One key drill for NC State runner Zonovan Knight at the Combine
If there’s one NC State player that needs to nail the 2022 NFL Combine it’s NC State running back Zonovan Knight. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu is not only locked in as a top 10 player in the draft but could be the first pick. So instead of focusing on the top pick, we’re going to take a look at Knight to show why he needs to impress to push himself into the middle rounds of the draft.
Zonovan Knight: Football player
Film junkies have probably already fallen in love with Zonovan Knight’s tape. He’s the tough, scrappy, physical sort of runner that never goes down on first contact. Knight has an innate sense of wiggle out of arm tackles and can run through contact with superb balance. His ability to pick up extra yards and erase mistakes from offensive linemen is well-documented. According to PFF, Knight forced 47 missed tackles last season on 139 rushes or about 34% of his carries. That’s a quality number for a runner. His yards after contact were solid, generating 3.4 yards-per-carry after contact.
That’s the profile of a high-floor runner in the NFL that can do the dirty work and keep drives alive.
But Speed is King
Yet, that’s not what teams draft for, and it’s not what gets you noticed early on in the selection process. For Knight to improve his draft stock (not ranked in the top 10 of his position by any significant scouting expert or service), he’ll need to show what he didn’t do on film; speed.
Knight is not a burner by any means and struggles to take a good run and make it unique by running past second-level defenders. To garner consideration as a mid-round pick, which is where most running backs are selected now, he’ll have to run in the 4.5s for his 40-yard dash. That would be faster than any time the Wolfpacker has heard he clocked at NC State.
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The numbers back that up as well. Knight had only 11 runs of 15 yards or last season. Last season, his 287 yards generated on those runs rank 39th among draft-eligible tailbacks.
It may seem like a small thing, but running a 4.52 would be a win for Knight. Speed drills and professional training for the combine can do wonders, but can he achieve that time? At 5-11, 210 pounds, Knight has good size but isn’t a 225-pound bruising power back that can get away with a lack of speed.
Running back is a challenging position in the NFL. On the one hand, players at that position are some of the most incredible athletes on the field. On the other hand, they have the strength to run through defensive linemen, the speed to outrun safeties, and the toughness to absorb collisions with linebackers. Knight has most of these qualities and should perform well at most of the athletic measurement tests in Indianapolis. But the NFL pays for home runs, and Knight has to prove he can hit those.
