The NFL Draft is only a few weeks away and will occur in the great state of Ohio. The first round kicks off in Cleveland on April 29th and there will no doubt be a few Ohio State football players hear their name called, including quarterback Justin Fields who we highlighted a few days ago.
Our goal in this series is to find the best comparisons possible for current Buckeye prospects and then also provide a comparison to a former Ohio State alum, which is a bit of a tougher task. Today we are diving into running back, Trey Sermon who will likely be a mid-round target.
Player Profile
Name: Trey Sermon
Position: Running Back
Height: 6-1 (Pre Pro-Day)
Weight: 215 pounds
Trey Sermon: powerful inside runner, with good feet, makes the unblocked guy miss in the backfield on the regular. Runs with good pad level. Has good patience, vision and feel . Love him on inside zone runs. Willing pass blocker, not a lot of reps, but has decent hands. 4th rd gr
— Basheer Umar Pemberton (@MuslimFBScout) March 28, 2021
NEXT … The closest all-around comp to Sermon
All-around Comparison: Kareem Hunt
Hunt was drafted in the third round of the 2017 draft to the Kansas City Chiefs and was an absolute star immediately earning a trip to the Pro Bowl & Rookie of the Year. He wound up in some off-field trouble before finding his way to the Cleveland Browns in 2019 and has been there since.
Both prospects had very productive college careers and have elite feet for their sizes, but Hunt was a much better prospect than Sermon. It is unlikely Sermon matches the success Hunt has had and that is in large part due to his lack of patience when running with the ball. They are similar style athletes, but Hunt runs with a feel that few backs have. Sermon is a very solid player that can start in the NFL, but will never offer game-breaking ability.
Highest missed tackle rate per touch since 2019
🔹 Mike Davis – 27%
🔹 Nick Chubb – 27%
🔹 Kareem Hunt – 26% pic.twitter.com/i947yWMRAb— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) March 23, 2021
NEXT … Best former Ohio State comp
Fields’ best Buckeye Comparison: Ezekiel Elliott
Elliott was drafted in the first round of the 2016 draft to the Dallas Cowboys and despite struggling this past season has been phenomenal since entering the league. Elliott is a three-time Pro Bowler and has been named an All-Pro twice, once on the first team and once on the second team.
Sermon is not Elliott and will likely not even sniff the success Elliott has had as a pro. They do have a few key similar traits though as they both have displayed elite burst to go with unique power and the balance to bounce off would-be tacklers. The biggest difference between the two is Elliott has fantastic vision and Sermon often leaves yards in the field.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott’s $12.4M 2022 base salary is fully guaranteed. The $12.4M was guaranteed for injury at signing.
— Joel Corry (@corryjoel) March 22, 2021
Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion.
