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Forum Scouting Project #1 -- James Conner


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James Conner, a red shirt junior who played for Pittsburgh. Missed practically the entire 2015 season after tearing his MCL and after alot of therapy doctors took a look and discovered he had Hodkins lymphoma. He ended up beating the cancer and came back and played in 2016. He is known as a very strong vocal leader by his teammates and is awarded team captain.

 

Size: He's a big bodied RB at 6'1 and 233 pounds. Has a very good powerful frame and he knows how too use it. He's a power back through and through. 4/5

 

Athletism: A bruiser who will run away from most linebackers. He keeps coming back at you again and again breaking you down because who really wants 230 pounds of muscle running towards you. His speed at 4.65 means he's not going too out run DB's. How ever he will punish who ever tries to tackle him and his stiff arm is definetly a thing of beauty. I do believe if he hadn't torn his mcl and got cancer or had at Least another year of recovery time we could have possibly seen him dip into a higher 4.5? I think he is still recovering and if he can regain his athletism from 2014 he could be a real steal. He knows his strengths as a power back and uses it and doesn't try to run away from contact. 6/10

 

Vision: In my eyes his vision at times can be questionable. If the hole is there then he will bust through the hole and bring whoever is trying to take him down with him. However the hole has to be relatively open since he runs relatively broad and doesn't get really "skinny" but he does get low when he has too. He follows the blocks well and knows how too follow a fullback. Pitt did run him in some zone schemes but I think he's best at a man blocking scheme. Doesn't really dance around he finds a hole and goes.  5/10

 

Third Down Ability: Wasn't asked to do alot of receiving at Pitt but when he did he wasn't awful. Did excell at the few shovel passes. He's a very willing pass blocker and will use his size against pass rushers to good effect and will lay his entire body out to stop a defender. I would have liked too see him receive a little bit more so that's a little incomplete but I'd want him for pass blocking. Receiving 2.5/5 Blocking 4.5/5 total 7/10

 

Balance: He's not the most agile back in this class but tends to always fall forward. He's not going to wow you with spins or sharp cuts because that's not his style and he looks a little stiff for that. He gets low when needed but a relatively up right runner. 3/10

 

Physicallityis: Good luck ever stopping him with an arm tackle. He will wear you out and get sick and tired of trying too tackle him. He doesn't shy away from contact and makes you pay for tackling him. His stiff arm is lethal but essentially his moves are too run over you or stiff arm you, but he does them well and generally fails if he tries to get cute and spin or juke. Has some very beast mode like runs. 8.5/10 

 

Improvisation: Not one to dance around and find holes. If he makes something out of nothing it's not from his agility or finesse it's by forcing his way to something. 4/10

 

Ball Control: Seeing as for whatever reason college never really seems to keep track of fumbles I counted 3 or 4 fumbles from 2014 and 2016. So not terrible but sometimes it seems like he hold the ball a little reckless? But for getting a relatively high amount of touches and only losing it that many times isn't bad I believe it averages out around 1 fumble every 90 or so carries? But it could stand to be alot better. 5/10.

 

Overall 42.5/75  56% Late third or 4th round pick but with the depth at RB across the board I can see him going in the 5th or later. He's a power back and possibly only a 2 down back.

 

He's got good size too him and uses what was given too him and I think he could blossom into a good pro. I wish I could have seen him against better competition and that may have raised his stock some but if he can get his 2014 production and bring it to the pros then someone will have stole him in this draft. The kids seems to be a natural born leader and he's a fighter. I see him as a "horseshoe guy". As mentioned he can play both man and zone scheme but I believe he will do better in a man so I guess it will depend on if the colts continue the switch to zone, work back too man, or do a hybrid scheme. As the NFL stated "His lack of speed and quickness could limit him as a pro but his heart, work ethic and ability to move the chains could make him a red zone specialist" that screams what this organization wants. I believe it was the Iowa game from 2014 in the red zone he took it up the gut 3 times the first 2 they stopped him but on the 3rd attempt he could not be stopped. He has a nose for the end zone and was a touch down machine at Pitt totaling 52 touchdowns total and in 2014 he had 26 touchdowns. He ran for 1795 yard in 2014 and 1092 yards in 2016. 

