Second Level Speed
Drake is fast, with a 4.45 second 40 yard dash at the Combine. This shows readily on tape, as seen below:
In the first play, Drake spins off a log jam at the line and then lets his speed take over to run by everyone for the TD. On the second play, he shows his fantastic speed as he hits the edge. The third play shows him outrun defenders to the end zone again.
In the fourth play, Drake shows good burst to the edge, out runs defenders at a full sprint, and good enough vision to cut back inside and maximize yardage.
Fumbling
Despite just 279 attempts, Drake fumbled the ball 7 times in his college career. That’s about once every 40 carries, which is a really high fumble rate. Ball carrying technique is a severe concern and something he needs to work hard on.
In the first play above, Drake loses control of the ball because he switches arms during contact but ends up holding the ball very loosely while trying to fight. This says that Drake isn’t thinking on the field, as he’s trying to use theoretically good technique (switching arms to keep the ball away from defenders) at the worst time possible. It shows a lack of critical thinking in a game situation.
The second fumble (gifs 2-4) is another example of Drake failing to secure the ball through contact. He holds the ball too loosely again, and the defensive back is able to rip it out.
On the final play, Drake doesn’t fumble, but he almost does. Once again, he is showing poor ball carrying technique by swinging the ball wildly. A defender gets a punch and Drake has to recover with both hands just to keep control of the ball. It’s a kick return, but Drake needs to brace for contact.
