Top 10 running backs in the 2021 NFL Draft

#2 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Travis Etienne (Clemson)

[5’10”, 205 pounds; SR]

Travis Etienne

The ACC has produced plenty of top running backs, but Travis Etienne has blown everybody out of the water in terms of the record books.

He leaves Clemson atop the conference in career rushing yards (4952), scrimmage yards (6107), total touchdowns (78) and rushing average among players with at least 300 attempts (7.2 YPC).

While his total production and average went down in a shortened 2020 season – which he did not have to come back for in any way – he arguably had the greatest two-year stint of any running back in NCAA history. Etienne tallied almost 3800 scrimmage yards and 49 touchdowns, averaging 8.2 yards per touch. Not only was he running away with all kinds of records, but he also did so from defenders trying to catch him.

Etienne comes from a sprinter background, which is evident in his speed, how he quickly gears up and his tremendous lower-body power. He has that sudden ability to cut and accelerate, often times when he is fully running East-West on outside zone plays.

You see him put that foot in the ground for a 90-degree cut, where he looks like he is shot out of a cannon. The term 'instant acceleration' comes to mind for me. However, when there’s not a lot of space, he can also slip through tight creases and not really have to stop his feet for it.

Etienne has more than adequate burst to threaten the edge of defenses and punish loaded boxes when they aren’t very disciplined with containing responsibilities. And once he clears the first wave of defenders, you really have to watch out because we have seen him run away from pursuits and finish big runs in the opposing end-zone time and time again.

However, when he does face contact, he keeps those legs churning constantly and is just tough to slow down. That's because he has excellent contact balance, which causes defenders to slip off him. Even when he has to pull those legs out of the grasp of a tackling attempt, he quickly regains his footing.

You can argue that this former Clemson star is the most dangerous player in the 2021 NFL Draft once he enters the second level.

If there is an open hole, he will explode through it, and there is a good chance nobody gets a clear shot at him because he hits full speed, and arm tackles won’t slow him down a whole lot either.

Etienne’s yards after contact and broken tackle numbers – just like his 'normal' stats – are simply absurd. In 2019, he forced 91 missed tackles and 5.7 yards after contact to go with a broken tackle per attempt rate of 0.44 – the best mark by any player since 2014, according to PFF.

When Etienne catches a little check-down over the middle against zone coverage, defenders coming up often end up seeing the back of his jersey because he bursts through that crease between them. That’s very much the same on screen passes, where engaging with blockers can be a death sentence for defenses.

After only catching 17 combined passes in his first two years for the Tigers, Etienne’s receiving production saw a huge rise in the last two years, with 85 combined catches for 1020 yards.

However, the majority of that came on screens and dump-offs. While Etienne has improved in that area, he still has had some inconsistent hands.

In pass-pro, his eyes tend to go down when initiating contact, and he doesn’t consistently land those hands inside the chests of defenders. His speed was the biggest difference in helping him get away from defenders in college, and he will carry that to the next level.

But he isn’t necessarily a very creative open-field runner who actually makes defenders miss. I think the Notre Dame game last year really showcased Etienne’s weaknesses, as the Fighting Irish held him to 28 yards on 18 carries (plus some work in the check-down game).

He could not create a lot individually and was asked to change directions in tight quarters as the Irish tried to take him away primarily. Often he is too eager in his approach of the line of scrimmage or on the bounce outside, and I don’t see top-tier translation of information from head to feet. He also has had eight career fumbles, which really became a problem in his senior year, when half of them occurred when he rocked that ball a lot.

Don’t get me wrong – Etienne is a special talent and if used well, he could be a lethal weapon in the NFL.

He is a really good pure inside/outside zone and power runner, where he is a home-run threat if you give him an open lane. However, I just don’t think he has the individual ability of some other guys we have seen at the top of the board in recent years.

Don’t take that 4.4 flat he just ran on his pro day too seriously because he played at a good five pounds lighter and will be among the fastest guys in the whole league from day on. Yet, he won’t be able to take advantage of that area of his game if he doesn’t continue to work on his ability to process information in harmony with his lower body.