The Frankman
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Salvon Ahmed PlayerProfiler
The Draft Network's Kyle Crabbs Analysis
The Draft Network's Kyle Crabbs Analysis
Initial Rotoworld Profile (April 2020)Vision - Too many times he'll bounce or look to work to the outside instead of calmly pressing his way up into the point of attack. Generally lacks rhythm and cadence for calculated approach to the hole and needs to develop more trust to press to his gap and either hit or make one cut and go.
Feet/COD - He's got quick feet for sure and really like his ability to plant and redirect with suddenness when he's looking to break pursuit angles. His raw twitch ability is effective and he's done well to stop dead in his tracks to strip down a scraping LB of his angle on a tackle.
Durability - Low volume back who really only entered into a more prominent role as a ball carrier in 2019. Was the spell back for Myles Gaskin in each of his first two seasons at UW. Doesn't carry a big stick as a runner and won't be a "grind it out" runner who will push the pile or defender would-be tacklers.
Balance - He has the ability to pinball and pivot through high traffic areas with success — foot speed gives him that ability. Contact balance and ability to run through tackles is pretty substandard and he's got a narrow frame for the RB position — so lateral contact and strength aren't hallmarks.
Pass Protection - He'll look to load up and deliver blows but his contact and ability to land his pads and hands is scatter shot. He'll be more effective on third downs releasing as a pass catcher than someone you look to keep in the protections and key LBs. Little to no value here.
Elusiveness - He's slippery — but you'll have to be willing to live and die by the sword here. He knows he's capable of making defenders miss and can be guilty of leaning too hard on that skill, costing him valuable timing and yardage. Good wiggle in head up tackle challenges and naturally capable of producing false steps.
Receiving Skills - Like his hands — pretty high volume of touches came courtesy of the pass game and he should be a viable check down receiver and screen pass asset when you can water down how much reading he has to do before pressing up the field.
Short Yardage - Wouldn't give him touches on 3rd downs or near the goal line when you NEED to have it. He doesn't have the leg drive, power through the pads or finishing tenacity to hit the hole with urgency and run through contact. He'll be best if spelled here by a bigger back.
Football IQ - Frustrating ups and downs as a runner. The upside here is that he's really only got one season as a feature back under his belt so he should be more consistent as time passes by to stack up more reps and be more consistent with his running tracks and finding gaps to hit.
Effort - Has viable return skills to add special teams value and between that and his receiving skills, he's got a good resume for contributions. He's guilty of almost trying too hard as a runner, but he should be applauded for his big play mentality. Just needs to reel everything in for a more consistent product.
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Best Trait - Burst
Worst Trait - Vision
Best Film - Oregon (2019)
Worst Film - Utah (2019)
Red Flags - None
Summary - Salvon Ahmed is a low end NFL RB who has the redirection ability to make some big plays happen in space — but he's currently not reliable in his ability to process and key the point of attack. Too may of his runs are derailed by his own attempts to work to daylight and he needs to develop more trust and urgency to press through gaps. Ahmed's athleticism is passable for the pro game but he lacks the long speed and home run hitting skills he seems to think he has with running style.
FantasyPros' Kyle Yates: Salvon Ahmed Has Incredible Play Speed (2020 NFL Draft) <- Lots of video!After totaling 199 touches as Myles Gaskins' backup for two seasons, Ahmed (5'11/197) was gifted starting tailback duties for Washington last year and returned 1,000 rushing yards and 11 scores. His ability to out-run pursuit pops on tape, but his lackluster 40 (4.62) from Indy's combine suggests otherwise. Recording four fumbles in three seasons also won't be doing him any favors at the next level. Ahmed's 50 career catches prove his worth as a pure receiving-back in the right scheme but he'll have to drastically improve his dicey pass-pro before being trusted on money downs. In the meantime, he has the special teams experience (25 yards per return) to get by.
Pro Comparison
When looking at Ahmed’s measurements and potential scheme fits, the player that keeps coming to my mind is Raheem Mostert. Mostert is 5’10/197, which are near identical measurements to Ahmed, and he possesses incredible play speed. Ahmed may actually run with a bit more of a low center of gravity, which may make him slightly more agile than Mostert. Mostert bounced around the NFL for a while before landing in Kyle Shanahan’s scheme and this is the dream scenario for Ahmed and his potential fantasy outlook. If he lands in San Francisco with a late round pick, or as a UDFA, I’d be willing to pull the trigger in the early 4th round of a Dynasty rookie draft. Anything else though is going to be difficult to figure out a path to fantasy football relevancy…
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