BIG-E Predicts:
RB Damarea Crockett from Missouri is going to make some noise in the NFL! I predict he is going to fix his fumble issues and will be a starting RB by Year 3…
Prior to his Pro Day at Mizzou, likely no one but local scouts knew his name. But after running a 4.40 at 224 lbs and showing some pretty impressive game tape against big SEC schools like Georgia and Tennessee, he’s got a shot to get drafted now. Dominated lower level competition like Vanderbilt and Middle Tennessee as he should have.
Why do I like this kid? He has a Marshawn Lynch anger and running style to him. Runs with odd jerky motions, kind of duck-footed, but also has some jump cuts and jab steps that are very effective when he uses them. Smells the endzone and runs like he is on fire trying to get there. He seems to have that Marshawn Lynch “how dare you try to tackle me” attitude when he is approached by defenders…it’s like his body language changes as he prepares himself for the contact but he gets ANGRY first, that is his first reaction!
Lynch also had breathtaking burst and long speed on film and he only ran a 4.46 at the Combine!. Crockett ran a 4.40 at his Pro Day so he’s got some kicks too, but Lynch had so much extra POWER in his lower half that I think he looked faster on camera. Crockett also needs to learn when to time his explosion through contact or in traffic.
Lynch would realize he was going to get tackled and change modes too, he would transition into what I call “street fight” mode. His deep anger would kick in at this point and he would then begin removing tacklers by all means necessary…elbows, forearms, knees, he would jump over them or on them in order to escape. It was fascinating to watch him in Street Fight mode while still holding onto the ball. Imagine an alley fight where you have to hold a damn football during the entire fight! He was often very successful in getting out of a crowd of guys trying to drag him down. Someone in Seattle coined the term Beast Mode for him, but to me it was more like a fist fight…with only one arm!
If you give Crockett two seasons to beef up his lower power bubble and his upper half and gain a couple pounds in the process, he is going to be fun. He has a wide frame like Lynch to take more muscle and weight.
Crockett gets beat up for his build and for balance. Despite some second level burst and what I think looks like excellent long speed to outrun the secondary, he is said not to have great game speed or burst. Also, in highlights I thought he showed good contact balance despite having a narrow sort of skinny power bubble, but evaluators of more games say overall he goes down too easily. Many times he bounces off of tacklers who don’t wrap him up like a pinball, spins and keeps going. Always falling fowards, always looking for that extra half yard as he’s going down. Not sure he always has a plan once he breaks through the line, but he sees daylight and makes decent adjustments on the fly.
Despite his timed speed and game speed he apparently has the tendency to not burn it out on Zone runs to the outside like he should…easy to correct as that is an attitude or understanding issue.
Make no mistake, he is not your elite athlete nor is he a proven RB receiver. Has some fumble issues, dropping the rock almost every 40 touches. But for a late round or possibly UDFA he is an absolute bargain. Get him into camp and coach him up. He will make a roster, but it will take some serious work on his part to stick on a team and earn playing time. It will help if he’s drafted by a team who will scheme him properly in the early going as a Red Zone runner while he works on improving his lower body power and receiving skills.
