Physicality
Kareem Hunt is a very difficult man to tackle. The first man to lay hands on him being the one who brings him down is a rare occurrence. His tackle breaking ability is right up there with guys like Leonard Fournette. Plays like these are easy to find with Hunt. He regularly shrugs off linebackers.
Ball Security
in his college career of four seasons, 782 carries and 73 receptions he never once lost the football. NEVER. that is insane.
Effort
It's weird to put this in elite traits but I have rarely seen RBs who consistently play as hard as Hunt. He is ALWAYS fighting for that extra yard.
NFL Level Traits
Vision
Hunt has that crucial RB gift of seeing where the hole is going to be when he gets there. he rarely has to hesitate unnecessarily behind the line reading his blocks. He can get small and squeeze through a small hole. his first cut is very quick and to the point which helps him be decisive and follow his eyes.. His vision isn't limited to hitting the line either. he can read a field in open space just as well. this gif is a good example of his vision for both the line and open field.
Elusiveness
for as much as he relies on being able to break tackles he's no slouch when it comes to shaking opponents off before they can touch him. Hunt is a big fan of the spin move, and he's damn good at it, though it can get him into trouble as well. He man make very fast jump cuts to get away from low tackles. He moves quickly and with purpose to make guys miss in the open field. His combination of elusiveness and physicality often leads to runs like this where he shows off the best he's got in both regards
Balance
He runs with his shoulders down to keep his center of Gravity low and it really shows. He recovers from near falls when other RBs would be on their asses. In this play he ends up with his hand on the ground but recovers incredibly fast and jukes an oncoming defender. This play is just amazing
Workhorse
In this age of RBBC and pass catching backs there aren't as many of these guys around anymore. This gif of back to back tough physical runs is something you'll see several times a game from Hunt. if you want a guy who is gonna be on the field for most of the game, Hunt is on your list.
Hands
Hunt wasn't used as a pass catcher a ton. Mostly as a dumpoff receiver, but he has soft hands and a couple amazing catches (see the last gif in Balance). I watched 6 games and he caught multiple passes in each and never dropped one.
Needs Work
Pass Protection
If he's gonna be an every down back he's gonna have to get better at pass blocking. his cut blocks can be half assed at times and he needs to learn to get a better leverage advantage. he sometimes gets bullied
Route Running
He just didn't do a lot of this but given NFL trends, his good hands and his ability to make plays in space he's going to be asked to do more in the NFL. aside from a couple wheel routes I don't think he has ever run a route. I think he has the skills to do it but he's gonna take a while to learn it.
Negatives
Build
He's a little on the small side. while he did fine in his conference the bigger stronger NFL players could cause a leverage problem when he's trying to out physical the defense. it even shows up on occasion in college tape. I love this next gif because it shows his biggest weakness and his biggest strength. He gets shoved back because he can't get a leverage advantage and then shows his effort in getting back to the line
Dancing
While he gets an A for effort it also gets him into trouble a lot. there are a lot of cases of him dancing around trying to break out from a hopeless situation instead of just taking the yards he has available.
Speed
Hunt just doesn't have breakaway speed. Think of someone like Frank Gore. He can get you a ton of yards and he's fast enough to get into space but if it comes down to a footrace against a DB, he's not gonna win it.
Pro Comparison: Spencer Ware
I went into this only having watched one game of his before now and thinking he's an early day 3 back. Now I'll be very surprised if he lasts past the 3rd. Hunt is a legit NFL starter IMO. More than that he's an every down back. I suppose his lack of size and the depth of the class could push him down ala Kenneth Dixon last year (another good comparison for Hunt as a player) but I won't agree with it if it happens. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chiefshrink:
Ya know that is a very good comparison because I had him as Giovanni Bernard with attitude. Kudos to you my friend ! I think you nailed it !!
Bernard is totally valid as well, guys like this dont scare the hell out of anyone... but they give your offense another set of downs to scare them with [Reply]