Second Level Speed
Howard did not have many opportunities to showcase his second level speed because he rarely burst into open space. When he was able to, he got caught from behind. A 4.59 at his Pro Day is an underwhelming number and shows that Howard won’t be able to run away from DBs in the NFL. His top speed is probably on par with a lot of LBs.
On the first play above, Howard has a lot of room to accelerate and while he does have to navigate around a blocker, if he was faster he could have taken this to the house. The second play shows a very similar result.
Fumble
Howard had one fumble in the tape watched. It’s another play where he shows lack of speed, getting caught from behind. He is carrying the ball pretty tight, but he leaves enough of a gap for the player to punch the ball out. He didn’t fumble often during his college career, so it’s not an issue I’m particularly concerned about.
Passing Game
Howard does strong work as a blocker, but fails to contribute positively as a receiver. Due to his profile of work, he probably won’t be asked to play often on third downs in the NFL.
Receiving
Howard’s lack of athleticism really shows up when he’s asked to catch passes. The following were all of his targets on tape (besides one that is displayed earlier in the “power” section). He had 11 receptions in 2015 and 24 in his college career. That’s fewer than many of the RB prospects in the class caught in 2015 alone.
The first play shows what appears to be a screen that the QB is forced to rush a little. He throws a shovel pass, and Howard can’t handle it. Howard probably shouldn’t be blamed for the failure, but the ability to react to off target passes doesn’t appear to be there for him.
The second play shows Howard’s lack of burst, as he can’t accelerate past a trailing defender on a screen. The third play contrasts that with Howard showing some short area quickness to get extra yardage past two defenders. However, the one defender he spun off of took a horrendous angle, making Howard’s play significantly less impressive if you mentally adjust it for NFL competition.
The final play shows the QB sailing a swing pass over Howard’s head. Again, it’s not a pass he should be expected to catch but he hasn’t shown the ability to catch the ball off platform, which is a nice touch for RBs in the receiving game.
