RB, Missouri

Larry Rountree NFL Draft Prospect Report

What is there to like about this young man? The answer is a lot. I sat down to watch film on Missouri safety Josh Bledsoe and found myself more intrigued by the senior running back. I couldn’t stop watching him make plays when it seemed there wasn’t a play to be made.

His patience and vision wowed me again and again. Many say he doesn’t have break away speed but one thing he does have is initial burst. When he plants and drives, he separates from defenders quickly. He isn’t the biggest nor the smallest back, however he is built to last and take a hit and keep going. In the film he routinely takes hits and keeps his balance. He isn’t Alvin Kamara but I couldn’t help but see similarities to Kamara’s college film regarding his balance an ability to stay on his feet after contact.

Positives

Rountree seems to not have many holes in his game. He isn’t the best receiving back in the class but you can rely on him to catch passes out of the backfield and make a play. He is more than adequate on screens and swing passes and a QB can trust him to haul it in most of the time. Against the rush I don’t see him make the wrong read often, however he doesn’t always lock up his blitzer. That being said, I believe he is above average there and will improve with good coaching. He could be even better than we have seen, but playing for Missouri he didn’t always get the chance to showcase his talent.

Alabama

Against Alabama we didn’t get to see how he can perform against elite talent because they fall behind and he is relegated to mostly blocking and pass catching. The few runs you do get to watch seem to impress. Not every carry is a big one, but overall he shows he can produce against NFL talent.

Prediction

In the end this young man has earned his place as the most productive running back in Missouri history with 40 TD’s. He impressed at the Senior Bowl and is beloved by his teammates. Some even call him “The Modern Jim Brown,” a claim Larry himself is quick to dismiss. As a GM I believe the upside someone like Rountree posses later in the draft is too much to pass on and whoever picks him will be getting a steal. -Ken Noble

Introduction

Larry Rountree III was productive during his time at Missouri. Rountree has nice size, 216 lbs. and he plays like a “big” back. Rountree is strong running between the tackles. He’s not going to make the Barry Sanders type runs, juking defenders out in the backfield. The good news for Rountree is that he’s a great north south runner.

Positives

Rountree has great vision, he finds the correct hole to run through. I like that Rountree is quick to the hole as well. As Ken mentioned, Rountree is quick, not fast, but that works for him. He keeps his feet moving which is huge for next level play. His balance is truly impressive, as he takes hits and keeps going.

He didn’t put up numbers at the Senior Bowl, but he looked sharp in drills. Also, he played against the SEC defenses when Missouri was a bad team and he produced. He was the lead back after Drew Lock left, and the Tigers did not have a strong passing game to keep defenses honest.

Projection

Rountree’s hands seem good, but they’re really untested, his season high for catches is 15. He returned kicks in 2017, so there’s potential for him to contribute on special teams as well. One thing that I really like about Rountree, more than Ken, is his pass blocking ability. He has shown the ability to pick up the rush at a much higher level than most rookie running backs. Rountree can definitely be a steal, he has the skills to potentially start for an NFL team. -Jonah Anderson