2021 Draft Scouting Report: UCLA RB/WR Demetric Felton

UCLA wide receiver/running back Demetric Felton could be an interesting gadget for Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels

Measurables:

Height: 5'10" (1.78m)

Weight: 200lbs (91 kg)

Age: 22

Prospect Breakdown:

Vision/Patience: 8/10- A player with great field vision, and the ability to really see the field well in space. This was evidenced on a lot of zone and runs to the outside.

Quickness/Acceleration: 6.5/10- Doesn't really have that accelerator, that quickness, or explosiveness. His athletic traits and his speed and quickness in general are big question marks in regards to making the shift to the pros. However, his short-area quickness does fare well in comparison to his long speed.

Hands: 7/10- Registered only two fumbles and eight drops over college career, caught 98 out of 132 total targets and rushed 234 total times. He locates, adjusts, and extends to the ball well. Little concern here on this end in regards to catching the football, although with small size at NFL level, his ball security will be worth monitoring.

Contact Balance/Elusiveness: 8.5/10- Felton is extremely slippery. In fact, his elusiveness and evasiveness, ability to stay upright, is very reminiscent of James White, Alvin Kamara with those open-field jump cuts.

Route Footwork Efficiency: 8/10- There's still room for improvement, but for someone who isn't a full-time slot receiver, the nuance in his route running is extremely advanced for a hybrid/gadget type player. Felton looks like he watched a lot of Davante Adams and knows how to attack defender's hips and leverage. Linebackers are not covering this guy out of the backfield, as Senior Bowl corners struggled enough.

Short Routes: 9.5/10- Most of his routes, especially as a running back, were short check-downs, screens, etc. Showed capable of performing option routes, which is key to success in the slot in New England.

Medium Routes: 8/10- Felton runs these routes well, and showed off more depth to his route tree at the Senior Bowl. With his size, however, he will at most be asked to run maybe some crossing routes over the middle. Don't complicate things, just get the ball in his hands.

Deep Routes: 6/10- Really wasn't asked to run deep much, and with his lack of long speed and size, it makes sense. This is not a guy who can reliably run deep downfield vertically and beats his man over the top with proper timing.

Long Speed: 6/10- Just really not that fast. For someone of his measurables, for someone who is being drafted to be a YAC, dynamic, gadget-type player relying on his elusiveness in the open field, teams would like to see more than a 4.55/4.57 at the Senior Bowl. More long speed from him would make him a truly intriguing earlier-round prospect.

Zone IQ: 7/10- With great field vision, great nuance to his route running, and the ability to swiftly break down at the top of his routes, some further coaching points and development would really help him find and attack soft spots in the zone at a pro level.

Release: 8/10- Showed off various release packages at UCLA and in the Senior Bowl. Felton was able to beat corners on out breaking routes when they forced his releases inside. Strong releases, strong route-running fundamentals already.

50/50 Ball: 4/10- Not his forte, for obvious reasons (only 31.5-inch vertical and small catch radius), but no quarterback or coach should ever expect him to come down with a jump ball. Just like White or J.J Taylor would never be expected to do so.

Big Play Factor: 9/10- This guy is a big play waiting to happen. Despite some rather average athleticism, Felton has elusiveness, contact balance and good vision to make it happen with the ball in his hands. He had numerous long breakaway gains in his career and senior season, whether as a receiver, running back, or return man. He can reel in the YAC and be a home-run threat out of the backfield.

Draft Grade: Late round 4 (High-ceiling player with reasonable question marks)

Fit with the Patriots:

Felton, a player who has already met with the New England Patriots, made even more sense for the team before the re-signing of James White. Despite Felton being listed as a receiver, where he could excel, he primarily played as a pass-catching running back in UCLA's offense. UCLA used Felton's abilities both as a runner and pass-catcher to create various chunk plays with his great lateral quickness and YAC ability.

Taking a shot on a running back/slot receiver hybrid would make a ton of sense for the Patriots. With both White and Julian Edelman both in the final year of their contracts, taking a running back or slot receiver would make sense in the first place, especially in the fourth or fifth round. However, taking a shot in the forth or fifth round on yet another dynamic and versatile piece to plug into this offense would make even more sense.

By adding Felton to the picture, Josh McDaniels could begin to play four-dimensional chess with opposing defensive coordinators. With so many players who can line up in different spots across the formation (including the presumed top two reads in Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry), the diversity in play calling shoots out even larger and the possibility to find man-to-man mismatches on a frequent basis becomes even grandiose.

While Felton's running style does cater to a spread offense (UCLA's style), he can be used in New England as a gadget player and third-down chain mover. This comes with the hopes that he could eventually develop his game into a more full-time slot receiver role, which with his route-running ability he might be able to. Regardless, the possibilities are endless for what the Patriots could do with a player like Felton, and teams who look to use Felton in more of a hybrid role, in opposition to a traditional running back or receiver role, likely will reap the most out of this prospect.