Ty Chandler Scouting Report and NFL Draft Profile

 

North Carolina, Running Back, #19

 

Ty Chandler Scouting Report Measurements

5’11”, 204 lbs.

40 time: 4.38

Ty Chandler NFL Draft Prospect Report

Ty Chandler is a former 4 star running back out of Tennessee. Chandler was Mr. Football in Tennessee twice, including 2015 when he racked up 2,558 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns. He followed that up in 2016 with 2,252 rushing yards and 39 touchdowns. This kind of production gave him a lot of options in colleges to attend. Unsurprisingly, the list of colleges who offered Chandler is quite impressive. LSU, USC, Notre Dame, Georgia and Ohio State are highlights of his offers. Heck, Vanderbilt offered him a scholarship in 2013, Chandler’s sophomore year in high school. Chandler decided to stay in Tennessee and go to Knoxville to be a Volunteer. 

College

As a freshman in 2017, Chandler saw the field as a running back and returner. He carried the ball 71 times for 305 yards and two touchdowns, including 122 yards against Kentucky. In 2018, Chandler took over. He led the Volunteers with 630 yards on 115 carries. Chandler added four rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns. This was good enough to lead the team in total touchdowns and receiving touchdowns. 

In 2019 it was more of the same from Chandler. He lead Tennessee in rushing yards with 655 yards on 135 carries and three touchdowns. Chandler did all this while being the Volunteers main kick returner as well. 2020 was an odd year for Ty Chandler. Eric Gray was the lead ball carrier, while Chandler turned 100 carries into 463 yards and four touchdowns. Chandler decided he wasn’t done with his college career and transferred to the University of North Carolina for the 2021 NCAA season. He left Tennessee with the fifth most yards from scrimmage in school history.

Grad Transfer

Chandler finally got to be a feature back for a decent offense with the Tar Heels. He took 182 carries and turned those into 1,092 yards and 13 touchdowns, including 213 yards against Wake Forest. Chandler also added 15 receptions for 216 yards and a touchdown. This year was considered his breakout season and Chandler is now an intriguing prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Ty Chandler Strengths

Athleticism

Chandler’s athleticism has been on display for years if you’ve been paying attention. He made it official at the NFL Combine in March by running a 4.38 40 yard dash and broad jumping 121 inches. The broad jump is often overlooked by the casual fan, but it is a good indicator of explosive athleticism. Fans have seen Chandler make enough explosive plays that this isn’t surprising. 

Versatility

At Tennessee, Chandler was leading the team in receiving categories and he showed receiving ability at North Carolina as well. He’s got the fifth most yards from scrimmage in Tennessee history. Chandler is a three down back, he can run and he can catch. He’s not just a dump off guy either. Chandler can run routes and looks smooth catching the ball downfield. Chandler even lined up in the slot occasionally. It is evident that he is very comfortable as a receiver. He even pass blocks well, much better than most rookie running backs and some NFL veterans.

An overlooked talent that will help him at the next level is his kick return ability. He returned kicks at Tennessee for three years and even returned six for North Carolina this year. Running backs are devalued in the NFL today. But a running back, receiver and kick returner that only takes up one roster spot is a big positive.

Vision

Chandler has excellent vision when running the ball. He sees his blocks and follows them. A team can count on Chandler running the ball to the correct spot, basically the opposite of that Trent Richardson photo. Chandler’s patience is a big piece of his vision, so much so that it may deserve its own highlight as a strength. I’m going to lump them together though. Chandler lets his blocks develop, he gives them time. Being quick to the line of scrimmage sounds like a good thing, however a running back can hurt themselves if they hit the line before their blocks can set up. He is also good at doing this downfield, letting the receivers set up blocks to turn long runs into longer ones.

Fresh Legs

Ty Chandler hasn’t carried the ball more than 182 times in a college season. He may be a graduate student at North Carolina, but he doesn’t have the wear and tear of most four year running backs, let alone five. Chandler has also never had a serious injury. Through my research I was able to find that he was banged up a bit when he was at Tennessee, but he played through his injuries. Seems like just last year we were talking about a rookie running back from North Carolina who had kept himself fresh and he looked pretty strong in the NFL.

Ty Chandler Weaknesses

Goes down too easy

I want to see Chandler break more tackles. It’s clear he’s a tough runner watching film, but a lot of the time he is tackled at first contact. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. He’s got decent size, though I suppose that gaining 10-15 pounds of muscle could help him. Chandler could also take some advice from Lil John and the East Side Boyz and get low. Low man wins, and defenders seem to be able to get lower than him. Whatever it is, at this time Chandler isn’t breaking enough tackles to be truly elite. 

Elusiveness

Ty Chandler can’t run through people, and he doesn’t make them miss enough. He’s a great athlete, but he needs more moves, more jukes and spins. Chandler has had plenty of big plays in his career, but he relies more on his vision and pure athleticism. It’s odd, because I usually talk about defensive lineman developing moves, but it’s the same line of thinking here. He needs to spend this offseason developing those jukes and jumps. If Chandler can’t run over people, he needs to figure out how to juke them out of their shoes. I think he could pick these up quickly as his athleticism isn’t an issue. Maybe he should just play more Madden and see how the truck and juke sticks work.

Ty Chandler Draft Stock

Chandler looks like a day three pick to me. I’d be comfortable taking him in the fifth round. He’s so close to having it all, but he still needs to be able to beat defenders when they get close. With that being said, he’s likely an immediate starter on kick returns and a valuable part of a running back committee. His pass catching is different from what we’re used to seeing from running backs. He’s one of a very few running backs who can run a wheel route 40 yards downfield and look as comfortable as a receiver. A year or two of NFL coaching and he could develop into an elite all around running back.

NFL Comparison

James White of the New England Patriots. Chandler and White are a similar size, are excellent receiving backs, but don’t push the pile when running. White was even a committee running back and kick returner in college much like Chandler was for most of his career. Chandler is more athletic than White, so that is a good sign for his NFL future. A more athletic James White will be appealing to a lot of teams.