 

I can see the colts taking him in the later rounds if they don't address the position sooner and can see him as a solid pro and a good fantasy pick up and he's used alot in the red zone.

 

@Superman if you'd like to start a merge or however you'd like to do it.

 

Edited by Superman
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I'd really like to pick him up in the 5th.

 

He's a great kid. An old school bruiser. He hasn't got great deep speed but he hits his top speed very quickly. He hits the hole hard and with reckless abandon. He's not going to be breaking 40 yard runs routinely. But he's going to come downhill and run through LBs and Safeties if the OL can take the DL out of it.

 

Let him play his game, inside zone/power runs. If he can find a team with a solid OL, particularly on the interior, he'll be an effective early down back in the NFL.

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56 minutes ago, UKColt13 said:

I'd really like to pick him up in the 5th.

 

He's a great kid. An old school bruiser. He hasn't got great deep speed but he hits his top speed very quickly. He hits the hole hard and with reckless abandon. He's not going to be breaking 40 yard runs routinely. But he's going to come downhill and run through LBs and Safeties if the OL can take the DL out of it.

 

Let him play his game, inside zone/power runs. If he can find a team with a solid OL, particularly on the interior, he'll be an effective early down back in the NFL.

I like him too!  My only issue is he's kind of slow, but I think he reads and sets up his blocks pretty well.   Straight bruiser in the mold of Brandon Jacobs. Not sure this is the guy we would select, but I've been panning to have a guy like this as a part of our RBBC.  I think they are probably going to pick a guy with some speed though.

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28 minutes ago, krunk said:

I like him too!  My only issue is he's kind of slow, but I think he reads and sets up his blocks pretty well.   Straight bruiser in the mold of Brandon Jacobs. Not sure this is the guy we would select, but I've been panning to have a guy like this as a part of our RBBC.  I think they are probably going to pick a guy with some speed though.

 

Yeah, that's my issue with him too.  We've seen a number of big college RBs without much speed who don't do much in the pros.  Ron Dayne comes to mind.  They're not running over smaller LBs in the pros.

 

What I like about Conner is he had great games against very good competition.  And when you watch his tape, he doesn't look slow.

 

My 'Colts' issue is that we already have two RBs that are similar as far as running style.  I'd like to see someone who can be what Ferguson was supposed to be.

 

Great job @twfish

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2 hours ago, ztboiler said:

Seems like a candidate to convert to FB if he wants to stick in the league long term.

I think he is too good of a runner to not utilize him at FB. Here and there putting him there like we did with Turbin wouldnt be bad but i think it's be a waste of his talent him being a full time FB.

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2 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

Yeah, that's my issue with him too.  We've seen a number of big college RBs without much speed who don't do much in the pros.  Ron Dayne comes to mind.  They're not running over smaller LBs in the pros.

 

What I like about Conner is he had great games against very good competition.  And when you watch his tape, he doesn't look slow.

 

My 'Colts' issue is that we already have two RBs that are similar as far as running style.  I'd like to see someone who can be what Ferguson was supposed to be.

 

Great job @twfish

No he doesn't look slow on film especially not in 2014 tape. I think he plays more old school football than what we have on the roster. On the goal line I may take him instead of Turbin. 

I appreciate it man :hat:

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17 hours ago, twfish said:

Overall 42.5/75  56% Late third or 4th round pick but with the depth at RB across the board I can see him going in the 5th or later. He's a power back and possibly only a 2 down back.

 

 

I'm still finalizing my review of him, but we're going to be pretty close here. 

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17 minutes ago, ClaytonColt said:

I love these old school, smash mouth running backs. Especially when they don't look to get caught easily once they're in the open field. If he's there at the bottom of the 4th I'd be very tempted.

I will say he plays better smash mouth football than foreman. Foreman looks quicker but I'm beginning to think of want Conner instead.

