Edweirdo's Oakland Raiders Report

Draft Profile: RB Darren Sproles

Yes, Chargers fans, you should gloat about getting Sproles.

SEASON  ATT  YDS   AVG  TD  REC  YDS  AVG   TD
2001     28   217  7.8   1    0    0   0.0   0
2002    237  1465  6.2  17    9   99  11.0   0
2003    306  1986  6.5  16   25  287  11.5   2
2004    244  1318  5.4  11   32  223   7.0   0
CAREER  815  4986  6.1  45   66  609   9.2   2

Sproles is one of the most naturally talented running backs you will ever watch. He has superb vision and the physical tools to exploit it. He starts and stops on a dime, makes incredibly sharp cuts, and has excellent balance. He possesses good top-end speed but more importantly his acceleration is outstanding. Sproles runs with short strides, continues to pump his legs after contact, and has a strong lower body, enabling him to maintain his balance and pick up extra yards. He drops his pad level in traffic and dips his shoulder to evade the grasp of tacklers. Sproles won't wear down defenders by pounding them, but he will tire them out by making them chase him all over the field. As a receiver, Sproles catches the ball cleanly away from his body and is sure-handed.

I'm serious when I say he runs like Barry Sanders. Watch the Senior Bowl 2005 video. There is one clip on a run designed to go to the weak side. Sproles starts left, cuts back right, sees a defender, stops completely, then takes off up the gut for a 9-yd gain. It is VERY Barry. Sproles is not as stoutly built as Sanders (5-8 200), and Sanders actively used his free arm to keep defenders off his body, which Sproles does not do. Still, the similarities are there in terms of their ability to create.

The defining moment in Sproles career may have been the Big 12 Championship on December 6, 2003 against the Oklahoma Sooners. Against Bob Stoops' highly-touted defense, Sproles ran for 235 yards on 22 carries and added another 88 yards and a TD on 3 receptions, as the Wildcats routed the previously unbeaten Sooners 35-7 to earn their first BCS berth ever.

Sproles is well-regarded by his team mates and coaches. In this day of selfish athletes, Sproles is refreshingly down-to-earth:

• Kansas State Co-Offensive Coordinator Miller: He's a quite leader and he leads by example. He's one of those guys who doesn't say much, but when he does, the team listens. - Matthew Girard, Kansas State Collegian
• Raiders Head Coach Norv Turner: I really don't think anyone gets all that caught up in his height. But he certainly had an impressive week. He's just a really good football player with great vision. He's got such great quickness. He showed that all week at practice. - Bill Vilona, Florida Today

There are 2 question about Sproles's future in the NFL:

1. at his size, can he stay healthy
2. can he handle pass protection duties

At his size, can he stay healthy?

I understand the concerns about Sproles size (5-6 187). Almost every draft site on the Internet (with the notable exception of The Huddle Report) is fixated on it. Yes, he is undersized. Yes, a lot of successful undersized college RBs have struggled to stay healthy in the NFL (e.g. Oklahoma's Quentin Griffin). But Sproles put up numbers that dwarf those put up by most college RBs, and he proved to be an exceptionally durable performer. He started 39 straight games and averaged 20 carries per game. Sproles has 2 things going for him in terms of staying healthy:

1. incredibly strong, thick, short legs and a stout frame. As a comparison, former Raiders RB Napoleon Kaufman was 5-9 185. Sproles weighs about the same but is 3 inches shorter. Sproles showed terrific upper-body strength at the Combine by outbenching most of the other RBs, despite the fact that most of them outweighed him by 20-30 pounds. He is built like a tank but runs like a rabbit
2. his running style. Many times defenders don't get a clean shot at him because he is compact, elusive, and gets his pads low before contact

Can he handle pass protection duties?

I haven't seen enough of Sproles to say whether he can pick up blitzers in the NFL. Good pass protection is as much about making the read, technique, and willingness as it is about having the size to match up. Charlie Garner, at 5-10 190, was terrific at pass protection for the Raiders because he'd pick up the right blitzer and nail him in the gut.

I'm a big believer in Sproles. He performed brilliantly at the Senior Bowl (6 rushes for 55 yards, including a 24-yd TD) and at the NFL Combine. I'll be thrilled on draft day if the Raiders take him at the top of the 3rd or 4th round. The team that drafts him will get a valuable weapon for the offense and special teams.

DarrenSproles43.com

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