Colts take RB Evan Hull

[GoColts8818]

From Northwestern.  Looks to be a Hines replacement.

[sb41champs]

Welcome to the Colts Mr Hull!!

[GoColts8818]

ABC making it sound like he’s your prototypical third down back.  

[CR91]

I got one right

[Smonroe]

He’s got a decent shot to make the team.  JT, Moss, and maybe Deon at 3.  If he’s a good ST player and can catch, he could beat out Deon.  

[Scott Pennock]

 

[bertjones7]

 

[stitches]

From his stats it seems like a versatile pass-catching RB. Had a 1000 and 900 rushing seasons last two years and caught 55 passes for 545 yards and 4 TDs last season.  We needed to add someone for that role after trading Hines, IMO. 

[Smonroe]

If I remember right, he was the Northwestern offense.  Not that it was very good, but it shows his value.  
 

I don’t think he’s as fast as Hines, but he may be more powerful.  

[Dobbinblitz]

55 catches for 546 yds. Projected as a 6th round pick. 

[compuls1v3]

7 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:

 

How many other players in the draft have a good RAS score?  Just wondering if it really is just a Ballard thing or not.

[Dobbinblitz]

From SI

 

“A twitchy back with true utility as a pass catcher and zone runner. 

Evaluation:

Compact runner. Dense ball of muscle with lower body thickness. Jitterbug feet with crisp cuts in the backfield. Fluid in tight spaces, making the initial tackler miss, often behind the line of scrimmage. Scheme versatility with the ability to cut back on zone schemes and follow his blockers on gap or power runs. Vision to find the crease or bubble and acceleration to burst through for big gains. Smooth in the open field with the ability to cut across the grain. He runs with power, dropping his pads and falling forward. Soft hands that catch the front of the ball as a receiver. “

[stitches]

 

Just now, Dobbinblitz said:

From SI

 

“A twitchy back with true utility as a pass catcher and zone runner. 

Evaluation:

Compact runner. Dense ball of muscle with lower body thickness. Jitterbug feet with crisp cuts in the backfield. Fluid in tight spaces, making the initial tackler miss, often behind the line of scrimmage. Scheme versatility with the ability to cut back on zone schemes and follow his blockers on gap or power runs. Vision to find the crease or bubble and acceleration to burst through for big gains. Smooth in the open field with the ability to cut across the grain. He runs with power, dropping his pads and falling forward. Soft hands that catch the front of the ball as a receiver. “

Zone runner... pass-catcher. Pretty much EXACTLY what we need... 

[RomanianColtsFan]

Looking at highlights he looks like an ordinary back to me, but up to him to compete for a spot on special teams or practice squad

[Dobbinblitz]

 

[Gigc]

Wow. I've never even heard of this guy. Watch his tape. He's Austin Ekeler...

 

this guy could a really good addition..

[Gigc]

 

[holeymoley99]

Had him as 1 of 2 possibles for today at RB. Taylor,Moss,Evans and Hull......nice rb room

[throwing BBZ]

24 minutes ago, Gigc said:

 

 

 I like his hands and his feet. Looks quick to read and burst. 

  I think he compares to the backs Philly used.

[stitches]

Dane Brugler scouting report on Evan Hull from The Beast(Draft guide): BTW it's worth buying a subscription to the Athletic only for this Draft Guide. It's probably the most detailed publicly available draft guide out there...

 

20. EVAN HULL | Northwestern 5101 | 209 lbs. | 4JR Maple Grove, Minn. (Maple Grove) 10/26/2000 (age 22.50) #26

 

BACKGROUND: Evan Hull grew up in the northwest Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, where he developed a passion for football at the youth level. He started wrestling and running track in the seventh grade to supplement his training for football (also an avid piano player). Hull enrolled at Maple Grove High School, where he played primarily on the JV squad as a freshman and sophomore while seeing some varsity snaps. He became the starting varsity running back as a junior and set the single-season school record with 2,177 rushing and 19 touchdowns, earning first team All-State honors. As a senior captain, Hull rushed for 1,915 yards and 19 touchdowns and set the single-game school record with 398 rushing yards. He earned first team All-Metro, All-Conference and All-State honors in 2018 and finished his career with a Maple Grove-record 4,140 rushing yards. Hull also lettered all four years in wrestling and track (senior captain in all three sports). He placed second at the 2019 state championships in the 100 meters (10.84) and third in the 200 meters (22.02). Hull’s personal best in the 100-meters is 10.72.

