If the Redskins decide that drafting a running back in the first round is too early, one possible second-round option is Georgia running back Sony Michel. The 5-foot-11, 220-pound prospect averaged an incredible 7.9 yards per carry in his final year in college, showing just how explosive he is.
Michel is one of the best backs in this draft class at mental processing, with a fantastic ability to quickly decipher run fits and set up blocks for his offensive line.
As Michel secures the handoff on this inside zone play during January’s national title game against Alabama, there is a clear hole in the middle of the defense. Many backs would see that gap and try to burst through it as quickly as possible as the linebacker gets a free run on him. But Michel sees that linebacker unblocked and smartly presses the hole to force the linebacker to commit inside before bouncing his run outside. That allows the left tackle to help the left guard secure the defensive tackle and then work up to the linebacker. The linebacker does manage to get off the block and eventually tackle Michel, but not until Michel picks up a first down.
His mental processing and setting up blocks is evident in many of his carries, but it’s not his only good trait.
This time Michel carries the ball on an inside zone to the right. As the offensive line washes out the defensive line, Michel cuts back early. The left tackle peels off to pick up the linebacker in the cutback lane and Michel reacts accordingly, getting small enough to fit through a tight gap and burst into the open field for another big gain.
Michel also has fantastic cutting ability, enabling him to make unblocked defenders miss.
Here, in the SEC championship game against Auburn, a linebacker shoots through a gap immediately as Michel secures the handoff. Michel spots him coming and doesn’t panic, instead pressing to the play side before making a sharp cut to the right, making the linebacker miss completely and turning what could have been a negative play into a solid gain.
One of Michel’s highlight plays in the national championship against Alabama displayed almost all of his best traits.
By the time Michel has take the handoff, he’s already read both defensive tackles and decided to cut back thanks to his quick mental processing. He then cuts back sharply behind two defenders who won their blocks and shows off his burst and speed to beat the trailing defenders to the edge. To top all of that off, he shows tremendous balance to walk the tightrope down the sideline and stay in bounds to maximize the gain, turning what could have been a negative play into a 30-yard gain.
There are two big questions regarding Michel. The first is how he’d react to a heavier workload. At Georgia, he split carries with Nick Chubb and averaged only 11 carries per game in his final season, though he did average 16 carries per game in 2015. I don’t suspect this will be a huge issue, especially if he were to land with the Redskins, because Washington is a pass-first team and also can give touches to Chris Thompson.
The bigger concern for Michel is ball security. Per Dane Brugler of NFLDraftScout, Sony Michel fumbled once every 54.6 carries, second-worst of all running backs in this class. It’s a legitimate concern that explains why such a talented runner could be available to the Redskins in the second round. Jay Gruden has been hard on backs who fumble in the past, often benching them if they cough up the ball. But ultimately, Michel’s talent outweighs his biggest red flag, and would be a strong pick for the Redskins in the second round if he’s available.
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