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6 hours ago, krunk said:

I like him too!  My only issue is he's kind of slow, but I think he reads and sets up his blocks pretty well.   Straight bruiser in the mold of Brandon Jacobs. Not sure this is the guy we would select, but I've been panning to have a guy like this as a part of our RBBC.  I think they are probably going to pick a guy with some speed though.

 

I definitely think he's a committee back. If a team could pair him with someone like Christian McCaffrey, then boy oh boy, that might be a thing of beauty for years to come. He isn't a burner but because he doesn't dance, it allows him to really accelerate and more often than not from what I've seen, he's almost running full speed by the time he hits the LOS.

 

I think a team that runs a lot of their offense from under centre will be better for him. When he's taking balls from the shotgun you can see he isn't able to build that head of steam and get up to a good enough speed to really utilise that power.

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Just notifying the Regional Scouts who've already submitted their reports - @twfish - and the Senior Scout - @Superman on the James Connor write-up.

______________________________________________________________

 

On the outset, I didn’t’ account for his health issues in the scoring.  Just what I saw on tape.  I don’t know what the score indicates as far as round projection (Superman, feel free to edit), so I just put a guestimate on it.  I watched all 2016 tape available on draftbreakdown.com and Georgia Tech from 2014.

 

Size: 6’1”, 233 lbs, good lean mass throughout his lower body and upper body.  Big hands, but length, while not a red flag, both legs and arms are a bit less than ideal.  I prefer my backs closer the the 5’11” mark, but he is well within the ideal height/weight range for his position. 4.5/5

 

Athleticism:  Lateral agility is lacking, if not outright poor.  Cuts are subtle, but don’t really fool anyone, which is obvious given that his shtick is breaking tackles and it really shows up on tape.  He can make people miss at the 2nd level, but only if he gets to it unscathed, even then, he’s less likely to juke the further he stretches the play.  He builds up to speed and won’t be able to sustain long runs. His lack of explosiveness and top end speed will limit his overall utility.   3/10

 

Vision: Generally takes what’s there and relies on physicality to bring him any extra.  He will miss an occasional cutback or read.  While he generally gets to where he needs to be, I don’t really ever see him create many yards for himself outside of his physicality.  I don’t see him ever making it outside of special teams in a zone based team.  In a more power oriented scheme, he sees the field well enough to work out tough yards, and would otherwise benefit with little read responsibilities where he has predetermined running lanes, such as goalline, short yardage situations. 5/10

 

3rd down ability: Little work as a receiver, but there’s a usable foundation there.  It’s limited entirely by his athletic ability, but he does catch the ball well enough to warrant an occasional screen or even swing pass to keep defenses honest.  He’s got the physicality required to be a blocker but very little technique whatsoever.  He doesn’t break down with a wide base, but he does have a strong punch to divert incoming linebackers.  His arm length is on the short side. That said, he’s got the frame and strength to work into a blockers role. 2/5 receiving, 3/5 blocking -- 5/10

 

Balance: Probably his second best trait.  His balance in and out of cuts are good, but his athleticism limits the intensity of his cuts.  He can push through and navigate traffic in tight quarters without being easily knocked off track – that is, if he doesn’t elect to go full on bull in a china shop and batter into everything in front of him.   He can fight through congested lanes and is capable of taking chunks of yardage, but without any real short area burst or second gear, the opposition will eventually slow him down before he ever sees daylight.  Can withstand substantial hits before finally being taken down.  7/10

 

Physicality: His marquee trait.  Has excellent bend and plays behind his pads.  While he’s not explosive in the open field, he’s explosive at the point of contact and he won’t lose many one-on-one mashups.  To plagiarize NFL.com for one line I couldn’t have said better myself, “arm tackles are a waste of time.”  He will need to be gang tackled or hit head on to be slowed just enough for the cavalry to come in.  Doable for any team, but he’ll at least drag out tough yards in the meantime.  That same toughness shows up in his pass blocking (to say nothing about his ability to block).  Does not care about his body at the goal line and if he smells paydirt, he’s not not getting in because of lack of determination. 8.5/10

 