 

A three-star recruit out of high school, Hull was the No. 82 running back in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 6 recruit in Minnesota. He received mostly FCS-level offers from the Missouri Valley Conference (North Dakota State, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State) and the Ivy League (Cornell, Dartmouth, Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale). He picked up a Kansas State offer after head coach Chris Klieman left North Dakota State for the Wildcats, but Hull stayed patient hoping for a Big Ten offer. After Northwestern missed on a few other running back targets, it extended an offer to Hull a few weeks before signing day, and he committed the next day. He is engaged to his high school sweetheart (Tienne Roose), who is the sister of Jermaine Johnson (New York Jets), with a wedding date of July 7, 2023. Hull elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2023 NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl.

 

STRENGTHS: Compactly built and keeps his pads square to the line of scrimmage … runs low to the ground to absorb hits and maintain his balance … above-average long speed for the position … collects his feet well to maneuver through gaps … above-average patience as a runner to maximize each carry … strong in the screen game and catches the ball cleanly (only five drops on 116 career targets) … transitions efficiently from pass catcher to runner … added kick return duties in 2022, averaging 20.1 yards per return (9/181/0) … gritty, relentless worker (they had to force him to sleep more), and his coaches call him the “Energizer bunny” because he never gives less than 100 percent at every practice or workout (head coach Pat Fitzgerald: “He’s always had a first guy to show up, last guy to leave mentality.”).

 

WEAKNESSES: Runs light for a 215-pound back and too easily slowed by arm tackles … runs with functional pacing and speed but lacks explosiveness … average elusive qualities and doesn’t consistently make the first man miss … explosive runs were hard to find on his tape (ranked 98th in the FBS in 2022 with only 21 carries of 10-plus yards) … his 4.1 yards per carry in 2022 ranked 124th in the FBS … ball security has room for improvement (four fumbles over the past two seasons) … below-average anchor, awareness and nuance in pass protection … had more missed tackles than tackles in his limited experience on special teams coverage.

 

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Northwestern, Hull was a multidimensional back in offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian’s run-based scheme, which was one of the least efficient passing offenses in the FBS in 2022 (10 touchdowns, 17 interceptions). One of the few bright spots on a one-win team in 2022, he was the only running back in college football with 50-plus catches and finished No. 3 in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards per game (136.7). With his driven attitude and balance, Hull does a great job keeping his feet underneath him to sustain runs even when he appears bottled up. Though he is a trustworthy receiver, his struggles as a blocker will follow him at the next level and hurt his chances of being a true third-down back. Overall, Hull is a straight-line athlete and struggles to create on his own, but he has a first-round mindset with the run patience and pass-catching skills to stick in the NFL. He can make an NFL roster for a team looking for a speedy No. 3 back who is reliable catching the ball out of the backfield.

 

GRADE: 6th Round

[csmopar]

3 hours ago, stitches said:

Dane Brugler scouting report on Evan Hull from The Beast(Draft guide): BTW it's worth buying a subscription to the Athletic only for this Draft Guide. It's probably the most detailed publicly available draft guide out there...

 

20. EVAN HULL | Northwestern 5101 | 209 lbs. | 4JR Maple Grove, Minn. (Maple Grove) 10/26/2000 (age 22.50) #26

 

BACKGROUND: Evan Hull grew up in the northwest Minneapolis suburb of Maple Grove, where he developed a passion for football at the youth level. He started wrestling and running track in the seventh grade to supplement his training for football (also an avid piano player). Hull enrolled at Maple Grove High School, where he played primarily on the JV squad as a freshman and sophomore while seeing some varsity snaps. He became the starting varsity running back as a junior and set the single-season school record with 2,177 rushing and 19 touchdowns, earning first team All-State honors. As a senior captain, Hull rushed for 1,915 yards and 19 touchdowns and set the single-game school record with 398 rushing yards. He earned first team All-Metro, All-Conference and All-State honors in 2018 and finished his career with a Maple Grove-record 4,140 rushing yards. Hull also lettered all four years in wrestling and track (senior captain in all three sports). He placed second at the 2019 state championships in the 100 meters (10.84) and third in the 200 meters (22.02). Hull’s personal best in the 100-meters is 10.72.

