Javian Hawkins NFL Draft Overview
Position: Running Back
Height: 5’8
Weight: 183
School: University of Louisville
Pro Day Data
40-yard dash: 4.44
Vertical jump: 36″
Broad jump: 9’8″
3 cone: 6.96
Javian Hawkins 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Overview
Born in Titusville, Florida, Hawkins originally attended Astronaut High School but switched to Cocoa High School in Cocoa, Florida. In his high school career, Hawkins rushed for 4000+ yards and 40 touchdowns. According to reports, he ran a 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds. Hawkins also was given the nickname, “Playstation” due to his video game-like abilities on the football field. In his senior year, he helped lead Cocoa to a 4A State Championship by recording a 70-yard touchdown in the game. Hawkings was considered a three-star recruit and ranked the 224th player in Florida. He committed to the University of Louisville after receiving various offers.
In his first year, Hawkins played in only two games as a redshirt and had two rushing attempts for eight yards. He also had one reception of four yards. The following year, Hawkins had 264 carries in 13 games for 1525 yards with nine touchdowns. He also added four receptions of 58 yards. Hawkins broke the school’s rushing yard mark for a running back and set a new school record for rushing yards by a freshman. Additionally, as a freshman, he had the third-most yards in the history of the ACC. Hawkins was named ACC Running back of the week for a performance of 25 carries for 172 yards against Boston College. He was also named ACC rookie of the week for rushing for 136 yards with two touchdowns against the University of Virginia. Hawkins became the second freshman in school history to surpass the 1,000-yard mark in a game. He also managed to break Lamar Jackson‘s rushing yard record in a game by a freshman.
In his senior year, Hawkins totaled 133 rushing attempts for 822 yards with seven touchdowns in eight games played. Additionally, he had 16 receptions of 127 yards with one touchdown. He opted out of the rest of the season, as well as the last years of his eligibility, to declare for the 2021 NFL draft.
Strengths
- Makes big game plays when needed;
- Quick, elusive, and has explosive speed;
- Finds holes up the field and pushes through;
- Has good balance in his compact frame;
- Has good lateral agility.
Weaknesses
- Size and thin build will make it tough to run against bigger defenders;
- His receiving skills are in question as he primarily was used for rushing;
- Struggles when surrounded by multiple defenders;
- Lacks finesse;
- Lacks creativity.
Teams With Need At Position: Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots
Projection: Fourth Round
Bottom Line on Javian Hawkins
Hawkins has good speed, quickness, agility, and explosiveness that is complemented by his compact frame. However, his lack of size will count against him when playing against bigger, physical defenders as well as trying to run through a congested field. Hawkins seems one-dimensional currently, as his receiving and returning skills are haven’t been tested enough. He has shown big game ability and poise, but he needs to work on the little things to become more well-rounded overall.
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Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
