Carson Steele NFL Draft Profile
Position: Running Back
Height: 6′-0″
Weight: 228 pounds
School: UCLA
2024 NFL Draft: Carson Steele Scouting Report
Carson Steele committed to playing college football at Ball State University. During his freshman year in 2021, he rushed for 891 yards and six touchdowns. He was notorious amongst coaches for his work weightlifting, squatting 615 pounds and bench pressing 405 pounds. Before the 2022 season, Steele was named one of the top 100 “freaks” in college football by Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, ranking #98. Feldman praised Steele for his strength, citing his ability to bench press 405 pounds, squat 615 pounds, and maintain just 7 percent body fat.
After two seasons at Ball State, Steele transferred to UCLA. He played in 12 games for the Bruins, carrying the ball 167 times for 845 yards and six touchdowns. Although playing in a shared role at UCLA, Steele still managed to force missed tackles and maximize his blocking opportunities, even though he wasn’t as productive as he was when he was the feature back at Ball State.
Strengths
- Carson Steele is a powerful rusher. Steele will lower the shoulder as opposed to making the cut. He’s effective between the tackles.
- Steele has an NFL build to withstand an entire NFL season. He’s a very strong athlete.
- He has good contact balance and can consistently fight through tackles to get the extra yard.
- Steele has the potential to be a good pass blocker in the NFL. The path to being a third-down back is there.
- Carson Steele is a noted weight-room warrior.
- Vs. 2024 Draft Running Backs: Yards After Contact Per Attempt: 3.85 (11th), Unofficial SpeedScore: 111.
Weaknesses
- Steele needs better vision when cutting back against the defense.
- He plays with a high pad level, limiting his effectiveness as a blocker and tackle breaker.
- Steele doesn’t burst through the line. Instead, he fights through when he pierces the line of scrimmage.
- He is not a natural receiver. Steele tends to fight the catch.
- He lacks special teams experience, which will limit his path to snaps.
- Vs. 2024 Draft Running Backs: Missed Tackles Forced: 40 (17th), Career Yards Per Attempt: 5.0 (22nd), Targets Per Route Run Percentage: 12.2% (18th), Pro Football Focus Run Grade: 80.3 (22nd).
NFL Comparison: Latavius Murray
Teams With Need At Position: Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals
Projection: Round 7 / Undrafted
Bottom Line on Carson Steele
Carson Steele is a powerful rusher who offers linear speed with an NFL build and can fight through tackles to get the extra yard. He has the potential to be a good pass blocker and third-down back. However, he has poor vision when cutting back against the defense, plays with a high pad level, lacks burst through the line, is not a natural receiver, and has limited special teams experience.
Steele has a great athletic profile from which to build a contributing halfback foundation. However, his lack of special teams experience and lack of elite traits will keep a lid on his draft stock. Steele could have stood out at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he didn’t receive an invite. Steele will likely hope for 7th-round capital but could slip into undrafted territory. Despite his draft capital, he will be a valuable commodity to coaches because of what he can offer down the road as a pass blocker and his reliable red zone abilities.
Main Photo: [Kirby Lee] – USA Today Sports
