Matthew Dayes NFL Draft 2017: Scouting Report for Cleveland Browns' Pick

Measurables

Height	Weight	40 Time	Arm Length	Hand Size	3-Cone
5'8 5/8"	205 lbs	4.66s	N/A	N/A	7.26s

POSITIVES

Matthew Dayes’ quickness and acceleration are his greatest attributes. He gets to his top speed quickly, and can decelerate just as fast. He has great lateral quickness combined with a powerful one-cut-and-go mentality. Dayes has good vision to find cutback lanes, and he excels running behind pulling guards. He runs with great patience, anticipates holes that will open and understands his blockers’ assignments. He is difficult to tackle in the open field, consistently making defenders miss with his cutting ability. His lateral quickness in the open field translates well into his route-running ability. He has a developed route tree and leaves linebackers in the dust, creating separation and easy throwing windows for his quarterback. He shows good patience running screens, draws the defenders in and leaks out to create more open field for himself. Dayes consistently used his abilities to create big plays in the passing game. He averaged 9.5 yard per reception in his career. 

NEGATIVES

Dayes lacks power and too often gets stood up by defenses. This is not from a lack of effort, but rather from a lack of ability to drive the pile with his leg strength. Dayes has great quickness, but he lacks top-end speed, and without power, he doesn’t profile as an every-down back. Dayes has great cutting ability, but he gets away from it too often. He falls in love with his spin move, which rarely works on defenders. He needs to improve his balance and run with higher knees as he gets tripped up too often by ankle tackles. While he is an excellent receiving back, he needs to improve in pass protection. He looked uncomfortable stepping in when blocking and much more comfortable when helping a tackle on the edge. He will need to improve in this area for teams to make him a third-down back and take advantage of his receiving ability. With holes in his game that he is unlikely to fix, Dayes is likely limited to a being part of a committee.

PRO COMPARISON: Bilal Powell, New York Jets

FINAL GRADE: 5.80/9.00 (Future Starter—Round 3/4)

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