Overview
Position: Running back
Height: 6’0″
Weight: 234 pounds
School: Texas Longhorns
Combine Performance Data
Bench press: 18 reps
Pro Day
40-yard dash: 4.45 seconds (fastest for any 232+ pound running back since 2003)
Vertical jump: 33 inches
D’Onta Foreman 2017 NFL Draft Profile
It might be an understatement to say D’Onta Foreman was hugely underrated coming out of high school. Classified as an athlete in the recruiting process, the Texas City native received just a two-star rating from Rivals.com. He garnered few scholarship offers from Power Five programs. But Texas was one of them and so he committed to the flagship school in his home state hoping to prove the doubters wrong.
It took him a while to get his chance. As a true freshman, Foreman found himself buried on the Longhorns depth chart at running back. He saw action in just seven games and finished fifth on the team in rushing yards. His production increased significantly the following year as he led the team with 672 yards on the ground. He also averaged 7.17 yards per carry which ranked him 14th in FBS.
But Foreman truly broke out in 2016. He finished as one of two running backs in the nation (San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey being the other) to rush for over 2,000 yards. The fact he did so in just 11 games made it all the more impressive. He averaged 184.36 yards per game and 29.36 carries per game, both of which led FBS by wide margins. He did all of this while carrying a huge emotional burden during the season.
In a recent interview with Andrea Kremer, Foreman revealed that his son, D’Onta Jr., passed away last November due to an intestinal infection. He was seven weeks old at the time. His tragic death occurred on the same day Foreman ran for a career high 341 yards and three touchdowns in a win against Texas Tech. Overcoming such immense personal loss to get to this point makes him among the more inspiring players in this year’s draft class.
Strengths
- powerfully built, especially in lower body;
- downhill runner with good forward lean and able to get extra yards after contact;
- has solid play speed when isolated in second and third levels;
- patient runner outside the tackles with nice, rounded move towards the sidelines;
- doesn’t panic when running lanes close;
- uses good wiggle to maneuver through tight spaces;
- proved durable despite high workload in 2016.
Weaknesses
- average initial quickness to the hole;
- not the most dominant power runner in the world especially given his size;
- legitimate concerns over ability to protect football with six fumbles lost last year;
- needs to significantly improve as a blocker in pass protection;
- production in the Longhorns pass game nearly non-existent.
NFL Comparison: Tevin Coleman
Teams With Need at Position: Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Giants, New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projection: fourth to fifth round
Bottom Line
Foreman came out of virtually nowhere to rush for 2,028 yards last season. He decided to strike while the iron was hot and declare for the draft as a result. But some scouts feel he jumped the gun and needs to improve his pass protection skills, work out his ball security issues and up his value as an every down back. Though he possesses the frame of an NFL caliber power runner, his skill set resembles more of an undersized finesse player.
Nevertheless, his talent is unquestioned and the adversity he overcame last year indicates high character. If he can refine the rough edges associated with his game and become a more well-rounded player, he has all the makings of a starting caliber running back.
