Rookie Scouting Profile: RB Abram Smith

Abram Smith (RB) Baylor

Height	Weight	40-Time	DOB	NFL Draft	Dynasty ADP	NFL Comp
5-11	213	4.55	09/14/1998	4-5	3rd-4th round	Damien Harris

College Production

Smith was relegated to special teams and even defense early in his career after being red-shirted in 2017 due to a knee injury. However, in 2021, he was moved back to running back and posted outstanding production. He rushed for a Baylor record 1,601 yards while leading the team with 12 touchdowns. This yardage total was good enough for fourth in the FBS and was accomplished at 6.2 yards per carry (257 carries). His breakout year was enough to make him second-team All-Big 12.

Strengths

Showed workhorse ability consistently seeing 20-plus carries a game in 2021.
Proven to have the ability and vision to fit well in a zone-blocking scheme.
Hits the hole and finishes runs by punishing defenders.
Shows toughness and wants to in pass blocking.
Willing to do what’s asked of him excelling in both special teams and starting at linebacker when called upon.

Weaknesses

Lacks explosiveness.
Lacks versatility.
Runs too upright with bad pad level.
He’s a one-speed runner and decelerates when cutting.
Not overly elusive, especially when moving laterally.

Fantasy Outlook

We will be talking about Smith as a back who has the ability to handle the workload and punch in touchdowns but has much more upside in standard leagues. He’s shown little to lead us to believe he can be a contributor in the passing attack posting just 75 yards through the air last season. He will fall into a true early-back role in a rotation with his fantasy value dependent on the game script.

The best-case scenario for him would be to fall into a zone-blocking scheme as he excelled in with Baylor. The San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins could both be great fits for Smith. I anticipate him being a Day 3 pick wherever he may land, going off the board somewhere in the RB7-9 range.

The landing spot and opportunity will be huge here. Once we see where he lands in the 2022 NFL Draft he could see a quick spike in his ADP or he could be buried on a depth chart as an afterthought. Currently, dynasty owners may be undervaluing him a bit. The potential for production is there if he lands in the right spot.