Player Profile: Marcus Lattimore

Marcus Lattimore

Height:  5'11
Weight:  221
School:  South Carolina
Position:  Running Back
Ranking: #7 Running Back
Projection:  3rd or 4th round

Strengths
-Productive when healthy.  2,677 yards in 29 games played
-Experienced.  Started every game
-Ideal size and weight for an every down back
-Large hands allow him to have good ball security
-Strong runner who is tough to bring down but is elusive in space
-Good vision who sees the cut back lanes
-Hits the hole at top speed but can stop and start with ease
-Always falling forward when tackled
-Runs with good pad level
-Can play in any offense
-Mentally tough and hard worker

Weaknesses
-Durability.  Coming off back to back major knee injuries
-May not be ready to play his rookie season
-Doesn't have elite speed
-Lacks experience in pass protection

Summary
If it wasn't for two consecutive major knee injuries we could easily be talking about him being the top running back in the draft and a lock in the first round.  However those two knee injuries are a big concern for teams. He came back from the first one and regained his explosiveness and ability, but can he do it again?  Lattimore came out strong as a true freshman and was getting a lot of comparisons to Adrian Peterson when he was at Oklahoma.  Lattimore isn't Peterson, but he has a rare blend of size and speed that we don't see very often.  He is a good athlete who can stop and start with the best of them.  This allows him to make elite cuts to set up blocks and get to that cut back lane.  If healthy he could easily be a top 15 pick.  But with questions about his knee and that puts him in the third round area.  But don't be surprised if he makes his way into the late second round.  A team like Green Bay could be a landing spot.