{"id":42121,"date":"2018-04-14T12:00:09","date_gmt":"2018-04-14T16:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=42121"},"modified":"2021-03-18T19:05:26","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T23:05:26","slug":"jaylen-samuels-2018-nfl-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2018\/04\/14\/jaylen-samuels-2018-nfl-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Jaylen Samuels 2018 NFL Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview
\n<\/strong>Position:\u00a0<\/strong>Running back\/tight end
\nHeight:<\/strong> 5\u201911\u201d
\nWeight:<\/strong> 225 pounds
\nSchool:<\/strong>\u00a0N.C. State Wolfpack<\/p>\n

Combine Performance
\n<\/strong>40-yard dash:<\/strong> 4.54 seconds (tied for best among tight ends)
\nBench press:<\/strong> 18 reps
\nVertical jump:<\/strong> 34.5 inches (fourth among tight ends)
\nBroad jump:<\/strong> 10 feet, 1 inch (third among tight ends)
\nThree-cone drill:<\/strong> 6.93 seconds (second among tight ends)
\n20-yard shuttle:<\/strong> 4.28 seconds (fifth among tight ends)<\/p>\n

Jaylen Samuels 2018 NFL Draft Profile<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The tight end position has become one of the most peculiar and unique in all of college football. However, peculiar doesn\u2019t even begin to adequately describe Jaylen Samuels<\/a><\/strong> as a prospect. What is he? Is he a tight end? Is he a running back? Could he be a fullback? Wait, did he just play slot receiver for half of that offensive drive?<\/p>\n

The answer is yes. Samuels was all of those things for North Carolina State at some point.\u00a0 However, during the NFL Combine he ran with the tight ends. So does that mean he\u2019ll likely play tight end in the NFL? That answer is definite no.<\/p>\n

Samuels was a solid four inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than any other tight end at the NFL Combine this year. Plus, there are exactly zero tight ends in the NFL shorter than six feet tall. It\u2019s clear that Samuels profiles more like an NFL running back than he does a tight end. And that shouldn\u2019t surprise anyone that watched Jaylen Samuels play in N.C. State\u2019s strange offensive scheme.<\/p>\n

Samuels’\u00a0statistical profile<\/a> paints a very interesting picture. In his final season, even though he only ran the ball 78 times, he scored 12 rushing touchdowns.\u00a0 At 5\u201911\u201d, 225 pounds, Samuels clearly had the size and the nose to find the end zone. But then he also caught 75 passes. How did that happen? Well, when he wasn\u2019t carrying the ball as the N.C. State running back, he was still almost always on the field. Samuels lined up as an in-line tight end, H-back (to block and receive), fullback, and even slot wide receiver from time to time. He was an absolute match-up nightmare.<\/p>\n

If the right team takes advantage of Samuels\u2019 skill set he could essentially create a new position for the modern NFL. But why would an NFL team bother to do that? Think of it this way. The most common personnel packages<\/a> run by NFL offenses are 11, 12, and 21 (about 85% of total snaps<\/a>). Thanks to Samuels\u2019 versatility an offense could run any one of those packages without any substitutions. Defenses wouldn\u2019t know whether to be in a sub-package or base defense. It would be perfect for creating ideal mismatches.<\/p>\n

Strengths<\/h2>\n