Improvisation: Plus spin move, powerful stiff arm, and can deliver a blow for extra yardage.  He’s got a functional stutter step, but he doesn’t explode out of it so its utility is in doubt.  Cuts are inconsistent – I see flashes that make me think maybe he could be more than a straight line back, and then still others that are aggressively mediocre.      4/10

 

Ball control: I saw only 1 fumble against Penn State (there was a second, but ground caused it so I’m not holding that against him).  1 other fumble against GT.  Stats bear 7 fumbles with 6 lost in 698 touches – good but not great. 7/10

 

Overall: 44/75, 58.67%.  I don’t know what round this score indicates (cue the jr. scout jokes), but I see 5th round-ish prospect.  He’s likely be a system dependent, goal line and/or situational running back depending on how he develops.

 

 Best fit is with a team that uses him to his strengths because his most glaring weaknesses are traits that can’t be overcome with sheer determination – athleticism, in particular.  He’s also got some health issues Hodkins lymphoma and a torn MCL in 2015 – which he appears to have overcome, but I’m no doctor.  I didn’t knock his score for it, but if I’m being generous it probably knocks him a round lower than whatever his score indicates.

 

Re: special teams – I didn’t see any returns and the stats don’t bear any out.  He shouldn’t be returning anything anyway.  He could get involved in protection or perhaps coverage, and he should probably get comfortable with it ASAP.

 

If he can just find a way to make it onto the final 53 and keep healthy, he’ll have a shot in this league to carve out a limited role because he is a tireless worker and he’s a guy that can win coaches over with his work ethic; provided he “gets it” at the NFL level.  I really did like watching the kid play and it’s easy to see he respects the game (and he’s respected by others, including opponents). 

 

He is a “horseshoe guy” in my mind, no doubt.  Given the mentality of some of the guys Ballard’s signed, I could easily see us taking James Conner on Day 3.  I do doubt, though, that he’d make it on this team because I don’t’ think he’s a strong fit schematically.  So the only way we would take a guy like Conner is if we have a set plan for how we’d use him in advance and work on developing him in the meantime.

 

 

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1 hour ago, UKColt13 said:

 

I definitely think he's a committee back. If a team could pair him with someone like Christian McCaffrey, then boy oh boy, that might be a thing of beauty for years to come. He isn't a burner but because he doesn't dance, it allows him to really accelerate and more often than not from what I've seen, he's almost running full speed by the time he hits the LOS.

 

I think a team that runs a lot of their offense from under centre will be better for him. When he's taking balls from the shotgun you can see he isn't able to build that head of steam and get up to a good enough speed to really utilise that power.

I'd love to have this guy if we already had a Scat Back, or we didn't have Turbin. Plays the game the way I like it.

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15 minutes ago, krunk said:

I'd love to have this guy if we already had a Scat Back, or we didn't have Turbin. Plays the game the way I like it.

 

Yeah I don't think we will get him. 

 

But if if he lands in a team that use him right then he's going to be effective.

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1 hour ago, UKColt13 said:

 

I definitely think he's a committee back. If a team could pair him with someone like Christian McCaffrey, then boy oh boy, that might be a thing of beauty for years to come. He isn't a burner but because he doesn't dance, it allows him to really accelerate and more often than not from what I've seen, he's almost running full speed by the time he hits the LOS.

 

I think a team that runs a lot of their offense from under centre will be better for him. When he's taking balls from the shotgun you can see he isn't able to build that head of steam and get up to a good enough speed to really utilise that power.

Thats something i cant believe i forgot from my report. I love his decisiveness. He simply isnt interested in dancing around.

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22 hours ago, twfish said:

Overall 42.5/75  56% Late third or 4th round pick but with the depth at RB across the board I can see him going in the 5th or later. He's a power back and possibly only a 2 down back.

Its rather remarkable how we have similar scores but graded the traits drastically different in some areas. A big takeaway from that fact alone is the emphasis we put on a particular trait. For instance, I would guess you value ball security a bit more than you value athleticism  and vice versa (ie his fumbles were more problematic to you given his score you gave him, and I saw his athleticism as a liability given my low score of it). 

