NFL Draft Profile - Virginia Tech Running Back Bhayshul Tuten

Virginia Tech, and the ACC generally, have some really well rounded prospects in this year’s NFL Draft, and the Hokies’ bell cow running back fits that bill. He’s currently projected around the 8th-10th running back slot, shuffling as high as a second-round pick and as low as round four. Although he’s not the perfect prospect at running back, he has all of the pieces to become elite at the NFL level.

ATHLETICISM:

Undoubtedly this is one of the best parts of Tuten’s game. In every place teams want Tuten to be physical, he is. Despite a 5-foot-8 frame, he broke tackles among some of the best in college football, and at one point last season he led the FBS in broken tackles per rush. Tuten has the ability to bounce off of tacklers really well, likely because he seems out that type of contact while he’s running. Every part of his body is powerful, and any poor-form tackle will never get Bhayshul to the ground. Also important to mention, the speed. There’s no official measurables yet, but Bhayshul has game-breaking speed, that when mixed with tackle-breaking ability, can cause some huge home run plays. He often looks for, and can find, the edge quite quickly while he’s running. That part may be the hardest to translate to the NFL, with how fast professional linebackers are, but speed kills, and Tuten has all of it when it comes to speed.

PASS GAME:

There are some untested waters here.

Although Tuten is physically great in the passing game, there’s not much to work with, as Virginia Tech didn’t especially use their running backs in the pass game in 2024. There are some things that are still true of Tuten in the vertical game. When receiving, he has the same type of body control that helps him break off those tackles. He’s got a low center of gravity, and has no problem catching inaccurate balls. His route running could be a question mark, but again, those are untested waters for the most part. His tools fit really well in the screen game, he can use the blocks to his advantage to make moves in space. The one bit of his pass game that’s a little shaky is his pass protection. Looking at the raw pass-pro stats, his protection looks fine, but that’s mostly because of his scrappy mentality when it comes to protection. He can often set a block, but his tendency to move out of his frame or drop his head, is worrisome. That part of his game could be developed.

OTHER:

This is where Bhayshul Tuten’s previous experience as a kick returner slots in. He has some big-play potential as a returner, even if that’s not his primary draft role. The other bit of his game that’s wasn’t mentioned earlier that could scare away some teams, is Tuten’s ball security. Bhayshul did have some occasional ball security issues in college, which is his biggest concern heading into the NFL draft.

SUMMARY:

As some other outlets would agree, Tuten seems like a player that’s going to be a steal in this year’s NFL draft. He’s got all the traits of an elite starter in the NFL, yet he’s behind some of the other elite running back prospects in this draft. If this running back class is as historic as it seems, Tuten will definitely be a part of that.

Additional Links:

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