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The NFL Draft will take place between April 27 through the 29th and Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols is expected to be selected in the mid-rounds of a loaded running back class.
Height: 5-8⅝
Weigh: 214
40-yard time: 4.49
McNichols’ career at Boise State took of immediately when he became the starting running back taking over for Jay Ajayi in 2015. He ended up earning all-Mountain West second team honors both years, but the Mountain West was loaded at backs and he was behind the likes of Wyoming’s Brian Hill and San Diego State’s Donnel Pumphrey and those two will be drafted.
Strengths: McNichols is a versatile back which makes him extremely valuable in the NFL since he can catch the ball out of the backfield and even return kicks and punts. He basically can take the spot of multiple players on a 53-man roster.
He is a very fluid running back who can make defenders miss and does so with minimal fancy dance or spin moves, but with just a side step and hip movement to elude defenders. He also will attack defenders and is not afraid of initiating contact.
Here are stats from Pro Football Focus
Jeremy McNichols
| Attempts | Yards | Yds/Carry | YCo | YCo/Att | LG | MT | TD | Fumbles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attempts | Yards | Yds/Carry | YCo | YCo/Att | LG | MT | TD | Fumbles |
| Three Year Stats | 567 | 3205 | 5.7 | 1990 | 3.5 | 88 | 112 | 44 |
| 2016 | 312 | 1703 | 5.5 | 1109 | 3.6 | 80 | 62 | 23 |
| 2015 | 238 | 1343 | 5.6 | 829 | 3.5 | 88 | 49 | 20 |
| 2014 | 17 | 159 | 9.4 | 52 | 3.1 | 28 | 1 | 1 |
More Stats
| Advanced Stats | Stat | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Stats | Stat | Rank |
| Elusive Rating | 66.8 | 25 |
| Breakaway % | 38.6 | 29 |
| Yards/Route | 1.88 | 8 |
| Drop Rate | 4.88 | 15 |
| Pass Block Efficiency (PBE) | 97.1 | 18 |
| % Not Tackled on first contact | 34.80% | 12 |
Weakness: While he will go in with contact he averaged only 2.1 yards after contact and that ranks low, and at the NFL level the first-level defenders are bigger, stronger and faster. Speaking of speed, McNichols is quick but not extremely fast, even though he did run a 4.49 at the NFL Combine.
He does fumble a bit more than teams like and had eight last year, and as most new running backs into the NFL the pass protection needs work.
Draft Projection: McNichols is a top-15 running back in a very loaded class and he likely will be selected in the third or fourth rounds.
Here are some highlights of McNichols against UNLV.