RB, Memphis
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 195 lbs
Class: rs-Sophomore
Memphis has growing reputation for producing quality running backs. Over the last three seasons, they have sent the likes of Tony Pollard, Darrell Henderson, and Antonio Gibson to the NFL. The latest name to add to the list is Kenneth Gainwell. His decision to opt out meant we didn’t see him play this season, but he had a fantastic 2019 campaign. Gainwell was the only player in the FBS with 1,000+ rushing yards and 500+ receiving yards and was voted First Team All-AAC.
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Strengths
One of Gainwell’s biggest strengths is his elusiveness with the ball in his hands. He has great vision and showcases an instinctive feel for cutback lanes. He also possesses excellent lateral agility, with quick cuts and burst. There are few backs in the class who can match him when it comes to change of direction and stop/start running ability. This helped him to rack up 76 forced missed tackles on his 280 touches in 2019.
Gainwell isn’t the biggest running back at just 5’11” and 195 lbs, but don’t let this fool you when it comes to his physicality. He is a tough runner who won’t often be taken down on first contact. One of his most underrated traits is his contact balance and he displays great second effort to maximise potential yardage. He averaged an impressive 3.45 yards after contact in 2019, accounting for 54 per cent of his rushing yards.
Where he separates himself from the rest of the class is in the passing game. Gainwell is the kind of versatile weapon that all NFL offenses want in their backfield. He is comfortable out wide and in the slot, spending over 15 per cent of plays lined up as a receiver. Memphis tasked him with running a pretty diverse route tree and he could probably function as a full-time slot receiver at the next level. He does a good job of tracking the ball downfield and showed the ability to win at all three levels. He finished the year with 610 yards on his 51 receptions.
One thing that teams are going to love about Gainwell is his ball skills and ball security. As a receiver he is comfortable making catches outside his frame and registered just three drops on 60 career catchable passes. As a ball carrier, he does a great job of protecting the football. Gainwell logged just logged just two fumbles across his 290 career touches.
Weaknesses
One of the concerns with Gainwell is his lack of experience, with just one season as a starter. This is not always a bad thing with running backs as it means there isn’t much tread on the tires. That said, teams may prefer a proven commodity like Travis Etienne or Najee Harris who have multiple years of college production.
Aside from his limited sample size, the biggest concern will likely be his size. He is on the smaller end of what you would expect for an NFL back and he could have some issues adjusting to the more physical nature of the pro game as a result. There will also be questions about whether or not he’ll be able to hold up in pass protection. It is also worth noting that whilst Gainwell has good burst and elusiveness, he doesn’t offer the home run speed you might expect from a smaller back.
Bottom Line
Gainwell is a really exciting running back prospect. He is a shifty and elusive ball carrier, with surprising toughness for his size. His versatility in the passing game is a major selling point and he is amongst the best receiving backs in the 2021 class. Whilst his sample size is limited, he is still only scratching the surface of his potential.
Big Board Rank: #81
Positional Rank: #5
