2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: RB Isaiah Spiller, Texas A&M

How much of a fit would Texas A&M running back Isaiah Spiller's skillset be in the Giants backfield? Nick has the details on Spiller's strengths

Isaiah Spiller, RB

Height: 6’0
Weight: 217 lbs.
Class: Junior
School: Texas A&M
Arm length: 31 ¾”
Hand size: 8 ⅝”

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A former four-star recruit out of Klein Collins High School in Spring, Texas, Spiller was the ninth-ranked running back, and the 23rd ranked Texans, in the 2019 recruiting cycle. Isaiah Spiller’s father is Fred Spiller, who played for the Aggies before injuring his back in practice which unfortunately devolved into a career-ending injury.

Notables

Spiller chose not to run the 40-yard-dash at the NFL Scouting Combine which drew questions towards the star running back. He was reportedly dealing with an abdominal injury; nevertheless, he still performed his jumps and was mediocre. He jumped 30” in the vertical and 9’6” in the broad. Spiller will attempt to rectify his athletic testing questions on March 22nd at the Texas A&M Pro Day.

Despite his less than stellar Combine, Spiller has a ton to offer potential NFL teams. He rushed for 1,011-yards on 179 carries (5.6 YPC) with six touchdowns in 2021; he also had 25 catches for 189-yards and a touchdown. Spiller finished his three years at Texas A&M with 2,993-yards (5.5 YPC), 25 touchdowns, 74 catches for 585-yards, and that one touchdown. He was second-team All-SEC in 2021 and first team in 2020.

Strengths

• Good size and thickness for the position
• A one-cut back with good athletic ability
• Showed good play speed, agility, change of direction, lateral movement skills, and burst
• Has enough speed to gain the edge and out-pace defenders towards the sideline
• Good second gear once he reached the second level
• Possesses good balance and can run low to the ground, behind his pads
• Short area quickness and ability to quickly burst allow him to forced missed tackles
• Jump cut ability leaves defenders lunging
• Great quick and decisive footwork
• Presses line of scrimmage to force LBs and SAF to bite
• Good at manipulating angles - adaptable runner
• Showed awareness of backside block development - knew when and where to cutback when behind the LOS
• Excellent patience to allow blocks to develop
• Does a good job using vision to see movement (behind the LOS), anticipate his path, and then explode to the second level with solid power
• Has burst to hit a narrow hole as it quickly closes
• Did a solid job getting skinny into tight gaps
• Runs through arm tackles with good contact balance
• Great play strength and lower body strength to fall through contact
• Wasn’t scared to pass protect
• Was a solid overall pass protector who understood his assignment
• Would routinely help with chip blocks and alter EDGE rushers intentions
• Solid play strength when asked to one-on-one block blitzing defenders

View all of Nick Falato's draft prospect profiles right here / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Can Improve

• Doesn’t have elite breakaway speed
• Has receiving upside but wasn’t a dynamic receiver in college
• Allowed balls into his frame lead to questions about natural hands
• Small hands and lack of concentration may hurt his ability to consistently be a receiving threat
• Love his playmaking ability behind the LOS, but there were times when he got himself in trouble trying to do too much - take the singles and don’t always try and hit a homerun
• Had six fumbles in his college career - ball security

Summary

Overall, Isaiah Spiller is a big-bodied one-cut runner with good athletic ability, patience, vision, and adaptability. He has the upside to be a three-down back because of his willingness and ability as a pass protector, and the receiving upside that he did flash as an Aggie. 

There are some questions about his consistency as a pass catcher and how that may translate to the NFL if asked to assume that role full-time; the questions are fair, but not something I’m overly worried about. 

Spiller may not have true breakaway speed, and he has to ensure that the fumbling issues are rectified, but he does offer the necessary burst through the hole, contact balance, and footwork to be a difference-maker in the NFL.

Grade: 6.34

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