Senior Bowl Spotlight – Carlos Hyde, RB Ohio State – 2014 NFL Draft
Byron Lambert, Rosterwatch.com

Carlos Hyde, RB Ohio State University

Height: 6’0″
Weight: 242 Pounds
Projected 40-Time: 4.50-4.55 (estimated)
NFL Comparison: Shonn Greene

Player Notes:
According to Rivals.com, Carlos Hyde was the #2 fullback prospect in the country coming out of high school. Over his tenure at Ohio State he evolved into a prolific tailback. Hyde never averaged less than 5.2 yards/carry during his Buckeye career. As a Senior the brutalizing back posted a gaudy 7.3 yard/carry average. He also posted two 200+ yard rushing games in 2013- including one that was a four touchdown monster against Illinois. Incredible numbers for a 242 pound runner. He did red flag scouts, after being suspended the first three games of 2013 because of involvement in a disturbance at a local bar. He was never charged criminally in the matter. Certainly, it will be top priority throughout the draft process for Hyde to show NFL teams that he is not a character liability.

Scouting Notes:
Carlos Hyde was a cog in the Urban Myer spread-power-run game that has helped revive Buckeye football. Over the last two seasons, Hyde has touched the ball 20+ times on many occasions. Something he will be expected to do if he wants to carry the load at the next level.

Hyde caught the attention of NFL draftniks during a primetime Orange Bowl performance where he accumulated 152 total yards and 2 touchdowns on 27 touches. He showed us prowess at the goaline, in the open field, and as a receiver. On one big run up the gut, he demonstrated power at the line of scrimmage, agility, and speed at the second level to elude defenders; to produce the type of big play you might not expect from a power back. One of his touchdowns came on a sideline route that we’ve seen on his college film many times. He’s adept in the passing game for such a large, powerful man.

Following the big Orange Bowl performance- the buzz in the draft community was that Hyde looks like the next Eddie Lacy. Lofty comparisons, considering we had Eddie Lacy rated as by far the best running back in 2012, and one of the best players in the whole draft (Lacy may very well win offensive rookie of the year). We understand the comparisons because of the agility, speed, and pass catching ability Hyde has put on film.

However, Eddie Lacy has incredible feet- some of the best we’ve seen- and it’s a major reason we had him so highly rated. We think Carlos Hyde has good feet, far above average for a runner of girth, however they are not in the Eddie Lacy category. We see Carlos Hyde as more of a dynamic version of Shonn Greene. Which, in theory, should be a good design for an NFL running back.

After watching six more of Hyde’s game tapes, we continue to come to many of the same conclusions:

-Good Power and Size
-Safeties do not Want to Tackle Him
-Relatively Good Speed
-Good Feet
-Above Average Burst
-Decent Vision
-Is Live in Space
-Some Ability to Hit the Cutback
-Good Around the Goal Line
-Effective on Sweeps and Off-Tackle Plays
-Not Overly Elusive Early in Runs (can look a little like Jacobs and Blount at times)
-Catches Play Action Screens, Swing Passes, and Wheel Routes to the Sideline
-Gets Low and has Good Leg Drive
-Very Effective Against Undersized Defensive Fronts
-Going to get a lot of 3-4 Yard Runs at Next Level

Our Pre-Senior Bowl Draft Projection for Carlos Hyde is Round 2-3

1:50 – Good vision on a cutback at the goal line to get the edge
3:30 – Good Leg Drive
6:50 – Dynamic Run for a Big Man