Brenden Knox NFL Draft 2021: Scouting Report for Dallas Cowboys RB

HEIGHT: 5'10 3/4"

WEIGHT: 215 lbs

POSITIVES

—Good, thick build with a strong lower body.

—Plays with a natural low center of gravity and good foot quickness. Consistently shows his change-of-direction and stop-start ability when jump-cutting and setting up defenders for blocks.

—Runs with above-average contact balance and play strength that pairs well with his shiftiness. Not bothered by arm tackles and runs with toughness.

—Good vision and tempo on his runs. Does a good job of combining his quickness with his vision to set up a hole before jump-cutting to it. Very efficient runner who is going to make the most out of what's blocked for him because of his tempo and vision.

—Good on pass protection. Competitive and tough player and is more than willing. Shows good hands when the ball does come his way in the passing game.

—Excellent ball security. Only one fumble in career.

—Contributor on special teams early in college career.

NEGATIVES

—Below-average long speed and really struggles to open up once he gets to the second level. Knows what he is for better or worse and at times will be too focused on running away from defenders once he's at the intermediate level as opposed to just playing.

—He does not play soft, but he does have times where he anticipates contact at the second level and slows his feet down.

—Limited production in the passing game.

—Can be a little too cute at times with his cuts and when he's setting up blocks with one too many cuts.

2020 STATISTICS

9 G, 185 att., 887 yards, 4.8 avg., 9 TD, 7 rec., 86 yards, 1 TD

NOTES

—2019 C-USA MVP

OVERALL

Brenden Knox is a well-built RB with the skill set to be a contributor on all three downs in the NFL. Knox plays with good bend and a low center of gravity and wins with good vision and foot quickness that he combines with tempo and an understanding for setting up his blockers at the second level. Knox will consistently run with above-average contact balance and will run through softer arm tackles from the side, but he will have times that he anticipates contact head-on and slows down his feet. He plays with good overall competitiveness that also shows up in pass protection.

Knox is quicker than fas. He is a singles hitter who has issues when attempting to open up at the second level because of his below-average long speed, so while he does a good job of consistently getting to the second level with his vision and shiftiness, he ends up leaving some meat on the bone for a potential home run.

Overall, Knox could fit in nicely as a three-down backup with some potential for special teams because of his size and toughness. He will efficiently keep an offense ahead of the sticks if it's blocked up but won't create explosive plays on run downs and has the size and mindset to be a contributor in pass protection.

GRADE: 6.8/10 (5th-6th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 192/300

POSITION RANK: RB14

PRO COMPARISON: Corey Clement

Written by B/R NFL Scout Nate Tice