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Dameon Pierce NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Houston Texans' RB
April 30, 2022
HEIGHT: 5'9 5/8"
WEIGHT: 218
HAND: 9 3/8"
ARM: 30 3/4"
WINGSPAN: 6'1 5/8"
40-YARD DASH: 4.59
3-CONE: DNP
SHUTTLE: DNP
VERTICAL: 34.5"
BROAD: 9'11"
POSITIVES
— Thick build with a low center of gravity.
— Good one-cut ability up the field. Impressive burst when he decides to go.
— More fluid mover in space than his build suggests.
— Very good balance and power. Runs low and consistently bounces off the first tackler.
— Good baseline pass-catcher. Can handle work out of the backfield.
— Brings it as a blocker, both in pass pro and as a lead run-blocker. Physical player.
NEGATIVES
— Can struggle to throttle up and down once he gets rolling.
— Middling elusiveness at the second level in one-on-one situations.
— Prone to losing his footing and balance when trying to stop/start.
— Decent long speed but will not be a home run threat.
— Topped out at 106 carries in a season. Has not proved he can be the full-time back.
2021 STATISTICS
13 G, 100 ATT, 574 YDS (5.7 AVG), 13 TD, 19 REC, 216 YDS (11.4 AVG), 3 TD
NOTES
— 4-star recruit in 2018.
— Four-year contributor. Spent final two seasons as the lead back in a committee.
OVERALL
Dameon Pierce is a stout, explosive runner with just enough value on passing downs to be a good role player in the NFL.
At 5'10" and 218 pounds, Pierce is built like and runs like a bowling ball. He runs with low pad level and impressive strength in his lower body to bounce tacklers off of him. When combined with his tough and physical rushing style, Pierce is a real force between the tackles who consistently falls forward for yardage. Pierce also brings good burst through the line of scrimmage. He is more of a one-cut guy than someone who can stop-and-start effectively, but he gains ground in a hurry off that one cut.
Pierce's downfalls as a runner are mostly related to elusive and long speed. Though relatively smooth navigating the second level, Pierce does not have great elusiveness for one-on-one situations. He struggles to make players miss and immediately accelerate out of the move. That can also show up when things get cluttered at the line of scrimmage, leaving Pierce to just slam ahead into the wreckage. Additionally, Pierce's long speed is nothing to write home about. He has the initial burst to pick up chunk gains, but he will not be threatening too many long runs.
On passing downs, Pierce does nothing special, but he clears the bar. He catches the ball comfortably out of the backfield and has enough burst to flash effective YAC ability. In pass pro, Pierce's work was a bit limited at Florida, but he did show an energetic attitude when taking defenders on. Florida also asked Pierce to lead block on quarterback runs a fair amount, which he did with impressive physicality and strength.
Pierce's profile is limited by not having any special traits. The explosive play potential is not there right now. That being said, Pierce's balance, burst and hard-nosed rushing style, mixed with his decent skills on third down, should make him a viable rotational player right out of the gate with the potential to become a low-end starter down the road.
GRADE: 6.6 (Potential Role Player - 4th Round)
OVERALL RANK: 143
POSITION RANK: RB10
PRO COMPARISON: Alfred Morris
Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen