2021 NFL Draft: 3 overhyped prospects led by Zach Wilson
By Hunter Neel
2. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
Again, this is a player I get why people are high on, I am just more hesitant to buy in on. There is no denying that Travis Etienne has a trump card that will likely make him a successful player no matter the caliber of success that falls into. His speed and acceleration are special and simply allow him to be a home run threat any time he touches the ball.
However, outside of that home run speed, what does Etienne bring to the table to make him a consistent three-down runner? He works wonders in a straight line but has his struggles in open space when asked to work laterally and does not show the same explosiveness we see in a straight line when changing directions. Etienne has fantastic contact balance, and that alone allows him to bounce off tacklers and be effective in more short-yardage situations. However, he is not as dynamic or elusive in condensed space as many make him out to be.
A lot has been said about Etienne as a pass-catcher. While yes it is true he has improved as a receiver and taken huge strides here, that doesn’t make him a complete product. Etienne put a lot of effort and work into becoming comfortable catching the football and while that is promising, it makes him more average as a pass catcher rather than elite or top tier. He runs very elementary routes and has okay hands.
Clemson focused a lot more on getting him the ball over the past two seasons but this mainly was so he can make things happen in space. Etienne really lacks the receiver profile of a top-tier receiving back and does not have the route tree that translates into a productive role here, at least early in his career.
Lastly, Etienne does not have good vision and this is where his pro projection gets a little more difficult. He sees the field well in open space or at the second level but really struggles to press the line of scrimmage and with his feelings for when/where holes are going to open up. Etienne also struggles to create for himself if nothing is available to him, which may cause some problems at the next level.