Ht: 5'9"

Wt: 215

College: Auburn/Arkansas State/Louisville 

Positives

Vision: Probably the thing that most will love about Dyer is his vision. He doesn’t take long to find a hole and uses his quickness to get through. It doesn’t stop there for Dyer, as he is constantly scanning the field to change direction and pick up more yards. Often times when running up the sideline, Dyer will cut back in if he sees an opening. Many times you will see this, despite there being multiple defenders in the area - and that is where his power comes into play.

Power: Dyer is a powerful back. He has a small frame in terms of height but is a wrecking ball running up field. He uses his lower body strength to run through arm tackles. Many times you will see a defender try to drag him down, however Dyer will power through those attempts. In many instances, defenders will need additional help to bring him down. Dyer’s power isn’t limited to his lower body as he is very effective with the stiff arm.

Body Control: Dyer shows control of his body at all times. He doesn’t run off balance and always seems to fall forward. This shows you that he doesn’t run too high, which would open his midsection for big hits. By maintaining his balance, it allows him to use his hands more when approaching defenders. Dyer uses his legs well in terms of changing direction. When an opposing defender approaches him he can use his change of direction to gain the advantage.

Negatives

Speed: You won’t confuse Dyer for a back with a lot of straight-line speed. Part of that is the length of his legs. Not to say Dyer isn’t capable of taking a carry to the house, because he did multiple times for Auburn and Louisville. That is more a result of his quickness and defenders taking bad angles. Despite his lack of top-level speed, Dyer will average between five and six yards per carry.

Pass Catching: Many running backs in the NFL today are more than a one-trick pony. It is not to say Dyer lacks the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield but more to the lack of opportunities. His first season at Auburn in 2010, the offense was designed to run the read option with Cam Newton. The two combined for 2,500 yards on the ground so there was no value in throwing the ball out of the backfield.

Character: There will be many red flags when general managers start the character evaluation process in the draft. I wouldn’t expect any Jeff Ireland type questions but this is the opportunity for teams to find out how much Dyer has matured since he was kicked off two teams in two years. The man who once broke Bo Jackson’s freshmen rushing record has proved talent can’t overcome everything. He will have to earn his way to the NFL.

NFL Comparison

Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaquars

Dyer will be very similar to Jones-Drew from a pure rushing standpoint. They both have a low center of gravity and they use that to their advantage. It is hard to get a clean hit on him which helps in terms of longevity.