 

Nothing wrong with our logic, but it is problem "first" when it comes to normalizing scores between scouts.

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1 hour ago, OffensivelyPC said:

Its rather remarkable how we have similar scores but graded the traits drastically different in some areas. A big takeaway from that fact alone is the emphasis we put on a particular trait. For instance, I would guess you value ball security a bit more than you value athleticism  and vice versa (ie his fumbles were more problematic to you given his score you gave him, and I saw his athleticism as a liability given my low score of it). 

 

Nothing wrong with our logic, but it is problem "first" when it comes to normalizing scores between scouts.

 

It's the big reason I wanted to do this. 

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So sorry everyone I couldn't do my scouting report. I work 6 days a week so I'm busy as crap. I agree with parts of James Conner's report. He wasn't slow in 2014. Again he is still rehabbing from cancer. He needs to work on his blocking. He does have agility. He won't dance like many have said. He is one cut and through the hole with power which I love. I could live with him in a Colts uniform. He is everything we'd want in a player. A very underrated player. He reminds me of Lynch. He wears a defense down.

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James Conner, Pitt: Big, physical redshirt junior RB with good production. 

http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/james-conner-1.html

http://draftbreakdown.com/players/james-conner/

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/james-conner?id=2557978

 

Size: Combine measurements were 6'1", 233 pounds, 9 7/8" hands, good size for the NFL, a little taller than ideal. Solid, well built from top to bottom, tightly wound. No drawbacks to his size. 4.5/5

 

Athleticism: Limited in open field speed, which shows on tape. Not particularly agile or fluid, not sudden, not explosive. Doesn't threaten the edge on typical plays, and won't run away from defenders. He does have some deceptive burst to the second level and can get through the hole on time. Can hurdle over the top or over defenders to finish big plays. Not slow, but not a burner at all, and not particularly quick in short areas. Below average in every timed drill (34th percentile in the 40, 3rd percentile vertical). 4/10

 

Vision: Good vision, patience to read the flow of the play, sets up blockers well, decisive and aggressive once he gets the ball. Can run from multiple alignments, including I. Will cut back if it's obviously open and he hasn't already committed the other way, but mostly a one cut runner who follows the design of the play. Cuts his losses when the defense gets in the backfield. Once he gets past the line he sees the next defender and adjusts. Although he's a physical runner, he's not an blind battering ram who just slams into his blockers. 7/10

 

3rd down ability: Effectively skilled, not deficient as a blocker or pass catcher. Willing and capable pass protector on throwing downs, mostly squaring up to take on rushers directly. Sees the pressure and gets in position effectively, not diving around desperately because he's late coming over. He runs simple backfield routes adeptly -- swing passes, wheel routes, options. Nothing flashy as a route runner, and he's not going to line up all over the field. Basic as a receiver, not a big part of his game (but did have 21 catches in 2016). Soft, confident hands as a receiver, grabs the ball and turns upfield directly. Can make catches to the side and behind him. 3/5 receiving, 4.5/5 blocking

 

Balance: Runs big and strong through light contact, not going to be brought down by arm tacklers, doesn't get thrown off track by contact through the hole. Keeps his body moving forward and with power without leaning over his feet recklessly. Not a quick cutter, not going to turn the corner at top speed or at sharp angles. 6/10

 

Physicality: This is obviously his best trait, comes natural to him. He craves contact, even down the field. Runs through arm tackles, sometimes runs over sound tacklers, like a runaway freight train. Likes to finish with a big hand at the end of a stiff arm, right in a defender's chest (or face). Brings the pain, will duck his shoulder and deliver a blow at end of the play. Runs behind his pads, keeps moving forward, finishes with authority. Definitely plays up to his size. Hard to find a more physical runner. 10/10

 

Improvisation: Stiff and not agile, not very quick, so his ability to make defenders miss is very limited. Has a labored spin move that he can use to get away from trouble in traffic. Once he's moving forward, there's not a lot of stop/start, can't change direction quickly, no jump cut, no real jukes; when running to the second level he has a slight inside-out juke that can get a defender out of position. More likely to take a defender head on and finish through him, than try to get around him. 4/10

