New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: RB Tyjae Spears

Nick has a look at another potential running back prospect for the Giants.

Tyjae Spears, RB

Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 201 lbs.
Class: RS-Junior
School: Tulane
Age: 21 (June 15th, 2001)

Combine/Pro Day Measurements

Arm length: 30 ¾”
Hand size: 10”
40-yard-dash: 4.47*
10-yard-split: 1.57*
Vertical jump: 39”
Broad jump: 10’5”
Bench press: 18 reps
Short-shuttle: 4:32*
3-Cone: 7.27*

*at Pro Day

A former three-star recruit out of Ponchatoula High School in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, where he was the 88th running back and the 50th Louisianan prospect during the 2019 recruiting cycle. He had 1,800 total yards during his senior high school season - 920 rushing, 880 receiving, and 18 touchdowns.

Notables

A homerun-hitting back early in his career, he only had 105 snaps through his first two seasons at Tulane. He played sparingly in his freshman season and earned redshirt eligibility, but he suffered a torn ACL in 2020 that held him to only three games. [College Stats] 

Spears broke onto the scene in 2021 and was even more dominant in a bigger role during Tulane’s magical 2022 season. He finished his college career with 31 touchdowns and a 6.8 yards per carry average. According to Pro Football Focus, Tulane operated both zone and gap schemes; in 2022, Spears ran 112 zone plays and 117 gap ones.

Spears’ 2022 season earned him the AAC Offensive Player of the Year award and a First-Team All-AAC honor. He was also the Cotton Bowl MVP after he posted 205 yards and four rushing touchdowns in Tulane’s 46-45 thrilling victory over USC.

Tulane was 2-10 in 2021 and 12-2 in 2022. Spears was the offensive catalyst for the remarkable turnaround of the Green Wave. He attended the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he was named the practice player of the week, and he attended the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

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Strengths

• Dynamic athlete with an exceptional change of direction, agility, and short-area quickness
• Excellent long speed with homerun ability - has a second and third gear
• Love his explosive nature through holes - very balanced player while running
• Very fluid athlete with excellent flexibility throughout his body
• Cuts are magnificent - 63 forced missed tackles in 2022 with a 4.55 yards after contact
• Solid overall vision when approaching the LOS in the box
• Has one-cut ability with an impressive jump cut
• Very good at attacking the defense laterally
• Deceptive tempoing of pace left defenders guessing
• Vs. Ivan Pace (Cincy Q2, 5:06 1st & 10 Touchdown)
• Solid patience and tempo control when behind the LOS
• Can run through arm tackles despite less than ideal size
• Adequate overall play strength with excellent competitive toughness and fight
• For a smaller back, he did well to fall forward through contact
• Solid overall ball security - only three fumbles in college with 31 rushing touchdowns
• Capable receiver who showed solid ability to make hands catches with the football
• Wasn’t asked to run diverse routes, but any questions about that may have been answered at the Senior Bowl
• Solid at identifying the blitz - great toughness into contact, albeit his size and anchor were hindrances
• Excellent feel for operating in space - huge screen potential

Weaknesses

• Size & frame don’t suggest a three-down back
• Can be a bit indecisive in a crowded box when behind the LOS
• Only a tad over 200-pounds
• Not a brawler or a pile mover
• Most of his rushing attempts were out of shotgun
• Capable pass catcher, but not the most natural hands
• Size and anchor could be issues in pass protection
• Very limited special teams work in college
• Only two kick returns in his career
• Had a torn ACL in 2020

Summary

Tyjae Spears is an excellent athlete with all the necessary movement skills, speed, and ability to make defenders miss in tight spaces. He is a capable receiving threat who may have more to offer than we witnessed throughout his college career; he also competes his backside off when tasked to block. Still, his size is an issue that must be addressed.

Spears has plays where he notices holes right before or as they open, but there are also plays of indecision against more crowded areas, which isn’t surprising. He’s a better threat in space and does an exceptional job timing his unique agility to force missed tackles versus pursuit defenders. He will make for a very impressive change of pace back, who teams will love. He has starting upside, but he isn’t a pile mover, nor will he be a twenty-touch-a-game type of player.

GRADE: 6.24 

Nick Falato

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