Gerrid Doaks may have just landed in the ideal spot for him. With the Dolphins hotly tipped to take one of the top three running backs in the 2021 NFL Draft, they instead waited until day 3 and pick 246 to land the Cincinnati Bearcats running back.
While most fans will not have known the name of Gerrid Doaks before the draft, the 6-foot 228-pounder is likely to capture a lot of attention once camp begins. He’s a big bruising back who moulds himself after Adrian Peterson and Derrick Henry. While he doesn’t have the burst or elusively of Peterson, comparisons to the running style of Henry are solid.
GERRID DOAKS HAS SOME NASTY IN HIS RUN
It is almost certain that Brian Flores left his seat when he saw this run by Doaks:
Whether it’s legal in the NFL is irrelevant for what it tells us about the player. He is big, and he is happy to use it. Prior to the draft Doaks had this to say about that run, “I absolutely remember that. My mindset is that the fastest way to the end zone is a straight line. If you get in my way, I might as well punish you.”
If that doesn’t sound exactly like a Brian Flores guy I’m not sure what does. But if you have any doubt read what he said he wants from his rookie year, and what teams are getting with him:
“Take every opportunity one step at a time. I really want to make a 53-man roster and help out a team any way I can, whether it’s at running back or on special teams. You’re getting a hard-working player who’s not a self-centered guy. I’m just ready to play football, make the team better, and win championships.”
In his years with the Bearcats, Doaks had 331 rushes for 1,711 yards and 14 touchdowns. A full 33.1% of his yardage came on runs of 15+ yards, he forced 53 missed tackles and average 3.36 yards after contact per carry.
He’s not much of a receiving threat with 36 catches for 407 yards and 4 drops, but that’s something that’s not a huge part of his game. He’s a bruiser through the line, exactly what the Dolphins need. In his senior year PFF graded him an 87.4 for pass blocking, which ranked him 4th in the country among running backs.
This is a good kid, with a team first ethic, who loves to hit people and make the tough yards.
Draft Network had this to say about him, “Doaks is a big and powerful back that runs angry and explodes into contact. He’s outstanding in pass protection and is aggressive with everything he does on the field. While he was underutilized as a receiving threat in college, the opportunities he did receive to catch the football produced impressive results and I believe there is some untapped potential regarding that component of his game. For a bigger back, Doaks has more quickness and elusiveness than expected. “
SO WHY DID GERRID DOAKS DROP TO THE 7TH
Over the course of his college career the one major knock on Gerrid Doaks was his injuries. Missing 3 games in 2017 with a leg injury, and then the whole of the 2018 campaign with a sports hernia, and then missing the Peach Bowl with another leg injury . They’re not the most troubling of injuries, and not ones that should give him any long term issues in the NFL.
However, missing 15 games out of a max 48 game college career isn’t ideal and clearly led to his fall down every teams draft board.
I’ll leave you with another little look into the mind of Gerrid Doaks. Which three people, dead or alive, would he have a dinner party? “I would say Dave Chappelle, Kobe Bryant, and Marshawn Lynch because they all can bring something different to the table I can learn from especially from a professional aspect.”
He’s an easy kid to root for, and if he can stay injury free the future looks bright for him and the Miami Dolphins.
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