Athleticism:

Cyrus Gray is a well built running back and has the size to hold up in the NFL. Gray has an impressive burst and good lateral agility. He’s not elite but he does a really good job of making people miss in tight areas. Gray lacks elite top end speed but can still challenge defenses to the edge. Important to note that his burst and speed seems to have died down a bit this year compared to his junior year.

Grade: 3.0

Power:

You’re left a little bit disappointed in Gray’s ability to break tackles when you watch him. He has a low center of gravity and good balance so he can squirm out of tackles and fall forward at times. However, too often he loses his balance easily and his legs go dead on contact. He’s also a pretty soft runner. He won’t fight for yards and is more than happy to simply walk out of bounds. I don’t want to say he shy’s away from contact but this is not something you want to see out of a running back.

Grade: 2.0

Vision:

Gray has solid vision. He can find cutback lanes and he does a good job of setting up his blocks. He’s a bit inconsistent here as well. Sometimes he just ducks his head and runs straight into the pile and will miss some lanes. He also tends to dance around too much in the back-field and can be hesitant in hitting the hole. He’ll try to bounce things outside too often instead of just running North and South. This leads to quite a few tackles for loss and could explain his relatively unimpressive yards per carry average.

Grade: 2.5

Hands:

Gray gets used quite a bit in the passing game at Texas A&M but he’s a bit unreliable as a receiver. He drops too many passes because he lacks concentration. He wants to head up-field before he secures the pass. He also struggles to catch passes on contact. While he is still a viable option in the screen game, he’s not a guy who can consistently pump out 40+ receptions in the NFL as a 3rd down back.

Grade: 2.0

Blocking:

I question his toughness again because he seems to shy away from contact as a blocker. He does a good job of recognizing the free man but instead of meeting the linebacker or safety in the hole head on, he prefers to wait and wait and even backpedal before making contact. He needs a lot of work here and this could make or break his ability to make an impact in the NFL. As of right now there’s no way I’d trust him as a pass blocker.

Grade: 1.5

Intangibles:

Was a relative unknown until he burst onto the scene with a strong finish to the 2nd half of last year after Christine Michael went down with injury. Kept his starting job heading into his senior season but has since started to lose carries to the more effective Michael. Almost seems to have regressed after a fine junior season. Seems more hesitant and is lacking the burst he once had. I question his toughness because he simply doesn’t finish runs. Prefers to run out of bounds as opposed to fighting for more yards. Is also tentative about contact in pass blocking and isn’t aggressive in meeting defenders. Has never gone through any serious injuries but still doesn’t come across as durable. Has been dealing with nagging hamstring and groin injuries all year and could be the reason why he hasn’t looked as good this year. Has had a very average YPC throughout his career, with the exception of his fine junior year, and hasn’t really dominated at the collegiate level. Regarded as a high character person, on and off the field.

Grade: 2.5

Outlook:

I was high on Cyrus Gray after last season but not so much this year. He looks like a different back and I don’t know whether it can all be due to his nagging injuries. Either way, he’s not a guy who can be a lead back at the next level. He’s better off sharing a workload with another back. He’s not exactly great as a 3rd down back either since he has questionable hands and needs a lot of work in pass protection. He’s a bit of a risk because if you get the 2010 Gray, you can get a fine running back but if he keeps playing like he is now, he won’t be much of a factor in the NFL.