Alabama Game Week Scouting Report: LSU Running Back Tyrion Davis-Price

BamaCentral and NFL Draft Bible team up to profile key players Alabama will face this season, who have a chance to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

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There haven't been too many bright points associated with the LSU football team this season, but Tyrion Davis-Price has definitely been one of them. 

Against Kentucky on Oct. 9, the junior running back Davis-Price set a new career high in rushing yards with 147, on 22 carries, and scored two touchdowns. 

He thought it might be the start of something big. 

“It's something the whole year we've been trying to establish,” Davis-Price said at the time per Per LSU Country . “The O-line, they came with a different mentality that week of practice. You see what they did. We're going to continue to build from that and finish strong this year.”

At the time, LSU had just learned that it would be without star wide receiver Kayshon Boutte for the rest of the year.

“I do believe we're going to run the ball more and we're going to try to keep it going,” Davis-Price added.

A week later, Davis-Price set the LSU single-game rushing record against Florida with 287 yards on 36 carries, and scored three touchdowns. 

It broke the previous mark of 285 set by Derrius Guice against Texas A&M in 2016. Davis-Price’s 287 rushing yards were the most ever against a Florida defense, topping the the previous mark of 238 set by Herschel Walker in 1980. 

Davis-Price scored on runs of 18, 40 and 25 yards as he averaged a staggering 8.0 yards per carry on 36 attempts. The 8.0 average set the school mark on a minimum of 30 carries in a game. 

Tyrion Davis-Price

Jersey: No. 3
Position: Running back 
Height: 6010
Weight: 223
DOB: 10/23/00
Draft Eligible: 2022
Hometown: Baton Rouge, Louisiana 
High School: Southern Lab

Pros

Back with great size who plays in a running back rotation. Davis-Price possesses great vision and the first level and beyond, reading and manipulating leverage. His patience allows blocks to develop and forces defenders to commit. Davis-Price can create yardage with his wiggle in the open field and good agility, translating to very good cutting ability at low speeds. A tough runner, he is difficult to stop when he gets going downhill, running through arm tackles and absorbing high contact with his balance. Davis-Price lowers his pads to reduce his surface area and keeps his legs churning to drive piles. He can get skinny through closing holes. Good speed at his size allows the quick-footed runner to beat defenders to the corner. He is a capable cut blocker, displaying timing and taking out the right leg. Davis-Price pays attention to detail as a route runner, performing sharp cuts. He is difficult to tackle in space for smaller defenders.

Cons

A poor receiver in traffic, Davis-Price drops the football when expecting contact. 

Summary

Tough back with good athleticism and power. Davis-Price possesses great vision and can create yardage on his own, finding lanes and making defenders miss. He has shaky hands and operates in a committee. Davis-Price projects as a quality backup with potential starting ability in the NFL. His diverse skill set is only hampered by not showing a transcendent trait to turn into a quality starter. He fits into an inside zone, power and even gap running scheme. 

Grades

7.6 (current value)/8.3 (potential value)

BamaCentral Analysis 

With LSU'S passing game struggling, a big part of Alabama's game plan will simply be to keep the ball out of Davis-Price's hands as much as possible. The easiest way to do that is get a lead and make the Tigers throw to try and keep up. The running back has a reputation for being durable, and the bye week will help after getting so many recent carries. Against Kentucky and Florida alone, Davis-Price nearly topped his entire 2020 rushing output, when he had 446 yards to go with three touchdowns. But then last week against Ole Miss he had 17 carries for just 53 yards and one touchdown. His longest carry was for eight yards. The week before Kentucky, Auburn shut him down (five carries for 18 yards) and took its chances with Max Johnson. The quarterback threw for 325 yards, but Auburn won 24-19.  

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All this week and next, BamaCentral will profile numerous LSU players as the Crimson Tide prepares to host the Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Nov. 6. Also check out NFL Draft Bible for more evaluations.