Broncos Prospect Profile: D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas

Throughout the offseason, we’ll be profiling players who may end up in Denver when all is said and done with the 2017 NFL Draft. The Broncos clearly have plenty of holes to fill before they get back to Super-Bowl form and we’ll be examining a long list of players they may choose to help the franchise do just that.

Last year the best running back among the power five conferences, in terms of production, wasn’t top draft prospects Leonard Fournette, Dalvin Cook or Christian McCaffrey, it was Texas running back D’Onta Foreman. Foreman burst onto the national scene as a junior last season rushing for 2,028 yards, winning the Doak Walker Award for the nations best running back and was named an All-American.

Even with his incredible production and NFL size—6-foot-0, 233 pounds—Foreman isn’t projected to be a top pick in the draft. In fact, he isn’t supposed to be drafted until around the fourth-round. Here’s why.

Strengths

Although Foreman is a big back, he’s also very athletic and has great speed. He pairs this size and speed nicely with traits that players like him don’t typically have: good footwork and agility.

“The way I’m built, my size and speed and the way I move, I think I’m unique,” Foreman said at the combine. “I don’t see anybody I run like honestly.”

In the open field Foreman will attempt to juke or hurdle a player before he tries to run them over and has found a lot of success in doing so.

“I’d say I’m a big back, but I definitely have some wiggle to me, I can make people miss,” he said. “I can definitely outrun people when I get past them.”

Additionally, Foreman is a great short-yardage back and is difficult to take down upon initial contact at the line of scrimmage.

Weaknesses

While Foreman’s talent is clear, he needs more time to work on his weaknesses before he’s NFL ready. As a big back, Foreman needs to rely on his power abilities more and not avoid contact as much as he does. He also needs to improve his awareness and decision making as he tends to make a decision on where he is going before the ball is even snapped.

After fumbling six times last year it is crucial that he improves his ball security. At the combine Foreman said his fumbling problem was partially due to a broke hand.

“Some of [the injury] caused some of the fumbles I had but I’m not the type to make excuses, I still gotta protect the ball,” he said. “I just taped it up. When I first found out it was broke, I babied it, didn’t want to make it worse. But once I got in the game I said ‘forget it’ whatever happens just play hard.”

Also, and potentially most importantly, he needs to improve his pass protection skills as he has proven that he is not capable of protecting his quarterback in the pocket.

Foreman was held out from working out at the combine after medical exams found a small stress fracture in his foot that he wasn’t aware of. This isn’t viewed as a major negative, but it could make organizations raise an eyebrow at his health.

How he fits in Denver

If Foreman makes his way to Denver it would likely be as a replacement plan for C.J. Anderson in the future. Currently, with Anderson and Devontae Booker, the Denver Broncos have two running backs that they are comfortable with, however, there is certainly room for improvement.

If general manager John Elway is looking for a value replacement for Anderson in a year or two, he could go after Foreman in the middle rounds of the draft. For 2017, Foreman would likely be nothing more than a backup with limited playing time. However, for 2018 or 2019, he could be their man in the backfield for the future.