Analysis

4/20/23

7 min read

RB Athletic Archetype Guide: New York Jets

By Nic Bodiford

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Welcome to The 33rd Team’s Athletic Archetypes series! In these pieces, NFL and fantasy football analyst Nic Bodiford will break down the preferred, position-specific athletic profiles utilized by NFL general managers. The purpose of the series is to help identify team-specific 2023 NFL Draft targets at the running back position.

NFL Combine data will be used whenever possible. Pro Day data will be used in a supplementary capacity if, and when, a player chooses not to participate in an NFL Combine drill or in the event that the NFL Combine data is unavailable. Pro Day data is marked using an asterisk except for arm length and hand length, which is always collected at Pro Days.

NFL Draft Scout is the primary data source with Relative Athletic Score (RAS) used as the preferred backup.

This article focuses on Joe Douglas’ athletic archetypes at the running back position.

Other Archetypes: ARZ | ATL | BUF | CAR | CHI | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | KC |  LAC | LAR | LV | MIN | NO | NYG | NE | PHI | SF | SEA | TB | WAS

Jets RB Prototype

Joe Douglas, New York Jets (2019-present)

Sample size: 7 NFL running backs

• Joe Douglas has worked in four NFL front offices during his 22-year career, holding positions with the Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets.
• New York kicked off 2019 by hiring Douglas as general manager and filling the vacant head coaching position with the infamous Adam Gase.
• Douglas improbably survived Gase’s two-year stint.
• The Jets replaced Gase with then-San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh ahead of the 2021 offseason.

The table below reflects Douglas' preferred athletic archetype for the running back position from 2019 to the present.

Saleh’s Influence

• Douglas and Saleh share an affinity for the three-cone drill and vertical jump, but as shown in the player data at the bottom of the article alterations were made to five of Douglas’ archetype data points after Saleh arrived in 2021; height, weight, body mass index (BMI), the short shuttle and the broad jump.
• The changes stem from Saleh’s utilization of the Shanahan rushing scheme.
• As discussed in the RB Athletic Archetypes Guide: Miami Dolphins and RB Athletic Archetypes Guide: San Francisco 49ers, the Shanahan scheme requires explosive, one-cut ball carriers who can hit the assigned gap and run to daylight.
• Douglas drafted, signed or traded for eight running backs since Saleh’s arrival.
• Seven of the eight players fit comfortably within the traditional Shanahan archetype.

 The Outlier

• The team was in desperate need of contributors in 2021, leading to two-time San Francisco special-teams flop Austin Walter landing a one-year practice squad deal.
• Walter is excluded from Douglas’ sample, which is limited to the seven remaining Saleh-era running backs.

Team Needs

• Zonovan Knight showed promise in his 2022 rookie season, but his undrafted-free-agent status creates uncertainty.
• Third-year running back Michael Carter took a step back last year, dropping from 3.37 yards after contact per rush attempt to 2.27. His 25.7 percent targets-per-route-run rate dipped to 20.2 percent and his promising 1.48 yards per route run rate tumbled to 1.08.
• Ty Johnson is a journeyman.

Physical Traits The Jets Will Target

• Height: 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-11
• Weight: 200 to 220 pounds
• BMI: 27.0 to 31.0
• Short shuttle: Sub-4.22 seconds  (7.51 relative athletic score)
• Three-cone drill: Sub-7.00 seconds (7.47 RAS)
• Broad jump: 10-foot (7.15 RAS) or farther
• Vertical jump: 34 inches (5.63 RAS) or higher

Potential 2023 Day 1 NFL Draft Targets

Prospects with strong archetype correlation are marked with an asterisk

Pick: No. 13 (Round 1)

Bijan Robinson, Texas: 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, 30.0 BMI, 10-foot-4 broad jump and a 37-inch vertical jump. (scouting report)

Potential 2023 Day 2 NFL Draft Targets

Prospects with strong archetype correlation are marked with an asterisk

Picks: Nos. 42 and 43 (Round 2)

• *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh: 5-foot-10, 216 pounds, 31.0 BMI, 10-foot-8 broad jump and a 41-inch vertical jump. (scouting report)
• Tyjae Spears, Tulane: 5-foot-10, 201 pounds, 28.8 BMI, 10-foot-5 broad jump and a 39-inch vertical jump. Spears is an efficient rusher and pass-catcher who can effectively punch chest pads in pass protection. Given the strength of his overall profile, his 4.32-second short shuttle and 7.27-second three-cone drill are not disqualifying. (scouting report)

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Potential 2023 Day 3 NFL Draft Targets

Prospects with strong archetype correlation are marked with an asterisk

• Picks: Nos. 112 (Round 4), 143 (Round 5), 207 (Round 7)
• Zach Evans, Mississippi: 5-foot-11, 202 pounds, 28.2 BMI and a 10-foot-1 broad jump. Evans’ 4.26 short shuttle, 7.08 three-cone drill and 33.5-inch vertical jump closely hug Douglas’ respective lower-end thresholds. (scouting report)
• Kendre Miller, TCU: 5-foot-11, 215 pounds and 30.0 BMI. An MCL injury prevented Miller from participating in pre-draft workouts but the prolific rusher (1,399 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns in 2022) should be considered here. (scouting report)
• Sean Tucker, Syracuse: 5-foot-9, 207 pounds and a 30.6 BMI. Tucker is an accomplished dual-threat player who was unable to participate in the NFL Combine and Syracuse’s pro day due to an undisclosed medical issue. He is scheduled to perform a public workout on April 24 and is expected to demonstrate exceptional athletic testing numbers. (scouting report)
• Evan Hull, Northwestern: 5-foot-10, 209 pounds, 30.0 BMI, 6.90-second three-cone drill, 10-foot-3 broad jump and a 37-inch vertical jump. (scouting report)
• Chase Brown, Illinois: 5-foot-9.5, 209 pounds, 30.4 BMI, 10-foot-7 broad jump and a 40-inch vertical jump. (scouting report)
• Eric Gray, Oklahoma: 5-foot-9.5, 207 pounds, 30.1 BMI, 4.18-second short-shuttle and a 37.5-inch vertical jump. His 9-foot-10 broad just is acceptable but his 7.25-second three-cone drill could be an issue. (scouting report)

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The tables below show the raw data used for this running back sample.

• Knight improved his 40-yard dash to 4.53 seconds and his vertical jump to 33 inches at North Carolina State’s pro day.

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Nic Bodiford

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Nic Bodiford contributes to The 33rd Team's fantasy football department and works elsewhere as an analyst and editor in written, video and audio mediums. These works can be found at Pro Football Focus, 4for4, Nerdball and Fake Teams. Nic moonlights at Legendary Upside by editing Pat Kerrane's weekly article, The Walkthrough.