PRO Senior Bowl Dynasty Spotlight: Kareem Hunt, Toledo

Senior Bowl Dynasty Spotlight: Kareem Hunt, Toledo
Height: 5’ 10 1/2″
Weight: 216 lbs
Hands: 9 5/8″
Arm: 31 3/8″
40 yard dash: 4.62 (official)
NFL Comparison: Carlos Hyde, Kadeem Carey, BenJarvus Green-Ellis

Scouting Notes: Hunt is a complete back with the ability to beat you down through the middle or evade you on the perimeter – he was the MAC’s leading rusher. He breaks tackles easily with his thick trunk, but he often ricochets off of would-be tacklers instead, using his light feet and low center of gravity to keep his momentum going – he also has great balance for a big back. An explosive first step makes up for a lack of long speed, but Hunt is not generally a big gainer – he takes out chunks of yardage for the most part. Hunt attacks the line of scrimmage, which makes him an excellent back in goal line and short-yardage situations. Hunt has shown soft hands in the passing game and was featured as a relatively prominent option in Toledo’s 2016 aerial attack with 41 receptions on the year. If you look at his season highlights, many of his best plays came on receptions out of the backfield. He adjusts to the football naturally and gets upfield quickly after-catch. In most passing situations he also serves as a competent blocker. He’s extremely reliable from a ball-security standpoint: even while used as a workhorse through four years of college (728 total attempts), Hunt only put the football on the ground once (as a freshman in 2013) and even that one was not lost by the offense.

Fantasy Outlook: Hunt could be some team’s workhorse, but he’ll need a lot of carries to make it worth the while. Whether he’ll hold up in the NFL is a concern, as he’s already gotten a ton of wear on his tires, and he has a knack for getting dinged up. Hunt missed significant time in both his sophomore and junior seasons with various injuries. He also faced suspension for violation of team rules along with another teammate (reason unspecified by Toledo) during his junior campaign, further keeping him out of action. A knock against Hunt is that he didn’t play against the best in college, so a “special” talent can be made to seem very regular on the the next level. We’ll get a better look at him at the Senior Bowl.

POST-SENIOR BOWL UPDATE: Hunt came in MUCH smaller than expected, but told RosterWatch that his weight was likely 5-7 pounds lower than it should be due to a recent bout of dehydration due to illness. Hunt should come in at closer to 215 at the combine, which is still about 15 pounds lighter than the Toledo athletic department had him listed at. All this said, he was the most impressive RB in Mobile (among a very talented group) and is a member of the All-Senior Bowl Roster from 2017. He’s likely be a fixture in our dynasty leagues as a relative sleeper depending on landing spot and team fit due to his physical gifts and ability to contribute meaningfully in the passing game as a three-down back.

From the Toledo Athletic Department:

Career

Has rushed for over 100 yards in 20 games as a collegian, the second-best mark in UT history…Rushed for at least 100 yards in 12 straight games from his final game in 2013 through his first game in 2015, tying Wasean Tait (1995) for most consecutive 100-yard games at UT…Ranks fourth in career rushing at UT with 3,391 yards…Needs five yards to pass Trinity Dawson (3,474 from 2002-05) for third place…Career rushing average of 6.7 yards per carry ranks first all-time at UT.

Personal
Full name is Kareem AJ Hunt…Birthdate: Aug. 6, 1995…Parents are Kareem Hunt and Stephanie Riggins…Has one brother, Clarence Riggins…Undecided on academic major.

Career Game Highs

Rushing Yards: 271 (Arkansas State, 1-4-15)
Rushing Attempts: 32 (Arkansas State, 1-4-15)
Rushing TDs: 5 (Arkansas State, 1-4-15)
Longest Run: 91 (Bowling Green, 11-19-14)

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