 

Ball control: Cradles the ball securely, holding it tight to his body. Sometimes lets it get away from his body more than he should, needs to cover the ball with two hands in traffic more consistently, but has big strong hands to secure it. Had a couple rough games in 2014, only 1 fumble in 2016 on a nice defensive strip against Penn State (3:30), should have had two hands on it. 8/10

 

Overall: 51/75, 68%, 4th round prospect. Pro comparison, Matt Asiata

 

Summary: Early down back, not a game breaker, will be a straight ahead, downhill runner who can grind out tough yardage, finish in short yardage situations, and can pass protect, but will be limited in space. His overall grade is inflated due to high marks in size and physicality, but lacking in other important categories like athleticism and open field ability. Capable runner, can handle a heavy workload, but his limitations will restrict his usage. 

 

His story is fascinating. He has incredible intangibles, mental and emotional toughness -- grit. It's possible that he's still physically recovering from his knee injury and his illness, in which case I could see him being a little bit faster, certainly more powerful and having greater endurance. He won't be quick or shifty at any point, and wasn't even before the injury and illness. 

 

Scheme fit: I think he'd fit any running scheme, because his best fit will be in short yardage/power situations. He could carry the load for a team as a runner (ala Frank Gore recently), but needs a complementary/change back behind him. 

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53 minutes ago, OffensivelyPC said:

Wish we could get more to join in.  Maybe we could have a prospect of the week maybe every other week so people have a couple weeks to get their review done.  People could still do their reviews of guys they want, but doing this was interesting to see.

I love reading these, but I think it would be better if there was a pinned thread that contained the scouting reports on the "prospect of the week", then there could be a separate discussion thread. Not sure if that's feasible or even desired, just trying to make it easier to find the reports themselves instead of having to dig through multiple pages of posts to find them.

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4 minutes ago, Shive said:

I love reading these, but I think it would be better if there was a pinned thread that contained the scouting reports on the "prospect of the week", then there could be a separate discussion thread. Not sure if that's feasible or even desired, just trying to make it easier to find the reports themselves instead of having to dig through multiple pages of posts to find them.

Yeah, I don't really know myself which would be better.  But at the end of the day, doing these makes you a smarter football viewer.  You may not ever be as good as the real scouts or even the guys over at CBS/NFL/ESPN, but you might know more about what guys would fit your team better than those media guys.

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1 hour ago, OffensivelyPC said:

Wish we could get more to join in.  Maybe we could have a prospect of the week maybe every other week so people have a couple weeks to get their review done.  People could still do their reviews of guys they want, but doing this was interesting to see.

 

My overall grade on him wound up being higher than I expected it to be. I mentioned that his grade is inflated due to his size and physicality, which are obviously important, but my team building philosophy would place greater value on athleticism and agility.

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8 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

My overall grade on him wound up being higher than I expected it to be. I mentioned that his grade is inflated due to his size and physicality, which are obviously important, but my team building philosophy would place greater value on athleticism and agility.

He plays to his strengths well (coincidentally, I think Kareem Hunt, a similar player, does as well).  You obviously know that you aren't getting a bellcow beforehand, but you know that for a small subset of skills, you're gonna get a guy who is better than most at that particular subset of skills.  That is value in a form that may not get him paid as much as the guys ahead of him, but a value that allows a guy to jump from team to team and make a career out of pushing the pile, because every team.  He'll be a cheap overpay and every team, particularly one with an RBBC, could use a guy like Conner.  

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On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2017 at 2:35 AM, AZColt11 said:

Great story.  I'm sure he'll get drafted somewhere and I'll root for the guy.  Could it be in Indy>?

 

I hope not.

Yeah it's a nice story and I wish him well.......somewhere else.

 

Most likely we're only drafting 1 RB, and he's not the type of RB that I am hoping for OR is best for our offense.

