Eddie Lacy was able to make a big impact for Alabama this year, once his path to the starting spot was finally clear. Lacy made the most of his only year as a starter and the junior was able to establish himself as the best available running back in this year’s draft. So, without further ado; let’s take a look at this compact and powerful running back.
| Ht | Wt | Class | Ranking | Projection |
| 5'11" | 231 | Junior | 50 | Second Round |
Strengths
Power: Lacy is solid muscle from top to bottom. He has above-average upper-body strength, but his powerful legs are a different story entirely. Lacy’s legs are always churning and driving him forward.
Balance: Lacy has great balance and consistently maintains top-notch pad level. Defenders will rarely, if ever be able to knock Lacy down, but will need two-to-three guys to drag him down. Lacy will easily give Adrian Peterson a run for the yards after contact title next season. He also does a great job of leaning forward to meet contact and fall across the line for extra yardage.
Deceptive Speed: Let’s get one thing straight; Lacy is never, ever going to outrun anybody. But he is very quick with his cuts and can kick it down when hitting the second gear and will gain some separation before defenders catch up.
Low Mileage: Lacy sat behind Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson and only saw significant playing time when he was the starter his junior year. Lacy has really fresh legs for a runner coming out of college, which will really affect his durability in later years.
Weaknesses
Decision Making: Lacy has good patients for letting a play develop, but at times can wait too long until the play has broken down. He also will sometimes miss the hole entirely and try to bounce to the outside instead, which isn't his forte.
Pass Blocking: Lacy shows flashes of competency here, but most of the time he fails to pick up the blitz, or gets thrown aside when he does; despite his thick and solid frame. This is something that can be fixed by most coaching staffs and shouldn’t be a huge problem in a year or two.
Bottom Line
Lacy is the best, game-ready running back available this year, and will definitely be able to make an impact as a rookie; like former teammate Richardson or possibly even Doug Martin. His power and balance alone make him a great target for teams in need of a running back, but his low mileage is what really sets him apart from the rest of the class.