Eric Gray 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Oklahoma RB
Eric Gray: 5’9”, 205 pounds.
A top-200 overall recruit in 2019, Eric Gray combined for just under 1,700 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns through two years with Tennessee. He transferred to Oklahoma ahead of the 2021 season. Even though he couldn’t cut much into Kennedy Brooks’ workload and only touched the ball 101 times, he did convert that into 641 yards and four TDs.
When it was his backfield, he finally put up the numbers we wanted to see all along, turning 213 carries (6.4 yards per) plus 33 receptions (6.9 yards per) into five yards shy of 1,600 total and 11 TDs last year, which earned him first-team All-Big-12 accolades.
Eric Gray scout report: Strengths
+ Sets up GT power exceptionally well to create a crease between the two pullers and blowing past those guys.
+ Explodes through the hole and rips through the lanes in front of him.
+ Does an outstanding job using his blockers, hesitating behind them and leading defenders the wrong way. He will peak around his teammates and get at least one opponent to follow that way.
+ Very deceptive overall with his body language and can make those hard cuts while his head still looks the original direction.
+ He’s a master at staying square to a lead-block or slow-playing it and then using subtle cuts at the last moment to tightly get around them before kicking into gear.
+ Has those really quick feet to make subtle adjustments to his running path and weave through defenses. The way he can stop and cut on a dime when needed, has also improved during his time with the Sooners.
+ You like the ability to plant and get vertical, but on off-tackle runs, the ankle flexibility to curve and widen off the inside-foot might be even more impressive.
+ Puts safeties in hell when he gets into those one-on-ones with them working down from depth, seemingly always having a plan and putting sudden moves on them to make them miss.
+ This guy’s curvilinear movement and ability to accelerate whilst bending his path in the open field is tremendous.
+ His dead-legs and side-way jump-cuts to slice inside of defenders are excellent.
+ Keeps himself alive as a runner and bounces off some big hits, kind of running like a wild horse.
+ Offers a strong lower body and you see tacklers slipping off him regularly as he spins off contact and regularly carries guys on his back.
+ When there’s two defenders converging on him from either side, Gray will lower his pads and split them or at drag them ahead for a couple of extra yards.
+ Forced a missed tackle every 0.27 rushing attempts (58 on 212 total).
+ OU used him as a wildcat QB quite regularly last year to take advantage of his vision and attack downhill on power-based schemes.
+ Does a great job of carrying out play-fakes and keeping the eyes of defenders on him, while his quarterback is already out the back-door or starting his release.
+ There are no actual struggles with slightly off-target ball-placements. Gray hauled in all 34 of his catchable targets this past season, while rarely slowing down for passes and bringing in some tough grabs along the way.
+ When he gets a chance to catch the ball out in the flats and make stuff happen with it, he can truly shake defenders out of their boots.
+ Was released up the seams from a backfield alignment a few times, where he has the actual speed to get behind the linebackers and split the safeties in two-deep coverages.
+ Brings some thump when picking up blitzers and doesn’t mind banging into D-tackles when helping out his linemen.
Eric Gray scout report: Weaknesses
– You’ll see him Gray locked in on running to the most space, rather than understanding how defenders are leveraged and how he can use the angles of his blockers to his advantage.
– When there’s traffic in the backfield on vertical concepts, he tends to completely stop his feet at times.
– Has to do a better job of keeping his eyes up in protection and not getting his feet stuck when he throws his punch. He can get too aggressive whilst stepping up and whiff on blitzing linebackers, who know how to side-step backs.
– Doesn’t have the break-away speed to finish off long runs at the next level.
Eric Gray scout report: Grade
Expectations were high for Eric Gray when he got to Tennessee and especially transferring to Oklahoma. While he did flash as a backup his first year with the Sooners, he really became an every-down stud back last season.
The pacing and foot quickness are tremendous and he runs with the force of guys closer to 230 pounds. There are some technical nuances he needs to improve upon to be a reliable pass-protector, but he has all the tools to be an every-down starter at the NFL level.
Fans love to see those big-time home runs, yet coaches will appreciate how consistently Eric Gray makes “his man” miss which run concept can’t account for, along with the fact that he catches every ball thrown his way.
Grade: Third round
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