From now until the 2021 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to showcase as many prospects as possible and examine both their strengths and weaknesses. Most of these profiles will feature individuals that the Pittsburgh Steelers are likely to have an interest in, while a few others will be top-ranked players. If there is a player you would like us to analyze, let us know in the comments below.
#10 Javian Hawkins/RB/Louisville/5’9”, 185 Lbs
The Good
-Quick, elusive playmaker with legitimate home run speed out of the backfield
-Rare acceleration for the position; consistently finds another gear
-Excels on outside runs where he can plant and go around the corner
-Good overall vision and showed improved patience in 2020
-Flashed strong hands in limited reps in passing game
-Dynamic, twitchy athlete that is an angle destroyer
-Underrated strength as a runner in tight
The Bad
-Small, slight build for the position that won’t allow him to handle heavy workload
-Lacks overall contact balance and gets cut down too easily by secondary defenders
-Tends to freestyle too much in the backfield
-Searches for home run on every touch; needs to learn to take what’s there
-Willing pass protector but does not have the strength to hold up
-Route tree is almost non-existent
Bio
-Played in 23 career games for Louisville
-Rushed for 2,355 yards and 16 touchdowns on 399 career carries
-Added 21 career catches for 189 yards
-Recorded career year in 2019, rushing for 1,525 yards for the most by a running back in school history
-Named Second Team All-ACC in 2019
-Ended up opting out of rest of 2020 season in late November
-Nickname is “Playstation”
Tape Breakdown
Nicknamed “Playstation” Louisville’s standout running back Javian Hawkins sure lived up to the video game moniker throughout his Cardinal career, rushing for 2,355 yards on 399 touches, including a single-season Cardinal record 1,525 as a redshirt freshman in 2019.