New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: RB Tyjae Spears

Nick has a look at another potential running back prospect for the Giants.

Author:
Nick Falato
Publish date:
Mar 29, 2023 3:02 PM EDT

In this story:

New York Giants

Tulane Green Wave

Tyjae Spears, RB

Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 201 lbs.
Class: RS-Junior
School: Tulane
Age: 21 (June 15th, 2001)

Combine/Pro Day Measurements

Arm length: 30 ¾”
Hand size: 10”
40-yard-dash: 4.47*
10-yard-split: 1.57*
Vertical jump: 39”
Broad jump: 10’5”
Bench press: 18 reps
Short-shuttle: 4:32*
3-Cone: 7.27*

*at Pro Day

A former three-star recruit out of Ponchatoula High School in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, where he was the 88th running back and the 50th Louisianan prospect during the 2019 recruiting cycle. He had 1,800 total yards during his senior high school season - 920 rushing, 880 receiving, and 18 touchdowns.

Notables

A homerun-hitting back early in his career, he only had 105 snaps through his first two seasons at Tulane. He played sparingly in his freshman season and earned redshirt eligibility, but he suffered a torn ACL in 2020 that held him to only three games. [College Stats]

Spears broke onto the scene in 2021 and was even more dominant in a bigger role during Tulane’s magical 2022 season. He finished his college career with 31 touchdowns and a 6.8 yards per carry average. According to Pro Football Focus, Tulane operated both zone and gap schemes; in 2022, Spears ran 112 zone plays and 117 gap ones.

Spears’ 2022 season earned him the AAC Offensive Player of the Year award and a First-Team All-AAC honor. He was also the Cotton Bowl MVP after he posted 205 yards and four rushing touchdowns in Tulane’s 46-45 thrilling victory over USC.

Tulane was 2-10 in 2021 and 12-2 in 2022. Spears was the offensive catalyst for the remarkable turnaround of the Green Wave. He attended the Reese’s Senior Bowl, where he was named the practice player of the week, and he attended the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

Get More 2023 Draft Profiles here.

Strengths

Dynamic athlete with an exceptional change of direction, agility, and short-area quickness
Excellent long speed with homerun ability - has a second and third gear
Love his explosive nature through holes - very balanced player while running
Very fluid athlete with excellent flexibility throughout his body
Cuts are magnificent - 63 forced missed tackles in 2022 with a 4.55 yards after contact
Solid overall vision when approaching the LOS in the box

Has one-cut ability with an impressive jump cut

Very good at attacking the defense laterally
Deceptive tempoing of pace left defenders guessing

Vs. Ivan Pace (Cincy Q2, 5:06 1st & 10 Touchdown)

Solid patience and tempo control when behind the LOS
Can run through arm tackles despite less than ideal size
Adequate overall play strength with excellent competitive toughness and fight
For a smaller back, he did well to fall forward through contact
Solid overall ball security - only three fumbles in college with 31 rushing touchdowns
Capable receiver who showed solid ability to make hands catches with the football
Wasn’t asked to run diverse routes, but any questions about that may have been answered at the Senior Bowl
Solid at identifying the blitz - great toughness into contact, albeit his size and anchor were hindrances
Excellent feel for operating in space - huge screen potential

Weaknesses

Size & frame don’t suggest a three-down back
Can be a bit indecisive in a crowded box when behind the LOS
Only a tad over 200-pounds
Not a brawler or a pile mover
Most of his rushing attempts were out of shotgun
Capable pass catcher, but not the most natural hands
Size and anchor could be issues in pass protection
Very limited special teams work in college
Only two kick returns in his career
Had a torn ACL in 2020

Summary

Tyjae Spears is an excellent athlete with all the necessary movement skills, speed, and ability to make defenders miss in tight spaces. He is a capable receiving threat who may have more to offer than we witnessed throughout his college career; he also competes his backside off when tasked to block. Still, his size is an issue that must be addressed.

Spears has plays where he notices holes right before or as they open, but there are also plays of indecision against more crowded areas, which isn’t surprising. He’s a better threat in space and does an exceptional job timing his unique agility to force missed tackles versus pursuit defenders. He will make for a very impressive change of pace back, who teams will love. He has starting upside, but he isn’t a pile mover, nor will he be a twenty-touch-a-game type of player.

GRADE: 6.24