2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report: RB Joshua Kelley

Big Board ranking: #45

Positional ranking: #5

 

Overview

Position: RB

College: UCLA

Class: Senior (RS)

Age: 22

 

Measurables

Height: 5’10 5/8”

Weight: 212 lbs.

Arm length: 31 5/8”

Hand size: 9 5/8”

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.49 sec.

Vertical jump: 31.0”

Broad jump: 121.0”

Bench press: 23 reps

3-cone drill: 6.95 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.28 sec.

 

Strengths

Smooth runner. Superb overall vision and feel. Well-built frame with good power. Light feet and great agility for his size. Very instinctive and decisive. Sees the hole and hits it. Recognizes cutback opportunities. Will get north to pick up positive yards when nothing is there rather than dancing. Has ideal patience. Allows blocks to set up and does an excellent job following them. Will push the line of scrimmage before bouncing runs. Plus speed when he gets to the second level. Can acceleration to capture the edge. Exceptional contact balance. Strength allows him to rip through arm tackles. Determined to fight through initial contact. Runs with subtleness/wiggle to force missed tackles in space. Great hands. Good in pass protection. Covers up the ball in traffic. Has a nose for the end zone. Very high character.

 

Weaknesses

Lacks elite explosiveness. Doesn’t possess an assortment of ball-carrier moves. Has the skillset to expand route tree but was limited in college.

 

NFL comparison

David Johnson

 

Conclusion

Overall, Kelley is a natural runner with tremendous vision/patience, impressive strength, and light feet in a well-built frame. When you also factor in his A+ character, I think Kelley should be a top-50 selection as a guy that has shown the ability to succeed as either a workhorse or committee leader.