Editor's note: NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein will "dare to compare" prospects to NFL players throughout the college football season. This week, he provides a scouting report and comp for Texas RB D'Onta Foreman, who has grabbed the attention of scouts and NFL players alike with his performance this season.
D'Onta Foreman has often been overlooked. In high school he was a three-star prospect while his twin brother, Armanti, was the five-star prospect. Both ended up at Texas, but many people believed D'Onta was just part of a packaged deal. Even though I saw Foreman several times last season and came away impressed with his talent, I didn't include him on my list of RBs to watch heading into this season.
All of us who overlooked him were wrong. D'Onta looks like the five-star Foreman now and leads the nation in rushing yards (2,208). My apologies, D'Onta -- I won't be overlooking you any longer.
Let's take a look at Foreman's strengths, weaknesses and NFL comp.
Strengths
Foreman (6-foot-1, 249 pounds, per school measurements) has a proportional build and is able to run with a thud behind his pads, even when he's not dropping his pads and barreling into a tackler, as he will often do. Many bigger runners get accustomed to using their size to punish defenses, but Foreman is a patient back with excellent vision and an ability to make last-second cuts thanks to his ankle flexion and loose hips.
In fact, his change-of-direction talent and ability to accelerate to top speed quickly are what stand out most about him on tape. Many running backs of Foreman's size can run away from gap-shooting linebackers who leak into the backfield, but Foreman has that instant gas that other don't possess. He's also a talented interior rusher with an above-average feel for the flow of blocks and can maximize the amount of space given to him inside a run crease. Foreman's ability to steady himself and continue his run when it looks like he's about to be tackled speaks volume to his talent and desire as a runner.
Weaknesses
While Foreman's ability to create for himself with elusiveness is an advantage he has over many other big backs, it can also work against him. Foreman is still learning when to bounce a run outside to extend a play and when to drop his pads and finish off a run. Foreman recognizes yardage to be had and tries to go get it, but the speed of pro defenders will turn some of those bounced-rush attempts into runs for no gain or a loss of yards. Foreman will also decelerate into contact intermittently with no rhyme or reason. This was evident at times when Texas played Oklahoma last month. Foreman has just nine career catches and three drops. I can run that math for you if you like, but it's not great. Foreman has four fumbles this season and scouts are sure to lock in more closely on his ball security.
NFL comp: Jonathan Stewart
Like with Leonard Fournette, who we featured in this space last month, Foreman's rare size immediately limits the amount of player comparisons that can be made. The task of finding a comparison becomes even more difficult once his combination of vision, power and elusiveness are factored in. While they're not a perfect match from a size perspective, I believe Foreman's skill set and running style are very reminiscent of Carolina Panthers RB Jonathan Stewart's.
Like Foreman, Stewart has excellent size for the position and has been able to combine both power and finesse elements into his game. Both running backs operated out of off-set formations in college and both run with excellent patience along with the burst to attack the creases when they present themselves. The one area where Foreman doesn't measure up to Stewart at this time is his ability to help his offense out of the backfield as a pass-catcher.
Follow Lance Zierlein on Twitter @LanceZierlein.
