height: 6-3. Weight: 241.
   40 Time: 4.64.
   Bench: 21.
   Arm: 32 3/4. Hand: 9 5/8.
   Projected Round (2012): 6-7.
   4/24/12: Dunsmore worked out with the tight ends at the Combine. He had a decent 40 time and was polished in the field drills. Dunsmore looks like he would be a better fit as a fullback/h-back in the NFL.
   
   Dunsmore put together a strong senior season. Playing tight end, he was the favorite target of quarterback Dan Persa, and his numbers increased after Persa returned to the lineup. Dunsmore totaled 45 receptions for 522 yards and six scores. He should move to fullback in the NFL.
   
   8/22/11: Like Halahuni, Drake Dunsmore projects as a pass-receiving fullback and H-back type at that next level. Last year, he caught 40 passes for 381 yards and five touchdowns. Dunsmore will need to be developed as a lead blocker at the NFL level, and could stand to add some more weight and power.





4. Bradie Ewing, FB, Wisconsin
   Height: 6-0. Weight: 239.
   40 Time: 4.75.
   Bench: 14.
   Arm: 31 1/8. Hand: 10 1/4.
   Projected Round (2011): 6-FA.
   4/24/12: Ewing had a mixed performance at the Senior Bowl, and was very disappointing at the Combine. His bench press total was the lowest of any of the prospects who participated in the running backs group. He had less than smaller speed backs like Chris Rainey and LaMichael James. That is a legitimate concern for a power fullback.
   
   Ewing did a good job of lead blocking for Montee Ball in 2011. Ewing also caught 20 passes for 246 yards. He needs to add more bulk for the NFL.
   
   8/22/11: Bradie Ewing is a technically sound lead blocker and should have another productive season blocking for Montee Ball and James White. Ewing is a good special teams player and that will help him, but he has not contributed much as a runner or receiver. Ewing has carried the ball seven times for 33 yards and two touchdowns, plus has eight receptions for 82 yards and two scores. He needs to add some bulk for the NFL.



5. Joe Suhey, FB, Penn State
   Height: 6-1. Weight: 228.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.71.
   Projected Round (2011): 7-FA.
   4/24/12: Suhey put together a quality senior season. He had 14 carries for 51 yards in 2011 and caught 12 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown as well. Suhey needs to add some more bulk. He did not go to the Combine or one of the major college All-Star games.
   
   8/22/11: Joe Suhey is the son of Matt Suhey, the great Chicago Bears fullback who served as the lead blocker for Walter Payton. Joe Suhey caught 15 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown last season. He carried the ball eight times for 15 yards. Suhey also contributed by being a core special teams player. He will need to add weight and strength to play fullback in the NFL.





6. Joe Halahuni, FB/HB, Oregon State
   Height: 6-2. Weight: 255.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.77.
   Projected Round (2011): FA.
   4/24/12: Halahuni had a decent senior season. He showed some skills as a receiver out of the backfield. Halahuni caught 31 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns in 2011.
   
   8/22/11: Teams that run the West-Coast offenses that like to throw the ball to the fullback out of the backfield, will give Halahuni a hard look in 2011. He caught 30 receptions for 390 yards and six touchdowns in 2010. Halahuni can also serve as an H-back or tight end. His status for the beginning of the season is in question after he underwent shoulder surgery last May. If Halahuni can maintain his production in the passing game, he could get drafted late in 2011.



7. Chad Diehl, FB, Clemson
   Height: 6-2. Weight: 257.
   Projected 40 Time: 4.79.
   Arm: 30 3/8. Hand: 9 7/8.
   Projected Round (2011): FA.
   4/24/12: Diehl did a good job of lead blocking for Andre Ellington, but Diehl did not catch a pass in 2011.
   
   8/22/11: Chad Diehl is a powerful lead blocker. He has the ability to run over defenders and blast open holes for running backs. Diehl is not much of a runner or receiver. Over three seasons, he has a total of seven receptions for 39 yards with five carries for eight yards. Diehl has to be a dominant blocker in 2011 to get drafted.

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