Following a stellar performance as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2011, former Wisconsin Badgers’ running back Montee Ball, decided to return to school for his senior season in hopes of improving his draft stock. Things didn't go as well as Montee or the Badgers and their fans thought they would. Wisconsin lost more games (six) than they have in any of the past five years and Ball started the first half very slowly. While he eventually got things going and had a good second half, setting the NCAA all-time record for rushing touchdowns in the process; it wasn’t what Ball needed to improve his chances in 2013’s NFL Draft. A severely underwhelming performance at February’s Scouting Combine have made matters even worse for Ball.
Here is my completely objective (no really, I promise) scouting report on the former Badgers ‘back.
| Ht | Wt | Class | Ranking | Projection |
| 5'10" | 214 | Senior | 101 | Mid-Late Third Round |
Strengths
Powerful Legs: For his stature, Ball has incredibly solid and powerful legs. Ball’s legs never stop moving, even when two or three defenders are hanging off him. It’s his key asset, and allows him to constantly fight for extra yards.
Natural Receiver: Ball is an extremely talented receiver. He runs incredibly smart and tight routes, has great hands and can turn direction quickly to move upfield. He uses his one-cut ability to make the first defender miss, after making the catch, on a very consistent basis.
Vision & Patience: Ball is made solely for a zone-blocking scheme, due to his one-cut ability and incredible vision and patience. Ball will wait, for what seems like an eternity, for blocks and gaps to develop, as well as for guards and tackles to pull. He has uncanny vision to see even the tiniest of holes, even before they’ve developed. He will wait until the last possible second to make his cut and burst upfield.
Weaknessess
Size: At 5’10” and 214, Ball lacks ideal size for a running back in the NFL. In college, this wasn’t a huge issue, but in the NFL where defenders are MUCH bigger, faster and stronger than their college counterparts; this could be a big issues for Ball.
Top-End Speed: Most small backs in the NFL are speedsters (ie Darren Sproles), known for out-running and juking their opponents. Ball will never, ever outrun a defender, especially at the NFL level. He has great burst through the line and into the second tier, but doesn’t really accelerate much after that to propel into the secondary, and will get brought down quickly in the NFL.
Upper-Body Strength: For as powerful as his legs are, Ball doesn’t possess much upper-body strength. While he has a decent stiff arm against college defenders, Ball will have a hard time pushing and fighting off NFL-sized defenders.
Bottom Line
I may be biased, but I really feel that Ball has the talent and motor to make it at the NFL level. Yes he’s undersized, but he’s an extremely hard-working and powerful runner, as well as a very skilled receiver out of the backfield. In the end, the key to Ball finding success in the pros; is playing for a team with a zone-blocking scheme. This is really the only scheme that Ball will fit into with success, but that’s okay, because his skill set is perfect for it.