[Direckshun]

RB Ameer Abdullah, Nebraska -- I watch Abdullah play and I'm not sure where he fits on my roster if I were a GM. The first thing that jumps out about him is his size at 5'9", 190 lbs, which is diminutive by NFL standards, and he doesn't seem to back it up with great speed or elite athleticism or change-of-direction. That doesn't change the fact that Abdullah has great fundamentals as a runner: he's patient in setting up a block, eats up the space his blocking gives him very quickly. He drives through tackles, not frequently breaking them, but always managing to fall forward or even get an additional spring of a couple yards while he goes down. He hits the hole really hard when he's asked to run downhill, but he's obviously not built for it at the next level. He runs decent routes (Nebraska doesn't ask to do much there except for standard wheel routes) and I like him in the role as a third down back in a west coast offense. But that's about his roof in the NFL: he's a change-of-pace guy who can excel as a bit player in an effective offense that doesn't ask him to carry the load. I think he'd be decent value in the midrounds, which is far lower than most other sites have him, but I don't see great value in a small RB who lacks elite athleticism.

Edit (11/18): Watching a ton of film on Abdullah throughout the year, and he is extremely easy to love as a RB. As I mentioned in this analysis, he is an excellent runner in terms of fundamentals, and it'll be great to see how he times and lifts at the Combine. He's not an every-down back, but he can be great in a rotation. I'd put a 3rd round grade on him.