College: Auburn
Height: 5’8” 4/8
Weight: 207
Strengths
Vision: Mason is incredibly patient at the point of attack which allows him to survey the field and pick his route through the defense. An incredible jump-cut means if the play develops slowly and he has a change of mind he can easily divert his route another direction.
Quickness: Speed and quickness are two different things. While Mason does have strong speed it is nothing compared to his quickness which is particularly impressive in space. Once the junior has broken through the line he is balanced and shifty which causes defenders to be falling every which way to tackle him. He also does well turning the corner and displaying some shake in his steps which can often freeze defenders.
Wear & Tear: At just 20 years old Mason has a lot of tread on his tyres. With just over 500 carriers in three years at Auburn his body has taken limited punishment.
Weaknesses
Pass Protection: Mason’s pass protection is almost non-existent and must be improved by coaches in the NFL. On the tape I watched I seen him stand still with his arms outstretched waiting for the defender to run over him, be overly aggressive and the defender just ran by him and finally set a good base before seamlessly jumping towards the linebacker.
Size: Being under 5’9” does have its benefits – quickness, agility and slippery to tackle – but it also means your body has less to protect itself when angry linebackers are coming downhill. Mason’s body has held up so far but can it take the punishment of the NFL?
NFL Comparison
Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks: No, Mason is not going to go beast mode and start running over linebacker after linebacker, but he and Lynch do share similar running styles. Mason is a little more explosive but both wear defenses down before breaking off the killer run. Both run strong between the tackles while also possessing that jump-cut to throw the play wide open.
Draft Outlook
The running back position has been devalued over recent years with teams opting to go for a running back-by-committee approach. This will hurt Mason but he still has a chance to be taken in the second. He is young, talented and competitive with a good skill set to perform straight away at the next level.
Best Fits
The Cleveland Browns would be a good fit for Mason as they look to rebuild their backfield. While Mason is not an every-down feature back he is perfect for a committee approach.
Other solid landing spots would be the Houston Texans who will lose Ben Tate to free agency and the Miami Dolphins who struggled to run the ball consistently with Lamar Miller and Daniel Thomas.
Follow Richard on Twitter: @Richard_Gatenby