Trey Sermon 2021 NFL Draft Profile

Overview

Trey Sermon is a senior running back out of Ohio State. Originally, Sermon played and contributed strongly early in his career at Oklahoma. However, he transferred to Ohio State prior to his senior season and the move was a success. Over the course of the season, Sermon carried the ball 116 for 870 yards, good for an average of 7.5 yards per carry. He also added 12 receptions for 95 yards as a receiver out of the backfield.

Sermon’s NFL Draft stock really rose towards the end of the season, when he turned in two monster performances in postseason play. First, he ran for an astounding 331 yards in the Big Ten Championship Game, propelling the Buckeyes to a 22-10 victory over Northwestern. Then, Sermon showed up big time in Ohio State’s College Football Playoff semifinals game against Clemson. In that game, his 254 total yards from scrimmage boosted the team to a victory and National Championship appearance. Unfortunately, Sermon was injured after one carry in that championship game against Alabama, so he wasn’t able to get a crack at the best team in the country.

Strengths

Willing and able pass protector;

Hard to bring down, thanks to both agility and power-running- versatile;

Showcased best performances when team needed them most;

Decent speed in the open field paired with good size;

Solid ball security;

Has the skillset to develop into a three-down back.

Weaknesses

Most consistent performances were multiple years ago, at Oklahoma;

Coming off a shoulder injury, should not affect his draft status;

Can probably develop into a workhorse back, but hasn’t been relied on in that role;

Vision leads him astray at time, can miss holes;

Weaker as a between the tackles runner than outside runner;

Has traits to be a successful pass catcher, but has not shown it much.

NFL Comparison: Damien Harris

Projection: Fourth round

Bottom Line on Trey Sermon

Trey Sermon is an interesting study because his traits and what we’ve seen from him don’t always line up. For example, he has the traits and potential to be a good receiving back, but we have not seen much from him in that regard. His production is the same way. Looking at Sermon’s skill set, he can probably be a three down back who can be relied on to touch the ball a lot and be a real producer. Outside of a few games, he did not produce elite numbers over his collegiate career, though.

In the NFL, Sermon surely has the skill set to succeed. Pass blocking is becoming more important every year and Sermon has the tools to be solid in that area. While he doesn’t have top line speed in the open field, he is agile and can make tacklers miss both in space and in the hole. He has a solid build for a running back and plays with the physicality to match his frame.