Branden Oliver 2014 NFL Draft Profile Part 2

BO had a great pro-day. How do his measurables match up to drafted RBs of the past and the NFL's bests?

Measurables

For measurables, I looked at the 40-yard dash, the Bench Press and the Broad jump. The dash is a measure of RB speed, the Bench Press upper body muscular endurance and strength and the Broad Jump lower body explosiveness. Those drills represent the core competencies of an effective running back. The average 40-time was 4.50, with the NFL's best backs running slightly faster at 4.48 seconds. The average bench press reps were 21, and the average broad jump was 120 inches.

40-Yard Dash

Chris Johnson's 4.24 is the king, but Lesean McCoy at 4.5 is the median 40-speed, and McCoy is considered one of the fastest in the game today. BO's 4.53 is a respectable time and on par with #1 RB of 2013 Giovani Bernard.

Bench

Bo showed great strength as a Bull and was very difficult to bring down due to his strength and low center of gravity. He displayed his strength with 26 Bench Reps at his pro-day, good enough for 5th in the sample behind only Shane Vereen's 31, Adrian Peterson and Doug Martin at 28 and Christine Michael at 27.

Broad Jump

Dominated by athletic freaks David Wilson (132) , DeMarco Murray (130), Chris Johnson (130) and CJ Spiller (128), BO tracks to be more of a bruiser coming in with a broad jump at 117 inches, on par with backs like Toby Gerhart, Steven Jackson and Maurice Jones-Drew. Of course if you height adjust the broad jump, Branden Oliver jumps 1.746 his height, which puts him between Marshawn Lynch, Ray Rice, Jamaal Charles, Adrian Peterson, Doug Martin and Maurice Jones-Drew...good company.

Comparisons

Branden Oliver: 40: 4.53 - Bench: 26 Reps - Broad Jump: 117 inches - Broad Jump/Height: 1.746

Ryan Williams: 40: 4.59 - Bench: 19 Reps - Broad Jump: 123 inches - Broad Jump/Height: 1.782
2nd Round Pick 38 - #2 RB selected.

Donald Brown: 40: 4.51 - Bench: 21 Reps - Broad Jump: 125 inches - Broad Jump/Height: 1.785
1st Round Pick 27 - #2 RB selected.

Giovani Bernard: 40: 4.53 - Bench: 19 Reps - Broad Jump: 122 inches - Broad Jump/Height: 1.794
2nd Round Pick 37 - #1 RB Selected

BO's measurables actually put him ahead of Ryan Williams and on par with Giovani Bernard, the first back selected in 2013.