Top 10 running backs in the 2021 NFL Draft

#7 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Kenneth Gainwell (Memphis)

[5’ 11”, 190 pounds; RS SO]

Kenneth Gainwell

After barely seeing the field in his true freshman season and qualifying for a redshirt, Kenneth Gainwell (former three-star recruit) had a huge second season, with 2069 scrimmage yards and 16 touchdowns on 282 touches. That was despite Antonio Gibson getting some work from the backfield and Patrick Taylor being part of the mix when he was healthy.

Memphis’ number one guy opted out of the 2020 season and now enters the 2021 NFL Draft with only one season of production but many things that intrigue scouts on his tape.

While Gainwell appears small when you first look at him, he has thick and powerful thighs. He can translate speed vertically super well on those one-cut schemes and displays great explosion through the hole.

The former Tiger also pivots off that inside foot a lot to set up cuts, rather than actually having to throttle down and lose time. He does a good job of setting up lead-blockers by utilizing reduced footwork and nodding in their direction to open up a lane underneath while using that second arm to feel and sort of guide his teammates.

When one of his blockers is tightly engaged on the line, he has a violent jump-cut to get around the action but can also side-step past it. And you see him utilize the spin move to get away from trouble on several occasions.

For a sub-200 pound back, Gainwell survives many hits, thanks to the power in his quads and the contact balance. Moreover, he keeps those legs driving through collisions and routinely pulls them out of the grasp of defenders. And on stiff arms, he attacks the shoulder pads of approaching defenders to keep them away from his legs. When he does get tripped up, he consistently falls and squirms forward for extra yardage.

What makes Gainwell a special prospect is his ability as a space player, consistently showing a plan and effectively working around defenders with dynamic cuts, where he uses that off-arm to swing through for extra momentum and balance himself.

His creativity is what puts a lot of defenders on their heels. Gainwell has experience moving out wide and running go routes and a few hitches. He can play slot receiver full time, where he is used on a lot of out routes and bubbles but also run inside fades and even corner routes at times.

And when the ball is in his hands, he knows what to do with it and doesn’t waste any time trying to scan the field. Gainwell took a lot of delayed handoffs and burned linebackers dropping out by just knifing through the middle.

Moreover, he was part of many split-back sets in 2019 with Antonio Gibson and Patrick Taylor, where he did a good job of pinning defenders inside of putting hands on people in space when leading the way as a blocker. He absolutely destroyed Tulane, with just 300 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns, including an incredible back-shoulder catch on a go ball from the outside.

Nevertheless, Gainwell will not offer a whole lot as a pass-protector, as he takes his eyes down when engaging contact and simply doesn’t have the ability to anchor against charging blitzers.

Those size concerns limit the amount of touches he can probably handle at the next level overall, but he can be looked at as more of a change-of-pace option for some teams potentially.

And as much experience he has as a receiver, his catching technique can be a little inconsistent, and he shows low concentration on downfield routes at times.

While his creativity as a space-player makes him very intriguing, he gets a little too fancy at times with his moves and is too focused on hitting the home runs. Moreover, you always have to take the success running backs have had in that Memphis offense with a grain of salt because of how much space they give those guys to work with. Gainwell also put the ball on the ground three times in 2019.

There’re some analysts out there who have Kenny Gainwell as the next guy up after that top three. That seems a little rich to me because I doubt how cleanly his running style would translate to the next level.

Still, considering how dynamic he is in space and the versatility he could present for a team, I think he is well worth a third-round pick. You have to consider that he’s really only had one season where he got to touch the ball regularly at the collegiate level. While he might not be able to add a ton to his frame, his young body will benefit from entering an NFL training program.