I remember when he showed up his Freshman year and we all thought he'd be an NFL back. I thought he'd get drafted after his Junior year after putting up a 1500+ yard season and would be a showcase #1 in the NFL.
However, his career as a whole has been a let down from the lofty expectations of the fans, and himself, when he touted himself a Heisman hopeful after his freshman year. It appeared after his injury in 2017 he came in overweight and had lost a step, or maybe he had just overdone it in the weight room. He didn't have that power or burst that he had as a freshman and to me it was very noticeable the shoulder injury may have caused him to shy away from contact after 2017. This season he was hit or miss, some games he would become invisible, others he would look like 2016 Crockett. Was it lingering injuries? Was it the fact he wasn't starting? From everything I heard he was a leader on the offense, so I question if it was an attitude issue. I thought this season he had turned a corner in the SC game and had finally gotten over his 2017 injury, and then he was snake bitten again with an injury. This alone may be a reason that teams may stay away from him.
His career carries are at 380 after year 3, Rountree has 351 in 2 seasons. I don't really buy this narrative that he's saving his health with less carries for the NFL. An average of 125 carries a season is not a taxing workload. Benny Snell for example is over 700 carries in his collegiate career. Crockett could easily have came back next year and gone for 1000 yards if he played the entire season and his draft stock would increase quite a bit, if he could stay healthy. But isn't that an excuse to go to the draft, his injury history? I'd argue it is IF he's a certifiable draft pick right now, which I don't think you can say he is. Therefore, if he were to go undrafted, he's playing on a practice team with a future that is one injury or bad practice from being unemployed. UFA's do not get any guaranteed cash like draft picks.
I always loved Crockett, but was often confused by his "finesse" claim and that he wasn't a power back, which at 225 I find hard to fathom. I think legacy wise Crockett will be an enigma of what could have been and what was. A guy with incredible and without a doubt NFL talent, that never really seemed to put it together for an entire season after his freshman campaign. In hindsight if he thought he was a finesse guy, he probably should have played at a finesse weight and not a bruiser weight.
When evaluating his career, I can't hope but think, "what if".
However, his career as a whole has been a let down from the lofty expectations of the fans, and himself, when he touted himself a Heisman hopeful after his freshman year. It appeared after his injury in 2017 he came in overweight and had lost a step, or maybe he had just overdone it in the weight room. He didn't have that power or burst that he had as a freshman and to me it was very noticeable the shoulder injury may have caused him to shy away from contact after 2017. This season he was hit or miss, some games he would become invisible, others he would look like 2016 Crockett. Was it lingering injuries? Was it the fact he wasn't starting? From everything I heard he was a leader on the offense, so I question if it was an attitude issue. I thought this season he had turned a corner in the SC game and had finally gotten over his 2017 injury, and then he was snake bitten again with an injury. This alone may be a reason that teams may stay away from him.
His career carries are at 380 after year 3, Rountree has 351 in 2 seasons. I don't really buy this narrative that he's saving his health with less carries for the NFL. An average of 125 carries a season is not a taxing workload. Benny Snell for example is over 700 carries in his collegiate career. Crockett could easily have came back next year and gone for 1000 yards if he played the entire season and his draft stock would increase quite a bit, if he could stay healthy. But isn't that an excuse to go to the draft, his injury history? I'd argue it is IF he's a certifiable draft pick right now, which I don't think you can say he is. Therefore, if he were to go undrafted, he's playing on a practice team with a future that is one injury or bad practice from being unemployed. UFA's do not get any guaranteed cash like draft picks.
I always loved Crockett, but was often confused by his "finesse" claim and that he wasn't a power back, which at 225 I find hard to fathom. I think legacy wise Crockett will be an enigma of what could have been and what was. A guy with incredible and without a doubt NFL talent, that never really seemed to put it together for an entire season after his freshman campaign. In hindsight if he thought he was a finesse guy, he probably should have played at a finesse weight and not a bruiser weight.
When evaluating his career, I can't hope but think, "what if".
