Royce Freeman could prove to be one of the biggest steals of the draft. Watching film on him he simply has that "it" factor you look for in any player, but especially at running back. At 5'11 and 230lbs he is big enough to run between the tackles, but he also has the quickness to break off a big run. Another strength of his is catching the ball out of the backfield, so he will not have to come off the field for 3rd down. The NFL is changing, and a running back has to also be a receiver not just a runner. He had 79 receptions for over 800 yards in his college career which for a 230lb running back is impressive. Freeman has the ability to run over a defender, and the quickness to make them miss and run around him.
After reading that the question has to be why did he fall to the 3rd round? There are a couple reasons that I can see, and the first is he had a pretty serious knee injury in 2016. A serious leg injury to a college running back will make even the best running back drop in the draft. This also changed the way he ran the ball. Prior to the injury he was a "shiftier" back, and he had a little more speed. After he got hurt his style of running changed, and he became a runner who will look to run through a defender rather than around him. His 40 time also probably caused him to fall in the draft. His 40 time was 4.5 seconds, and that isn't going to turn many general managers heads when you have running backs routinely running in the 4.4s, and even 4.3s. Running a 4.5 also means he isn't the home run threat that other running backs in the draft were. Chances are if he breaks a big run he will probably get caught from behind especially if a defender has an angle on him. The final reason I think he fell was that Oregon used him a LOT for the 4 years he was there. He had 1026 touches in his 4 year career at Oregon, and also scored 64 touchdowns which makes general managers wonder if there is any tread left on the tires. Having over 1000 touches in 4 a year career means he got hit a lot. This causes NFL teams to worry that investing a high pick in him might not pay off due to him having already carried the ball so much.
After weighing the positives and negatives the Broncos selected him with the 71st pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Personally I think Denver got a steal. He was successful in every single year he played at Oregon. He has pass catching ability, and the ability to make the tough short runs are what makes him special. After letting CJ Anderson go Denver was in need of a running back who could be their "work horse". I was one of the people who believed that Devontae Booker could be a special back in the NFL coming out of college. As of now he has proven to be a big disappointment. I think this is why Denver chose to use a 3rd round pick on a running back. Freeman is 10lbs heavier than Booker, and catches the ball better out of the backfield. Devontae Booker finds himself in a position a lot of the veterans on the Broncos are after this years draft; they have to earn their starting job because these young rookies will take their spots if they don't. My personal opinion is that Royce Freeman is going to start if not to open the season by probably week 3 or 4. He simply is too good of a player to keep off the field. The only two reasons I see Freeman not being the starter is if he can't learn the playbook (which I think he will as Oregon has a dynamic offense, and he learned that and excelled for 4 years), or Devontae Booker comes out and lives up to the hype he had when he was drafted. It will be an exciting training battle to watch in training camp that is for sure.
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