 

A three-star recruit out of high school, Hull was the No. 82 running back in the 2019 recruiting class and the No. 6 recruit in Minnesota. He received mostly FCS-level offers from the Missouri Valley Conference (North Dakota State, North Dakota, Northern Iowa, South Dakota State) and the Ivy League (Cornell, Dartmouth, Pennsylvania, Princeton and Yale). He picked up a Kansas State offer after head coach Chris Klieman left North Dakota State for the Wildcats, but Hull stayed patient hoping for a Big Ten offer. After Northwestern missed on a few other running back targets, it extended an offer to Hull a few weeks before signing day, and he committed the next day. He is engaged to his high school sweetheart (Tienne Roose), who is the sister of Jermaine Johnson (New York Jets), with a wedding date of July 7, 2023. Hull elected to skip his senior season and enter the 2023 NFL Draft. He accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl.

 

STRENGTHS: Compactly built and keeps his pads square to the line of scrimmage … runs low to the ground to absorb hits and maintain his balance … above-average long speed for the position … collects his feet well to maneuver through gaps … above-average patience as a runner to maximize each carry … strong in the screen game and catches the ball cleanly (only five drops on 116 career targets) … transitions efficiently from pass catcher to runner … added kick return duties in 2022, averaging 20.1 yards per return (9/181/0) … gritty, relentless worker (they had to force him to sleep more), and his coaches call him the “Energizer bunny” because he never gives less than 100 percent at every practice or workout (head coach Pat Fitzgerald: “He’s always had a first guy to show up, last guy to leave mentality.”).

 

WEAKNESSES: Runs light for a 215-pound back and too easily slowed by arm tackles … runs with functional pacing and speed but lacks explosiveness … average elusive qualities and doesn’t consistently make the first man miss … explosive runs were hard to find on his tape (ranked 98th in the FBS in 2022 with only 21 carries of 10-plus yards) … his 4.1 yards per carry in 2022 ranked 124th in the FBS … ball security has room for improvement (four fumbles over the past two seasons) … below-average anchor, awareness and nuance in pass protection … had more missed tackles than tackles in his limited experience on special teams coverage.

 

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Northwestern, Hull was a multidimensional back in offensive coordinator Mike Bajakian’s run-based scheme, which was one of the least efficient passing offenses in the FBS in 2022 (10 touchdowns, 17 interceptions). One of the few bright spots on a one-win team in 2022, he was the only running back in college football with 50-plus catches and finished No. 3 in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards per game (136.7). With his driven attitude and balance, Hull does a great job keeping his feet underneath him to sustain runs even when he appears bottled up. Though he is a trustworthy receiver, his struggles as a blocker will follow him at the next level and hurt his chances of being a true third-down back. Overall, Hull is a straight-line athlete and struggles to create on his own, but he has a first-round mindset with the run patience and pass-catching skills to stick in the NFL. He can make an NFL roster for a team looking for a speedy No. 3 back who is reliable catching the ball out of the backfield.

 

GRADE: 6th Round

Interesting read

[Shive]

I get a real Jordan Wilkins vibe watching his running style (which i always loved), but he adds a much better receiving skill set.

[Hoose]

I like this kid. The Niners had a running back like Hull back in the early days of Bill Walsh before Walsh turned that program around. His name was Paul Hofer, and he ran and caught the ball a lot like Evan Hull. Hofer ended up with a blown knee, but for a short while, he was the best receiving RB in the NFL. Relentless, tough north to south player with glue hands. 
Heres hoping there’s a little Paul Hofer magic in this guy’s future. 

[Defjamz26]

I liked this pick because a 3rd down change of pace back was something I thought we needed. He’s a good pass catcher. Ballard was serious about getting competition. I like Miss as the backup to Taylor, but Hill will have to compete with Deon Jackson and Darryton Evans for the 3rd RB spot.