Meet The Prospect: Donnel Pumphrey, Running Back, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles traded up in the end of Round 4 to select record-setting dynamo running back from San Diego State, Donnel Pumphrey.
I almost shed a tear of joy.
By almost, I mean actually.
Donnel Pumphrey has been one of my biggest draft crushes for the entire offseason. I had him graded as a Round 4 value, right around where he was selected by Philly, and higher than most evaluators. If you’d like to see a full breakdown of his film in GIF form, you can check out this Twitter thread:
We’ll go into a little less detail of his game here.
Pumphrey shattered records in his time as an Aztec, with 6,405 yards over his 4-year career. That is, in a word, insane.
Pumphrey’s success as a runner primarily comes from a unique blend of foot quickness, vision, and body control and agility.
You can see how Pumphrey’s patience behind his blockers allows him to set up the defenders and create a cutback lane. The flexibility through his hips allows him to create pressure vertically and horizontally on the defense, manipulatng the edge defenders before bursting upfield through the hole. Pumphrey does not have breakaway speed given his short stride, but his work through traffic impresses.
That’s an easy narrative folks will fall back on: that Pumphrey can’t run through traffic/contact. Pumphrey comes in as one of the smallest back in recent memory. At 5’8, Pumphrey came in at 169 lbs at the Senior Bowl and 176 lbs at the Combine. His play weight? Likely closer to 170 lbs. Be wary of Sproles comparisons–from a usage and production standpoint, they’re quite analogous; but from an athletic standpoint, the 5’6, 190 lb Sproles is much thicker through the trunk, with a lower center of gravity, than Pumphrey is.
However, the idea that Pumphrey won’t be able to work through contact doesn’t hold water. He’s never going to be a straight-line, bowl-over-people sort of back–but his ability to make defenders miss in tight spaces, then lower his shoulder through contact and keep his legs churning, makes him an effective between-the-tackles runner.
Look at the shimmy, the change in direction, the instincts and processing speed, and then the determination through contact. Dynamic is the word, man.
One of the crucial comments on Pumphrey’s frame and usage regards his potential for injury. But because Pumphrey consistently lowers his shoulder and delivers hits, instead of taking them upright, he projects more favorably to staying healthy. Check this out: over his senior year, Pumphrey touched the ball an astounding 436 times, in the air and on the ground. He averaged over 31 touches a game and only had one matchup with less than 20 total touches (19 total).
He didn’t miss a single game due to injury.
When projecting his usage at for the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s easy to see how Pumphrey will step in to Darren Sproles’ role, as the fan-favorite veteran winds down his illustrious career. Remember, neither Darren Sproles nor Donnel Pumphrey is a ‘third-down back.’ Both of them will see the field, in classic running situations, on early downs–and I expect Pumphrey to have the same, if not more success, than Sproles in those situations.
Next: Meet The Prospect: Mack Hollins, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
Pumphrey won’t touch the ball nearly as often as he did in San Diego State, but it’s nice to know he has the capacity to carry a significant number of touches if need be. His unique skill set will also show up on special teams–not asked to return many kicks/punts in San Diego State, developing that aspect of his game is crucial for Pumphrey’s effect on the Eagles roster. As a traditional running back, Pumphrey immediately steps in as a important piece in the Eagles’ crowded rotation, with the upside to be the Dion Lewis, Darren Sproles, or Giovani Bernard of a two-headed monster.
Grade: A-