2010 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jahvid Best

Strengths:
  • Elite athletic ability
  • Lowers shoulders prior to contact
  • Outstanding at planting his foot and exploding out of cut
  • Great acceleration, explosion and speed
  • Nice agility and lateral movement
  • Quick feet
  • Very good vision
  • Runs with low center of gravity
  • Elusive
  • Confident
  • Keeps feet moving after contact
  • Nice hands and good pass catcher
  • Extremely fast
  • Hits hole quickly
  • Has a great second gear
  • Displays good effort
  • An overall great runner with ball in hands
  • Home-run threat
  • Solid inside runner



    Weaknesses:
  • Could break more tackles
  • Poor pass protection
  • Lacks physicality in pass protection
  • California coaches take him out of game on obvious passing downs – they don’t trust him
  • Might try to improvise too much on player rather than take what is given
  • Doesn’t profile as a No. 1 back
  • Not very powerful runner

    Summary: Jahvid Best is a great runner of the football, but he isn’t a great running back because he lacks some power running the ball and he is a poor pass protector. He has good hands and some very intriguing tools. Best is a great change-of-pace back and should come off the board in the late first to early second round. Running backs are a dime a dozen, so this hurts his draft stock as running backs are often drafted lower than their talent.

    Player Comparison: Felix Jones. These two running backs have blazing speed, but I would say Johnson is further along in his pass protection. Johnson is probably also a little faster.



    RELATED LINKS:


    2010 NFL Mock Draft: Matt’s | Walt’s


    2010 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings


    2010 NFL Draft Scouting Reports








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