2023 NFL Draft Player Profiles: UAB RB DeWayne McBride

From now until the 2023 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day Three selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today I’ll be profiling UAB running back DeWayne McBride.

#22 DeWayne McBride, Running Back, UAB (JR.), 5010, 209 Pounds

NFL Combine invite

Measurements

The Good

— Arm tackles don’t faze him
— Can maneuver through tight spaces
— Fights for every yard, doesn’t go down easy
— Can improvise when needed, isn’t afraid of bouncing outside instead of following blockers when there is no hole
— Has an effective jump cut that helps him pick up yards
— Breaks tackles often, rarely goes down on first contact
— Good at following his blocks; as said before, he can improvise when there is no hole but most of time follows blocks
— Can get “skinny” and fit through small holes
— Keeps legs moving, able to move the pile and pick up extra yards
— High-level production at the college level
— Top three in Division I in both yards per carry (YPC) and rushing yards this past season with 7.4 YPC and 1,713 yards

The Bad

— Doesn’t have great blocking technique, will sometimes miss on chip blocks
— Doesn’t have elite speed; didn’t participate in NFL Combine or Pro Day due to hamstring so no 40-yard time but his speed doesn’t jump off the film. It isn’t bad by any means though
— Limited route tree/non-existent in the pass game as a receiver
— Ball security issues, 11 fumbles in three years
— Projects as a two-down back due to his lack of receiving chops and non-effectiveness in pass blocking 

Bio

— 21-years-old, born July 8, 2001
— Junior from Florida
— 2022 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year
— 2022 AP third-team All-American
— 2021 second-team All-Conference USA
— 3,523 career rushing yards
— Ran for 1,713 yards on 233 carries and scored 18 rushing touchdowns in 2022
— Averaged 7.8 yards per carry throughout his three years at school
— Set multiple school records this past season, including yards, rushing yards per game (155.7), rushing touchdowns, and single-game rushing yards with 272 against Louisiana Tech
— Had three games surpassing 200 yards in 2022
— Missed NFL Combine and UAB Pro Day due to a hamstring injury

Tape Breakdown

UAB’s DeWayne McBride lit up the NCAA this past season with absolutely incredible numbers. McBride was basically unstoppable as he was a consistent 120 yards per game player and wore teams down. While he doesn’t possess insane speed, McBride plays and looks bigger than he is. Despite standing 5’10” and weighing 209 pounds, McBride plays like he is 6’2 and 235 pounds as he inflicts punishment on defenders and runs through tackles. You might as well not even attempt an arm tackle on McBride because it simply won’t work.

Watch in the clip below against the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs as he simply slips this arm tackle with ease. Despite having one of the best defenses we’ve seen in college football in recent times, McBride still was able to have some highlights.

Here against Georgia Southern watch McBride easily slip out of an arm tackle and run a couple of defenders over en route to a touchdown.

However, when you watch that play you can see McBride doesn’t have top-end speed. But if he can simply run players over like that it shouldn’t be a big problem.

Despite being a bruiser, McBride also has some nimbleness to him. He has a nice jump cut to make defenders miss and create more space while also having the ability to “get skinny” and fit through smaller holes.

McBride’s game is not without faults. McBride is a below-average pass protector and is non-existent in the passing game (he only caught two passes this past season). When blocking, there are times when McBride fails to pick up a blitzer resulting in a play being dead from the beginning.

While you can argue this play wasn’t going anywhere as it was two blitzers against only him, McBride has to forgo the follow through on the play action and pick up one of the rushers. In the play below, you can see him give a half-hearted attempt at a chip and he essentially just chips air.

Moving back to the good with McBride, he has good vision. Normally McBride does a great job of following his blockers but he is not drilled into doing that. If there is no hole, McBride will bounce the play outside and pick up yards, as seen in the clip below against Georgia.

Finally, McBride has a nose for the end zone. He scored 19 rushing touchdowns this past season. Any time he was close to paydirt he would normally find a way to score. Below against LSU he fights through defenders to make sure he crosses the plane.

Conclusion

DeWayne McBride will be a very good back in the NFL wherever he lands. He is a great ball carrier who consistently produced at an insanely high clip in college. He has good vision, runs hard, scores, and can handle volume. While there are some concerns like his high fumble numbers in college (11 in three years), and his lack of contribution in the pass game, he does the main job of running the football as well as almost anybody.

While I would love to see McBride in the Black and Gold as I think he would create an insane three-headed monster with Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, I don’t see it being realistic. I see him going in the fourth or fifth round, and much higher than where the Steelers would draft a running back if they even do. For my NFL comparison I see shades of Derrick Henry. While he isn’t as big or fast, McBride inflicts punishment like Henry and can handle heavy loads throughout the season. Watching him consistently run over and through people really made me think of Henry.

Projection: Early Day Three

Depot Draft Grade: 7.7 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (Third Round)

Games Watched: at Georgia (2021), at LSU (2022), vs. Georgia Southern (2022)