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2016 NFL Draft: San Jose State Running Back Tyler Ervin

Spartans are sorely going to miss this kid, but should have a productive pro career.

By Jeremy Keown
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Projections:

Round: 4-5

Position Rank: 13

Overall: 157

Running back Tyler Ervin seems like one of those players that the Patriots would find somewhere in the middle to late rounds of the draft, and then come along and have a breakout rookie campaign. With how versatile he is, I could see him having a year like Shane Vereen or Jonas Gray had with the Patriots. If Ervin does slip down in the later rounds of the draft, I think it'll be a steal for whichever team grabs him.

Combine Results

40 yard dash: 4.41 seconds

Bench press: 17 reps

20 yard shuttle: 2.59 seconds

Vertical jump: 39"

Physical stature

Height: 5'10"

Arm Length: 29 3/4"

Weight: 192lbs

Hands: 9 1/8"

Season Recap

Ervin is coming off a senior year at San Jose State in which he was setting records. He rushed for 1,601 yards and found the end zone 13 times. His rushing efforts averaged 123 yards per game. Not only is he a threat on the ground, but he was a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield, as he added 334 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns to his resume. To put his rushing production in perspective, Ervin ranked 11th national in rushing yards. However, even more mind boggling, is that he was second in the nation in all-purpose yards, second only to Stanford's Christian McCaffery.

Strengths

Tyler Ervin is a much tougher runner than what he may look. Scouts love that he has excellent balance, and thus, can withstand initial contact and can break arm tackles to gain those last couple of yards. He is a very smart runner. He doesn't take hits that he doesn't need to and won't get that many punishing hits. One of his biggest strengths, though, is his ability to quickly read his blocks to figure out his best path to take, and then hits it with his speed.

Weaknesses

Ervin does lack the prototypical size that scouts like to see in the NFL. He will definitely have to add on some weight if he wants to make it consistently in the league. While he has good balance which helps him break tackles, power isn't an element in his arsenal that he can bring to an offense.

Player Comparisons

Akeem Hunt

Highlights of Ervin's game vs. New Mexico where he rushed for 263 yards on 36 carries and had a touchdown.

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