2023 NFL Draft: Tyjae Spears Makes Massive Impact at Senior Bowl
Serda’s is bustling.
Like any other morning, the local coffee shop in downtown Mobile, Alabama, is busy. One hot coffee to go. Another caramel latte and cinnamon & raisin bagel were enjoyed out front on Royal Street at one of their dinette tables made for two.
A typical day with locals grabbing their morning “cup of Joe,” and not for one of the over 4,000 credentialed individuals associated in one way or another with the National Football League.
With the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl come and gone. It’s back to normal for those who call Mobile home.
No signs of NFL personnel or the barrage of media flood the streets of downtown.
Plenty of memories to ponder after another trip to the south. The annual gathering at Wintzell’s for dinner. Drinks at the Haberdasher that eventually lead to a nightcap at Veet’s.
When the memory of actual football related activities surfaces in my cranium, one player stands above the rest.
Tyjae Spears, the 5-foot-9 and 204-pound running back out of Tulane, was sensational.
“It felt really good,” Spears said, regarding everyone witnessing his big play ability. “Just got to say thanks to the big boys up front. We got a great group out here at the Senior Bowl this year.”
Giving props to the offensive line, Spears was reluctant to give any self-praise.
“I appreciate you. Y’all big boys if y’all watching.”
It shouldn’t be any surprise Spears was having such a great week. After all, he has been doing this pretty much his entire football life.
“Man, I was scoring a lot, I ain’t going to lie,” Spears laughed when thinking back to his early days in pee-wee football. “I had a whole bunch of touchdowns.” I was doing like pro numbers back then (big grin). Now it got a little bit harder.”
As hard as it is against some of the best seniors in the country, Spears made it look easy. It’s not often that a certain player creates a buzz at practice. Time and time again, he was too good not to notice.
A bit undersized, one of his biggest attributes is simply toughness. That warrior demeanor was in full effect during pass protection drills. Spears dominated, although he would deflect those types of accolades being tossed his way.
“You got to take pride in blocking,” Spears said. “Also had some great competition from Aubrey Miller from Jackson State. We were going neck to neck. Back-to-back. Great competition.”
Again self-praise.
Any doubts about his ability to pass protect were erased. He put on a clinic. One could argue which was better - his pass protection or designation as a playmaker.
In his final season with the Green Wave, he rushed for 1,581 yards on 229 carries and 19 touchdowns. However, it was after the sixth game of the season that Spears became a force to be reckoned with.
To put it correctly. He could not be reckoned with.
Over the final eight weeks of the 2022 season, Spears transformed into one of the most lethal offensive weapons playing running back in college football.
He averaged 158.6 rushing yards per game with an astonishing 8.4 yards per carry, along with 13 touchdowns. He exceeded 200 yards rushing (205) against Southern Cal with a career high four touchdowns against the Trojans in the Green Waves’ 46-45 win in the Cotton Bowl.
Anyone who closely monitored Spears during his final season at Tulane probably wasn’t the bit at all surprised seeing him break off one long run after the next at practice during Senior Bowl week. Over the course of his final eight games, his long run per game was exquisite, with runs of 75, 22, 55, 70, 48, 25, 60, and 62 yards.
Sprinkled in between those long-distance runs were his 35-carries against Cincinnati for 181 yards and two touchdowns in Week 12. He followed that up with 39 carries for 404 rushing yards and six touchdowns in his last two games at Tulane.
It's needed to be mentioned that to parade his workhorse capability overshadowed by his penchant for making big-plays routine.
Spears carried that momentum of his final season at Tulane to the campus of South Alabama, where practices were held for the Senior Bowl.
“I wanted to show them I can play with a different type of competition,” Spears said on the impact he wanted to make on NFL teams. “We got some great guys competing out here. Coming from Tulane, that is the big question. Can I play against the bigger sized schools and all that. I hope I’m proving it to them and just take it one day at a time.”
Personally, I think teams might envision San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell when evaluating Spears. Each a native of Louisiana, Spears was raised in Ponchatoula, a little over hours east of Mitchell, and born in Erath, Louisiana. Mitchell played his college football at Louisiana and Spears at Tulane.
Mitchell, a sixth-round selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, has proven to be a steal for the 49ers. With nearly identical size and ability, Spears should benefit from Mitchell’s success in the NFL.
The NFL is known as a copycat league and if they witness one player having success and another with very similar characteristics. The decision is made a lot easier come draft day to feel comfortable making the selection.
When it comes to selecting Spears. What should teams expect?
“That they don’t have to take me off the field at all,” Spears said while flashing his bright smile. “No matter if it's first down, second down, third down or fourth down (Spears joked).”
Morning coffee at Serda’s.
Extremely late nights at the Haberdasher that concluded with a beer (preferably a Miller Highlife) at Veet’s. All fond memories of the recent trip to Mobile.
One memory above all from the 2023 Reese’s Senior Bowl stands alone.
The impact made by Tyjae Spears.
