Today we look at an intriguing running back prospect from Memphis, Kenneth Gainwell. Gainwell is an opt-out, who really only played on full season in 2019 at running back. He is interesting because the coaching staff at Memphis decided that he would provide bigger contributes to the team at running back than Antonio Gibson would. As you can see, Gibson is a great running back in Washington, so the Memphis coaching staff clearly has high hopes for Gainwell.
Strengths: Gainwell is a very shifty running back. He is very elusive, and causes defenders to miss tackles displaying great laterally quickness and footwork. He does a good job making himself small and squeezing through tight holes. This allows him to be a dangerous player in space. He attacks the line of scrimmage and displays good vision finding the holes. He shows a good amount of patience when it comes to following his lead blockers and knows how to read his blocks and make his linemen right. Gainwell is a tough runner; he does not shy away from contact, and keeps moving piles. He has great versatility as he would line up in the slot fairly often and even as QB in an occasional wildcat formation. Gainwell runs good, smooth routes and will create mismatches with linebackers when he releases out of the backfield. He also really only played for one season so there isn’t much tread on his tires.
Weaknesses: Gainwell has potential to add on some more muscle to his 5’11, 195lb frame. Although he is a tough runner, he will not run through many tacklers, and I didn’t see him break many tackles. Gainwell’s pass protection is a major weakness as well. He wasn’t asked to stay in and block too often; however, when he was he didn’t really do too much. He hopped around providing an occasional chip with his shoulder to blitzing defenders on the edge. He rarely used his hands to block, so he needs a lot of work in that area. Gainwell also failed to show a great burst to top end speed, occasionally being chased down from behind by DBs.
Bottom Line: Gainwell is a very intriguing RB prospect with a great skill set that allows him to be slippery and evade tacklers. He won’t break very many tackles, but he will make up for that in missed tackles. He shows great vision and ability to find open holes. He will create mismatches in the pass game with his route running ability and hands but cannot be kept in to provide blocking support. Gainwell shows great determination with his runs as he keeps moving his feet and never gives up on a run. I’m not too worried about his speed, because that’s not his game. He will probably find the most success in an NFL offense as the 1A RB, with a bigger RB with the ability to pass block as the 1B. He could make it as a true RB1; however, his big struggles in pass blocking make me believe that he won’t be given that opportunity unless he improves in that capacity drastically.
Draft Projection: Mid Day 2 Pick
