This is part of a series of scouting reports on the undrafted free agents the Pittsburgh Steelers signed following the 2023 NFL Draft. We’ll examine recently signed RB Darius Hagans.
#9 Darius Hagans/RB Virginia State – 5115, 207 lbs.
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Darius Hagans | 5115, 207 | 9 1/8 | 31 3/4 | 74 3/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.48 | 1.51 | 4.37 | 7.08 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’5″ | 36.5 | 26 |
The Good
— Thick, stocky build with good-sized lower half
— Fantastic athletic profile and testing
— Powerful runner who seeks contact, doesn’t look to go out of bounds and finishes his runs
— Runs with power, isn’t slowed down by arm tackles and shows break-tackle ability
— Light feet and capable of changing directions
— Finds hole well in zone scheme, can make cut and burst upfield
— Shows speed to turn the corner and outrun defenders downfield
— Involved in passing game, effective in screen game
— Good ball security with multiple points of contact
— Has experience and makeup to play on coverage units
The Bad
— Tries to bounce runs outside too often; will get too east/west instead of north/south and playing to his size and frame
— Tends to run tall and high
— Inconsistent in pass protection, drops eyes on contact and can be overwhelmed by power rushes
— Played against small-school competition
— Only one year of major production
— Lacks return value
Bio
— Career at Virginia State: 420 carries for 2,069 yards (4.9 YPC) and 17 TDs, 31 receptions with five TDs
— 2022: 189 carries for 1,012 yards (5.4 YPC) and six TDs
— 13 career tackles, including six in 2022
— Began career at Alderson Broaddus, rushing for 376 yards and four touchdowns freshman season before transferring
— Played for current XFL coach and former NFL WR/RS Reggie Barlow at Virginia State
— Zero-star recruit out of high school in Chesapeake Virginia, (757 – the same area Mike Tomlin grew up)
— Had walk-on opportunities at Virginia Tech and VMI
— Ran for nearly 1,500 yards and 12 TDs as a senior in HS, also ran track in HS (100/200 meter & relay + long/triple jump)
Tape Breakdown
Darius Hagans is one of the most recent roster additions to fill out a relatively thin running back room. Undrafted out of Virginia State, he initially signed with the Indianapolis Colts but waived a week ago. Hagans’ size and athletic profile immediately gets you interested. Nearly 6’0, well over 200 pounds, a frame he carries well, and he’s gotten much bigger and stronger since high school, with a sub 4.5 40. Plug his workout numbers into the RAS calculator and Hagans gets a 9.39. Certainly nothing to sneeze at.
On tape, he’s a powerful runner who seeks contact. Isn’t someone looking to run out of bounds and he has a combination of burst and finish. Watch him turn the corner here and then truck the defender at the end of the run.
He flashes his speed, too. While he faced lower and worse competition, watch him take this screen on third and forever and outrun everyone to the end zone.
One negative is Hagans runs a little too tall, in part because he’s almost six-feet tall. He also will try to bounce runs to the outside too often, not always playing to his profile of a downhill bruiser. Hagans has the speed to gain the edge but he’ll realize he can’t get away with it so often in the NFL.
Pass pro is tricky too. Watch him drop his eyes/head here and give up the sack.
Conclusion
Hagans is a well put-together running back with a blend of size, explosiveness, and power. He also can play special teams on the coverage teams and potentially as a return man, an upback who can block. He might be an undrafted player from a small school but there’s talent here. With Pittsburgh weak at RB behind its top two, there’s a chance for Hagans to make noise this summer. He would’ve gotten a priority UDFA grade from me. Don’t sleep on him.
My NFL comp is Jake Funk.
Games Watched: vs Elizabeth City (2021), vs Virginia Union (2022), vs Livingston College (2022)
