Zach Charbonnet Draft Profile and Scouting Report
Zach Charbonnet Scouting Report: UCLA Bruins, Running Back, #24
2023 NFL Draft Measurements
6’1” / 220 lbs.
Zach Charbonnet 40-Time – 4.40 (estimate)
Zach Charbonnet Draft Profile
Charbonnet is a former 4-star recruit out of Oaks Christian High School in Westlake Village, California. According to 247sports, he was the 6th-best player coming out of California. While achieving this status, he received offers from 25 Division I programs. Some of these schools include Wisconsin, Michigan, UCLA, and USC. After only making an official visit to Michigan, he decided to play for the Wolverines.
According to ESPN, in his first season at Michigan, he ran the ball 149 times for 726 yards and 11 touchdowns. During his second season, he played significantly fewer snaps. He only ran the ball 19 times for 124 yards and a touchdown. After this season, he decided to enter his name into the transfer portal where he transferred to UCLA. During his 2021 season, he ran the ball 202 times for 1,137 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also racked up 24 receptions for 197 yards. Although this was good enough for him to get drafted, he returned to UCLA for one more season to up his draft stock. This season, he rushed for 1,359 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had 37 receptions for 321 yards.
Zach Charbonnet Strengths
Athleticism
Although Charbonnet may not be the quickest back in this draft, he is very hard to stop. He has a solid burst of speed which allows him to quickly shoot through a gap in the line. Once he reaches the 2nd level, he has a variety of ways to make defenders miss. Given he is a bigger back, he can drop his shoulder and level them. He is also surprisingly elusive in open field. But he is scariest when he has green grass in front of him because he is like a freight train. Once he reaches his top speed, you do not want to get in his way.
Play Strength
As I briefly mentioned above, Charbonnet is one of the biggest backs in this draft class. With the ball in his hands, it is almost impossible to tackle him because he is stronger than a lot of defenders. This is also very present when he is pass-blocking. Although he doesn’t have the best technique, he can easily hold his ground at the point of attack.
Yards After Contact
Zach Charbonnet is one of the best in the nation at racking up yards after contact. His very strong upper and lower body allows him to drop his shoulder and knock defenders to the ground. When running through congested areas, he is good at maintaining balance and navigating through the traffic. This allows him to shed tackles in the middle of the line and rack up loads of yards. If a defender is able to get ahold of his legs, he does an excellent job of staying balanced and fighting for a few extra yards. This makes him very reliable in 3rd and short situations.
Vision
When handed the ball in the backfield, Charbonnet shows a lot of patience to let his lineman establish their block. This often opens a lane for him to run and once he gets going, it is hard to bring him down. If the play begins to break down, he has the ability to get creative. There were many plays from this past season where the defense clogged every possible lane. Without any hesitation, Charbonnet took off to the outside where he could use his speed and strength to shed tackles.
Zach Charbonnet Weaknesses
Hands
There is a lot to love about Charbonnet’s game, but I do have concerns surrounding his hands. Throughout his collegiate career, he has not had a major presence in the passing game. When the ball was thrown his way, he occasionally dropped some easy catches. Both of these things make me believe he is best fit for a run-heavy offense.
Zach Charbonnet Draft Stock
As of today, nflmockdraftdatabase has Zach Charbonnet as the 64th overall prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft. After watching his film and seeing what he brings to an NFL team, he should be ranked higher. I have Charbonnet ranked as the 3rd best running back in this draft behind Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. Although he is my number 3 running back, he could be the 2nd one taken off the board. So, I think he will get drafted in the middle of the 2nd round.
Final Thoughts on Zach Charbonnet Scouting Report
Zach Charbonnet made a good decision by returning to UCLA for one more season. In just one season, he went from a mid-late round sleeper to one of the most polished backs in the nation. He is an incredible athlete who can punish defenses in a variety of ways. When bracing for impact, he can drop his shoulder and level a defender. He can also elude defenders in open field to rack up extra yards. The only concern that I have about his game is his presence in the passing game. He has not had a big presence so far in his career. When he is thrown the ball, he occasionally dropped easy catches. If you want to read another take on Charbonnet, check out fellow DraftDive Analyst Jonah’s take on him from last season. Check out the report here.
He’s my number one running back in the NFL Draft, making him my first wildly unpopular take of the year that will eventually be right. -Jonah
Zach Charbonnet Player Comparison
When watching Charbonnet’s film, he reminded me a lot of Leonard Fournette when he was at LSU. Although Fournette was a more polished prospect in college, they have very similar play styles.
Zach Charbonnet Scouting Report and Player Profile Analyst – Matthew Lewis
