Georgia Football: D'Andre Swift NFL Draft Status as Number One Back is in Jeopardy
D'Andre Swift held his own, with a solid performance at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine. However, a strong performance, by one of his peers, puts the Georgia Football star's bid to be the first running back selected this year in jeopardy.
Despite suffering a shoulder injury late last season, Georgia Football catalyst D'Andre Swift decided to participate in the NFL draft combine. Swift did as well as expected, despite his injury limiting his participation to a degree.
Yet a strong challenge from prospect Jonathan Taylor has now split opinions on who will be the top running back taken in next month's 2020 NFL Draft.
D'Andre Swift ran a 40-yard dash that lived up to his name. His official time of 4.48 checked in at number six among running backs participating in the 2020 NFL Draft Combine. Yet he was beaten by Jonathan Taylor in the event. Taylor ran blazing fast 4.39 to take the top spot in the highlight event for speed-based players.
Despite not topping the field, the 4.48 time proves that D'Andre Swift has elite-level NFL speed, and helps solidify his position as one of the top homerun threats among tailback prospects. Georgia Bulldogs graduate Brian Herrien ran a 4.62 in the event to tie for 20th at the position.
In the Vertical Jump, D'Andre Swift tied for the No. 14 spot with a jump of 35.5". Johnathan Taylor was barley better finishing tied for No. 12 with a jump of 36". A.J. Dillion of Boston College took the top spot with an NBA quality vertical leap of 41".
D'Andre Swift's former teammate Brian Herrien got the best of him in this event with a jump of 38.5", good enough to finish seventh. One would imagine difficulty fully extending on a bad shoulder could have had an adverse effect on Swift's performance in this event.
The Broad Jump event saw D'Andre Swift jump 121 inches. A.J. Dillion again took the top spot showing his hops with a jump of 131 inches. Similar to the Vertical Jump, D'Andre Swift was again edged by Jonathan Taylor who jumped 2 inches further at 123. This placed Taylor in a five-way tie for ninth place among running backs.
Regardless of the numbers Swift certainly uses his vertical and broad jumping abilities well on the field, having several highlight plays in which he was able to leap over defenders to gain extra yardage.
Though D'Andre Swift put together a solid performance at the 2020 NFL Combine, teams will have a tough choice between him and Johnathan Taylor at the NFL Draft.
RB, Jonathan Taylor
Not only did Taylor best Swift in every event, but he also has more on-field production. Both men are three-year performers for their respective teams, but Taylor has had the benefit of being the feature back in a more workhorse oriented offense. He carted the ball 440 more times than Swift, en route to rushing for a career 6174 yards and an astounding 50 touchdowns. Swift, on the other hand, amassed 2,885 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns on the ground, playing on a committee oriented offense with the Georgia Bulldogs.
To my surprise, Taylor also narrowly edges Swift in yards per carry, 6.7 to 6.6.
D'Andre Swift has certainly done more damage through the air than his competitor Jonathan Taylor. Both men have five career receiving touchdowns, but Swift has racked up 31 more catches and 259 more yards in the passing game. Taylor wasn't seen as much of a threat in the passing game, prior to an explosion in the area this past season, whereas D'Andre has always been a threat in the area.
D'Andre Swift and Jonathan Taylor still have Pro Day opportunities to improve and make their case to be the 2020 NFL Draft's No. 1 running back. The interview process and pass blocking will factor into teams' decision on rather to go with the more productive back in Taylor or the man with less wear and tear in Swift. The draft picture typically gets clearer as the event inches closer. However, I suspect this is a decision that could come down to the wire.
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