Scouting the NFL Draft: RB Dri Archer

Sept 8, 2012; Lexington, KY, USA; Kent State Golden Flashes running back

(1) runs the ball against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium. Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

This afternoon we take a look at a player mentioned by our good buddy Jake Steinberg from the Jets Blog. Take a look:

#Jets are bringing in Dri Archer for a pre-draft visit.

— Jake Steinberg (@Steiny31) April 1, 2014

So that is who we are going to take a look at, RB Dri Archer from Kent State.

We open with his stats, as always:

Rushing & Receiving

And here come his stats in the return game:

Kick & Punt Returns

At the Combine, he measured in at 5’8″, and weighed 173 pounds. He was a top performer, running the 40 yard dash in a whopping 4.26 seconds. He led the 3 Cone Drill at 6.86 seconds, the Vertical Jump with 38 inches, and the 20 Yard Shuttle Drill in 4.06 seconds. This all tells us that he is explosive.

Here are the Dri Archer highlights:

PROS: Dri Archer runs pretty. What do I mean? He has a beautiful natural glide as he runs. He has great speed, yet it doesn’t look like he is putting any effort into it, which is hard to achieve. He also can make people miss with ease. Part of it is that he is moving so quickly, he’s a hard target to hit, but it works. Dri can actually catch the ball out of the backfield as well, which would be an asset in the Marty Mornhinweg.

CONS: From the NFL profile:

Very short and rail thin with no strength or running power. Not a tackle-breaker and goes down easy on contact. Limited inside runner. Can be knocked off routes easily and struggles catching on contact. Not a nuanced route runner. Very marginal, underpowered blocker. Could stand to do a better job securing the ball in traffic. Is not ideally built to withstand a full NFL season.

Totally agreed on the size. At his size, it might be tough for him to endure 25 carries per game for an entire season, which will hurt is stock. It can be done, see Warrick Dunn, among others. But, it will be a concern for scouts.

Also, playing for Kent State, Dri Archer hasn’t faced top-level competition, as much as a guy from one of the bigger schools, so we will see how that plays out.

If the Jets can find this guy after the first round, he would be worth taking a shot at. He’s not a first round prospect, but maybe towards the third Archer could be worth a try. If he stays around that long.