No matter the size, NFL teams are looking for players who can provide big and explosive plays on offense. Hawkins is just that, and he is a threat to take it to the house any time he touches the football.
Hawkins was highly effective for Lousiville during his time there, evidenced by his 1,525-yard season in 2019. He consistently broke away for big chunk gains, and he has the potential to do the same in the NFL. However, there are some concerns regarding Hawkins and his true projection.
Does the skillset match the body type for Hawkins? Is he going to be relegated to a role in the NFL that he simply doesn’t have the skillset for? If that’s the case, how does that affect his fantasy football outlook?
These questions are answered here in our scouting profile on Javian Hawkins:
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Javian Hawkins (RB – Louisville)
Vital Statistics
Height: 5-foot-8
Weight: 183 lbs.
40-Yard Dash: 4.46
Vertical Jump: 36
Broad Jump: 116
Short Shuttle: 4.23
3-Cone Drill: 6.98
College Statistics
Check out Javian Hawkins’ detailed college stats here
Skills Legend
| 80+ | Generational Talent |
| 79 | Top-10 Skill |
| 78 | First-Round Skill |
| 77 | Second-Round Skill |
| 76 | Third-Round Skill |
| 75 | Fourth-Round Skill |
| 74 | Fifth-Round Skill |
| 73 | Sixth-Round Skill |
| 72 | Seventh-Round Skill |
| 71- | UDFA |
Skills Chart
Skills Breakdown (out of 100)
Vision (73): Hawkins is an explosive athlete with incredible top-end speed, but it might be difficult to find a place for him in the NFL due to his body type and skill set. Hawkins is a bit undersized, which forced Louisville to run Hawkins to the outside on stretch plays or wide zone runs frequently. He very rarely ran it between the tackles. He has excellent vision on stretches and outside runs, though. Able to quickly identify running lanes and slow his momentum just enough to put himself in the best position to explode through the hole. However, he struggles in between the tackles on standard runs, and he might not have the size to do this repeatedly at the next level.
Burst (75.5): Good burst and acceleration for his size. It’s not as explosive as some of the other players in this class, but it’s more than serviceable.
Change of Direction (77): Good lateral mobility and able to frequently make jump cuts. Able to juke defenders in the open field with his start/stop ability and good footwork.
Power (71): Little to no power aspect to his game with his size. Very unlikely to move defenders backward or even try to engage with them repeatedly.
Speed (78.5): Tremendous top-end speed. Able to take any sliver of daylight and take it to the house. Evidenced by his 75-yard TD run against Pitt.
Contact Balance (73): Decent contact balance. Able to navigate traffic on zone runs and regain his footing if he’s knocked off-center. He didn’t show a proficient ability to break tackles in the open field consistently, but he has a solid center of gravity to regain his balance.
Pass Catching (71): Wasn’t targeted much on tape. Brought the ball into his body a bit too much rather than using his hands, which isn’t a death sentence for RBs but it is concerning. Unlikely to be featured much in this role in the NFL.
Pass Protection (67): Struggles mightily in pass protection. He has one pass protection block move, which is to drop his head and throw himself at the feet of the incoming blitzer. Got him in trouble quite a few times, and NFL LBs and Safeties are going to simply just go right around him.
Video Evaluation
They Said It
Projected Draft Range
Hawkins was listed at 195 pounds, but he showed up to his Pro Day at 183 pounds. Unfortunately, this size isn’t going to allow him to be a workhorse back in the NFL, and he isn’t the most natural receiver. For a true backup or change-of-pace RB, Hawkins could hear his name called late on day 3.
Ideal Fantasy Landing Spot
Unfortunately, there isn’t going to be a true landing spot that would give Hawkins enough of a workload to be a true fantasy force. He might find some success in an outside zone scheme, but that will only be as a player that receives just a few carries per game.
Fantasy Comparison
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Kyle Yates is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Kyle, check out his archive and follow him @KyleYNFL.