The 2023 NFL Draft is here! After months of waiting, we finally know where the 2023 NFL Draft class will land. This information shapes the outlook for rookies in 2023 and beyond. We’re going to have you covered throughout and following the 2023 NFL Draft to help you prepare for your fantasy football leagues. Next up for many will be dynasty rookie drafts. To help you prepare to make your dynasty rookie draft picks, let’s dive into Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft profile as well as Pat Fitzmaurice’s dynasty rookie draft outlook for Tyjae Spears.
Dynasty Rookie Picks & Predictions: Titans Draft Tyjae Spears
Let’s first see what NFL Draft expert Thor Nystrom says about Tyjae Spears.
Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft Outlook & Player Comp
Player comparison: Travis Etienne
Strengths
I’ve been a fan of his for years – when he flashes, hide your eyes or you’ll temporarily lose your vision. This past year, those flashes turned into consistent production.
Spears has been one of the biggest draft-process winners this cycle so far. NFL executives & scouts named Spears the Senior Bowl Practice Player-of-Week. Spears then impressed at both the NFL Combine and his pro day workout.
He has one-by-one addressed the questions on his eval coming in, turning some into myths – he weighed into the Senior Bowl at 204. Spears, who was listed this past season at 195 pounds, told us in Mobile that he played the bowl game against USC at 197 pounds. Spears said he put on the extra seven pounds over the past four weeks in training. Don’t be surprised if he shows up to Indianapolis closer to 210 – the NFL’s size-threshold for running backs.
Just as important: Spears didn’t lose any of his movement skills at the bigger size. He was easily the most explosive back in Mobile – explosion is his trump card. And it’ll play at the next level.
And after not being used much as a receiver at Tulane, Spears showed easy pass-catching chops at the Senior Bowl, with soft and reliable hands and route-running chops nobody gave him credit for. It appears his sparse work in that area previously may have just been a college usage thing.
With running backs, there’s a natural element to the best ones. An innate ability. Something that cannot be taught, something they couldn’t explain after the fact if they tried. Poetry in motion. You know it when you see it. Spears has that.
He’s eyes-in-his-ear-holes instinctive hurtling down the field at high speeds. He makes the correct decisions at high speeds like a NASCAR driver. He consistently turns defenders into Keystone Cops in the open field. I can’t tell you how many times last season I saw him leave an open-field defender on the ground who didn’t come close to getting a finger on him.
Tyjae Spears plays his position like a boxer. A jab is not a jab – it is setting up the hook, or an upper-cut. And it’s not just on any given run. Watch any of his games start-to-finish from last year. Notice how he’ll offer certain looks early. And then use the doubt introduced into the defender’s head to set up his next open-field subterfuge.
Spears does not slow down as the game progresses. But his opponents do, and they additionally become progressively more unsure of their decisions against him in space. Their feet tend to get stuck to the turf or tied into knots as Spears introduces his newest Guitar Hero flurry.
Weaknesses
Spears tore an ACL in 2020, raising durability concerns.
His NFL playing weight will likely be in the low-200s. Since Spears was never a three-down back at Tulane, the question becomes whether he can become one in the NFL. His franchise may elect to put him on a pitch count with usage by doing as Tulane did and taking him off the field on passing-downs.
The receiving element that Spears showed during the pre-draft process was not as apparent on film. Spears was dangerous after reeling the ball in, but dropped four balls the last two years on 43 targets despite a -0.6 aDOT.
And for a sub-threshold back, we aren’t sure if Spears will offer anything on special teams. This is another phase he wasn’t used in at Tulane. Spears took only 18 special teams snaps for the Green Wave over his three-year career.
2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Tyjae Spears
Derrick Henry’s tank eventually has to hit empty, right? Right? The Titans spent a third-round pick on Henry’s new backup, Tyjae Spears of Tulane. As long as Henry is healthy, Spears won’t get much work — maybe a small handful of touches each game while Henry takes a short breather. But if Henry were to go down this year, or if the Titans were to move on from Henry, Spears’ dynasty value would soar.
Spears really put his best foot forward over the last eight months. He had a spectacular senior-year campaign for Tulane, rushing for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns while averaging 6.9 yards per carry. (He also had 22-256-2 receiving.) He made a strong impression at the Senior Bowl, with NFL executives and scouts naming him Senior Bowl Practice Player of Week. At the NFL Scouting Combine, Spears had the second-best vertical jump and third-best broad jump among running backs.
Spears is an electric slasher whose quick cuts can leave defenders grasping at air. Spears is good at making defenders miss, but the play isn’t over if defenders get their hands on him — he averaged 4.52 yards after contact per carry for Tulane last season. Although his college pass-catching numbers were nothing special, Spears showed during the predraft process that he’s at least competent in that area.
At 5-10 and 201 pounds, Spears is probably better suited for committee usage than for a heavy-duty role. Although he plays fast, Spears’ 4.59 time in the 40-yard dash gave him a 30th percentile speed score. (He ran a slightly faster 4.54 at his pro day.) He didn’t do enough as a pass catcher in college to suggest that he’ll be used on passing downs.
Expect Spears to go in the early-to-mid second round in 1QB dynasty rookie drafts and in the mid-to-late second round in superflex drafts.
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