Isaiah Spiller an unlikely bet to continue first-round RB streak

Verdict

Without the ability to gash defenses with intimidating speed, Spiller looks to lack the upside needed to sniff the first-round and instead smacks of a day-two prospect that NFL teams will be happy to get on the field nice and early as a rookie given his obvious high floor.

Encouragement for Spiller may come from the fact Harris was taken in the first round, the former Crimson Tide star also far from being a burner who can break away from defenses.

But Harris has an X-factor in his combination of imposing size, elusiveness, and athleticism, which should allow him to strike fear into NFL defenses as he did to SEC opponents when he got into the open field.

While Spiller is a highly productive back that defenses can ill-afford to take lightly, he does not possess such a fear factor.

That is not necessarily a knock on Spiller. In the modern NFL where the efficiency of the passing game is now king, few defenses are going to be fearful of having to come down and stop the run.

Yet without a trait that forces opponents to pay him special attention, Spiller cannot be considered worthy of a first-round pick. For a running back to come off the board on day one next year, he may have to produce a transformative final collegiate season.