2015 Atlanta Falcons Potential Draft Pick Profile: RB Ameer Abdullah

As it sits right now, the Atlanta Falcons need a running back, and Ameer Abdullah would be a great fit for the new zone-blocking scheme. The surprisingly powerful back would be able to compete with current Falcons Devonta Freeman and Antone Smith for the starting role.

Abdullah's talent level is near the top of the draft for all running backs, and he has been compared to Ray Rice, Maurice Jones-Drew and even Warrick Dunn. The Falcons would do well with the selection of Abdullah and could have a great team with him starting at tailback.

Ameer Abdullah

Running Back

University of Nebraska

Combine/Pro Day Measurements

Height: 5'8-3/4" Weight: 205 pounds

Arm Length: 30" Hand Measurement: 8-5/8"

40-Yard Dash: 4.53 sec. 10-Yard Split: 1.58 sec.

20-Yard Shuttle: 3.95 sec. Three-Cone Drill: 6.79 sec. Bench Reps: 24 reps

Vertical Jump: 42.5" Broad Jump: 10'10"

Stats (from CFB Stats)

2014: 13 Games Played, 264 Carries, 1,611 Yards, 19 Touchdowns, 22 Catches, 269 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 14 Kick Returns, 392 Yards

2013: 13 Games Played, 281 Carries, 1,690 Yards, 9 Touchdowns, 26 Catches, 232 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 4 Kick Returns, 77 Yards

2012: 14 Games Played, 226 Carries, 1,137 Yards, 8 Touchdowns, 24 Catches, 178 Yards, 2 Touchdowns, 16 Punt Returns, 209 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 17 Kick Returns, 360 Yards

2011: 13 Games Played, 42 Carries, 150 Yards, 3 Touchdowns, 1 Catch, 11 Yards, 16 Punt Returns, 109 Yards, 26 Kick Returns, 763 Yards, 1 Touchdown, 1 Tackle

Scouting Report

Strengths

Abdullah runs with leverage and always fights for the extra yard. However, his biggest positive comes from his elite athleticism, lateral quickness and vision. He's got great balance and knows where to hit the hole to maximize his yardage. He shows fire on every down and isn't afraid to attack every play.

Arm tackles tend to get broken quite often against Abdullah because he doesn't allow anyone to get a clean hit on him. He's got great hands too, as he rarely drops passes. He's also got a ton of value as a return specialist because of his vision.

Weaknesses

Abdullah is a very small back and doesn't move the pile despite having some solid power behind him. He's also not a very good pass-blocker at all. He doesn't break down into a stance well and doesn't seem to understand proper hand usage.

He's also a fumble machine. He had quite a few fumbles on film that looked like they would have been easily correctable with proper focus. He also tends to get limited when he goes against top competition, as his worst games came against Ohio State, Michigan State, UCLA and Michigan.

How Does He Fit the Comrade Filter?

Abdullah won the NCAA Senior CLASS Award for high-level character (h/t Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report) and is widely considered one of the best players in the draft off the field. He was a team captain for the Cornhuskers in both his junior and senior years of college.

He also is known for going around and being an attraction at many charity events. Add in his high level of production on the field and being a senior who graduated to his already impressive resume, and it's easy to see why Abdullah would be a perfect fit for the Comrade Filter.

Overview

Abdullah is easily one of the best character players in the draft, but he's also a fine player on the field. He's going to attack you with quickness, speed and versatility. His vision will leave you wondering how he saw the holes and found his way 10-15 yards farther downfield than the blocking would suggest.

Any team would be lucky to have him even as a change of pace running back and locker room influence, but he could easily be a 225-to-250-carry and 40-to-50-catch running back once he makes it to the NFL. The kind of player who puts up a combined 1,400-1,500 yards every year.

How He Would Fit Into the Falcons' Plans

The Falcons could easily select Abdullah at the top of the third round and have the third part of a three-headed monster backfield. The other two monsters—Freeman and Smith—would give Atlanta three backs who understand how to catch and run and are willing blockers.

Atlanta could easily split the carries among the three backs almost evenly to give Matt Ryan a running game that supports him for the first time since Michael Turner's heyday from 2008 to 2011. Atlanta would be a perfect fit for Abdullah, and his style meshes very well with the zone schemes.

All stats used are from Pro Football Focus' Premium Stats, ESPN.com, CFBStats or NFL.com. All combine and pro day info is courtesy of NFLDraftScout.com. All contract information is courtesy of Spotrac.

Scott Carasik is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He covers the Atlanta Falcons, college football, the NFL and the NFL draft. He's also a Draft Analyst for Pro Football Spot.

Follow @ScottCarasik