Scouting Report: Georgia Backs Nick Chubb & Sony “Playstation” Michel

In watching him play, a common thing that jumps out is that his feet never stop on contact.  If you get your arms around him, he keeps his lower body pumping forward which allows for a ton of broken tackles.  It sounds like I’m describing a power back, but you can tell from the clip above that he’s much more than that.  Watch this clip of Chubb seeing a huge hole open up, and then hitting the turbo button and really shifting into full speed:

On this clip, notice the balance, speed to get the corner, and toughness with how he finishes the run.

As a receiver out of the backfield, Chubb only has 30 receptions, but that’s more a product of the system than his ability. In the limited times you see him catch on tape, he looks comfortable and doesn’t fight the ball when thrown to him. That skill could always use more repetition, but I’m not knocking him for not being a receiving threat in college; they simply don’t throw to the backs much at Georgia.

As a pass protector, he will need some improvement. While thick enough and strong enough to take on rushers, he sometimes gets out ahead of his pads a little bit and becomes top heavy when he throws his shoulders. He’s willing and capable though, and it’s easy to see improvement in that area going forward. He’s not bad at it by any means, just not elite like we’re used to seeing with Zeke.

I have him as a 2nd round grade. He’s ready to step in and become some NFL team’s RB1. He has had plenty of games in college with 25+ carries, but the good news heading into next year is that you’re getting a guy who is relatively fresh. The most carries he’s had in a game in 2017 is 20. That’s partially because of the role his backfield counterpart Sony Michel plays.

First of all, Sony Michel has a rad name. Sony. That’s cool. I hope his NFL nickname is “The Playstation”. It sounded better when I said it out loud. Typing it, it kind of seems lame, but I’m sticking to my guns here.
Michel garnered a lot of attention heading into the National Championship game because of his four touchdown performance in the Rose Bowl against Oklahoma, rushing the ball 11 times for 181 yards. I’m not comparing the players, but he’s the Kamara to Chubb’s Ingram; he’s the lightning portion of this duo.

Where Michel will be drafted is a bit of a wildcard. Chubb really fits a pro style offense—especially on first and second downs—while Michel will probably be seen as a change-of-pace-type back, capable of taking on a more traditional role than most bit players. Sony Michel comes in at 5105 215lbs, according to our good friends at NFLDraftScout.com. He’s quicker and more elusive than Chubb, but doesn’t have that same vision and overall balance.

Sony Michel’s number one strength is his ability to put his foot in the ground and accelerate up the field in a blink of an eye. In this clip vs. Notre Dame, watch him put his right foot down but in the other direction, basically allowing a big hole to grow larger:

Every time Sony Michel touches the ball, he could take it to the house. As I mentioned earlier, he’s a little more elusive than his backfield teammate. Here’s a look at how slippery Sony Michel can be. (Also, take note that it’s 3rd and 1, so he has to get past the chains.)

As for his production as a receiver: it was interesting that he had four catches in the Rose Bowl, but only five catches the rest of the season. In total, he raked in just 64 receptions in his four years of college, but—as I said earlier—Georgia just doesn’t throw to their backs much. I think he’ll be fine and an immediate weapon out of the backfield in the passing game for an NFL team. Watch this clip from the Rose Bowl, where he uses great body control to adjust to the football after the play action fake.

I don’t see Sony Michel as a pure third down back, but I also don’t see him as a bell-cow, 20+ carry-per-game guy.  That’s not to say he can’t take on a big load if the situation presented itself, however. He does have the toughness to run inside; there were times on tape where he’d lower his shoulder and bring a little pop, but it’s not as impactful as Chubb.

Where do Chubb and Michel go in the draft? As with all prospects, it will largely depend on the needs of the teams who take them.  A team in need of a prototypical RB1 to handle the bulk of the carries will love Chubb.  The team who already possesses a lead back, but is in need of a dangerous game changer to mix things up will love Sony Michel.

I see Chubb as the more solid prospect, but Michel as a more exciting prospect who will rack up tons up chunk plays. I have them graded close, giving both of them 2nd round grades, but it wouldn’t surprise me if either one of them fell to the 3rd round due to the value of the position (as well as this relatively deep draft class at running back).

It’ll be fun to see how Chubb and Michel stack up against a very good Alabama defense in the Championship game.  Their stocks are high right now, and could get higher, but for now I think both runners are Day 2 draft prospects.

In conclusion, I’d like to end this article with a question to fill up the comment box. In honor of Sony Michel, what is your favorite Sony product? For me, the Sony Playstation was a life changing product, but i’ll always be fond of my Sony Walkman CD player.  That thing got me through a lot of dark times in my angst filled years.

Kevin “KT” Turner is on the Ben and Skin show on 105.3 The Fan. You can hear him Monday through Friday from 3-7pm. KT also wants you to know that he loves you.