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OK, plenty of time has passed.  I'll throw this up for viewing pleasure-

 

5.4 – 5.0 = Potential back up Contributor/Roster Player (15)

5.4 = 5th to 6th Round Value

 

 

16. JAMES CONNOR–PITTSBURGH
6014|233 lbs|4JR Erie, Pa. (McDowell) 5/5/1995 (age 21) #24 YEAR (GP/GS) CAR YDS AVG TD REC YDS AVG TD GRADE 6th-7th Round 2013: (12/0) 146 799 5.5 8 3 33 11.0 0 MEASUREABLES Arm: 31 1/4 | Hand: 09 7/8 | Wingspan: 75 3/8 2014: (13/13) 298 1,765 5.9 26 5 70 14.0 0 COMBINE 40-YD: 4.65 | 10-YD: 1.63 | 20-YD: 2.69 | BP: 20 | VJ: 29 | BJ: 09’05” 2015: (1/1) 8 77 9.6 2 1 7 7.0 0 (Redshirted) PRO DAY SS: 4.31 | 3C: 7.41 2016: (13/13) 216 1,092 5.1 16 21 302 14.4 4 Total: (39/27) 668 3,733 5.6 52 30 412 13.7 4
A three-star defensive end recruit out of high school, Conner was a productive pass rusher at McDowell and that is how most programs recruited him, earning offers from several MAC programs. However, he also starred as a running back as a senior in high school and Pittsburgh saw the potential there, offering him a scholarship. Despite not starting as a true freshman, Conner led the team in rushing with 799 yards on 146 carries and eight scores. He had his breakout season as a sophomore in 2014 (13 starts) with 1,765 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns, earning First Team All-ACC and All-American honors and ACC Player of the Year. Conner started the first game of the 2015 season, but suffered an injury and was lost for the rest of the year, taking a medical redshirt. He returned in 2016 as a junior and led the team with 1,092 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, also setting career-highs with 21 catches and four receiving scores to earn First Team All-ACC honors. Conner decided to skip his final season and enter the 2017 NFL Draft. STRENGTHS: Thickly-built, big-boned athlete…physical load for defenders to tackle…delivers violence at contact and barrels forward for every inch – a lot of hidden yardage due to his ability to finish with force…maintains his momentum and balance at contact…strong leg drive and doesn’t allow arm or ankle tackles to bring him down…quick reset as a ballcarrier to find the lane…not explosive, but shows the lateral quicks to sidestep defenders…better-than-expected in the open field to put his foot in the ground and redirect…ascending receiving talent with improved focus to catch the ball in stride…squares up rushers in pass protection with aggressive hands and stout anchor…first-class human being, consummate teammate and named a team captain…resilient attitude on and off the field and teammates feed off his passionate work habits and competitive toughness – beat cancer and returned to the football field in a relatively short time period.
WEAKNESSES: Tightly-wound and lacks the body fluidity to easily create his own yardage…lacks the start/stop elusiveness traits to escape trouble…below average long-speed, allowing defenders to close the gap in pursuit…needs to keep his runs north-south, struggling to find success when he runs parallel to the line of scrimmage…bad habit of running into his own blockers and needs to show more savvy amidst the bodies…fumbled seven times over his career and needs to improve his ball security…health is obviously an area that requires further investigation – tore the MCL in his right knee (Sept. 2015), which required surgery; diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (Dec. 2015) and endured 12 rounds of chemotherapy before announcing he was cancer free (May 2016). SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Pittsburgh, Conner experienced a roller coaster collegiate career, going from ACC Player of the Year in 2014 to season-ending knee injury in 2015. During his rehab was when doctors detected his cancer, a disease he attacked with the same fearless attitude he brings to the field. After his victorious six-month battle with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Conner returned to game action in 2016 and led Pitt in rushing with 20 total touchdowns. A hulking ballcarrier with the fighting mentality to match, he is a grinder between the tackles and gives the offense confidence in short-yardage situations. Conner lacks the explosive change of direction skills or pure speed to routinely create with athleticism alone, which will limit his role in a NFL offense. But his north-south, smash-mouth run style and resilient character have a place at the next level – one of the best stories in sports, not just college football.

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