Height: 5’11”
Weight: 206 pounds
Hand Size: 8 5/8″

40 Time, Vertical Jump, Broad Jump: TBD at Coleman’s personal pro day on April 15th

NFL Comparison: David Wilson, Darren McFadden

Scouting Notes:

Tevin Coleman is the real deal. On tape, he is an explosive downhill runner. It will be interesting to see if his 40 time confirms the film, considering several other acclaimed running backs from this class have turned in surprisingly pedestrian times that have made scouts question their evaluations.

At 5’11” and 206 pounds, Coleman runs with the power you expect from significantly bigger backs. In fact, Coleman even looks bigger on tape than his NFL Combine measurements reflect. He’s got good vision and instincts, and he has that second and third-step burst upfield that reminds you of Darren McFadden. In the power-run game, Coleman explodes upfield to the second level of the defense and beyond before defenders can react. Much like McFadden, he can then either outrun them for the home run- or he can finish the tackler off for an extra 2,3, or 4 yards.

(Shows power to steamroll initial defender, and speed to outrun everybody else)

While he is somewhat straight-line-ish like McFadden, lacking elite lateral agility and flexibility – he’s not as top-heavy and has a lower center of gravity that allow him to operate more adeptly behind a zone blocking scheme than McFadden ever could. Luckily, Coleman doesn’t have the chicken legs that were the downfall of Run DMC’s career, either. His base is sturdier, and his legs should be more durable.

During his 2,000-yard campaign in 2014, Coleman wasn’t asked to catch many balls out of the backfield. However, when given the opportunity, he’s flashed quality hands. It’s easy to wonder if much of Coleman’s success was due to a weak schedule. Then you get to big time opponents like Michigan and Ohio State, where it appears his offensive line may be overmatched, yet that’s when Coleman carried his biggest loads of the season – carrying the ball 27 times versus each. By the end of the contest, it’s the same gaudy accumulation of yards and big plays that you see against everyone else on the schedule.

(Play doesn’t result in much, but pay attention to his hands)

Tevin Coleman is shaping up as the best value in the draft at the running back position. We can’t help but think (speaking of Darren McFadden, and after the loss of DeMarco Murray) that Coleman may be a legitimate option in the draft for the Cowboys. He could make a huge impact behind a quality offensive line as a rookie.

Quotable from the Combine…

(Why running backs haven’t gone in first round last few years)

I’m really not sure about this.

(What he can do to impress a team)

I feel like I just have to do my best, run a fast 40 and do everything they like, and that’s what I have to do.

(Why are you best running back in draft?)

I feel that my speed, size, burst and my vision and my ability to hit the holes fast.

(What it means to run for 2,000 yards on a team that only wins four games)

I feel like it means a lot. I obviously wanted to win more games. I just had to do my job and it means a lot to me and I worked hard for it.

(On how disappointing it is to not be able to perform this week)

It’s really disappointing not to show what I have. I was really ready to do so but my doctor said I shouldn’t do it. I’m just following his rules, following his orders. Come pro day, I’m going to be ready.

(on his injury)

It was my toe. He took a sesamoid bone out and attached a tendon to the other bone. It happened in the fifth game of the season. I played through it, had surgery after the season. It was definitely painful. I didn’t have no injuries (before this). My sophomore year my ankle.

I’m a guy that loves the outside zone, that has great vision. I’m a great pass protector, so I have no problems with that.

(on possibility of playing for the Colts)

I have. It’d be great. I’d love to be back in Indiana. It’d be a great feeling.

(On what it’s like to be here this week)

It’s an amazing process to be here with all these great athletes, it means the world to me. Since I was little, I always thought I’d havea chance to be here. Now that I’m here it’s a really great feeling.

(on why he elected to go pro)

I felt that after the season that I had I felt I was ready to help a team win a Super Bowl.

(on playing through the injury)

What can you do? You have keep on playing. You have to keep on fighting. I had to lead my team.

I’m going to be 100 percent.

(on the other running backs here)

They are great backs, I look up to them. That’s kind of my style of back – Demarco Murray or Darren McFadden. That’s kind of how I run.

Yesterday met with the Colts probably have another meeting with them today.

(on his recovery)

I got out of the boot a week and a half. Tested the toe doing 40 starts. I did just did 5 yards out. Just gotten back to running in last few weeks.

I expect to run a 4.49 or a 4.4. That’s what I’m reaching for.

Obviously being around the players, you laugh and joke a little bit, but when it comes time to be serious, you be serious. When time comes to joke around, you joke around. It’s been a fun experience being around this beautiful facility.

(on playing through the pain)

It helped build me so I can obviously put pressure on my toe and still be able to run hard without having to worry about it getting worse. I worked out at Bommaritos in North Miami. Full speed in 2 weeks after I leave here.

Definitely shows that I’m an all around back, I can run inside the tackles and outside the tackles.

(Finishes runs, picks through traffic, makes sizeable gains seem easy)

Fantasy Outlook:

As always, we’ll need to find out where he lands in the NFL Draft before we can give our final analysis. For now, we are very high on Tevin Coleman’s fantasy fortunes in Dyansty leagues – he’ll likely be a steal in rookie drafts. For redraft purposes, if it looks like he’s going to get touches early, we are going to love him. If he’s drafted as a backup, he’ll be a spectacular handcuff. We can already imagine something like Week 8 rolling around- finding out there is an injury and hearing that Coleman is in line for 15-20 carries – at which point we will be screaming at RosterWatch Nation at the top of our lungs on the Sirius XM Radio Show to pick him up off of waivers and get him in starting and daily lineups immediately.