The NFL Draft is right around the corner, beginning on April 25. Let’s take a look at Notre Dame running back prospect Audric Estime, who brings power in the backfield and impressed at his Pro Day on March 21.
Estime was rated a three-star recruit by ESPN and a four-star recruit by 247 Sports coming out of high school. He eventually committed to Notre Dame over other schools, including Iowa, Michigan State, Texas A&M, and others.
During his three-year career at Notre Dame, he amassed 2,321 yards on 373 carries (6.2 AVG) and 29 touchdowns. On top of that, he caught 26 balls for 277 yards (10.6 AVG) and one touchdown.
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Audric Estime, Running Back, Notre Dame
Name: Audric Estime
Jersey: No. 7
Position: Running Back
School: Notre Dame
Class: Junior
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 221 lbs.
10-Yard Split: 1.58
Vertical: 38″
Hand Size: 10 1/4″
Bench Press: 23 Reps
Awards: AP Midseason All-American First-Team (2023), Doak Walker Award Watch List (2023)
Games Watched: Clemson (2023), Ohio State (2023), Pittsburgh (2023), Stanford (2023)
Major Injury History: None
Audric Estime, RB, Notre Dame
PLUSES
— Estime is equally conversant with gap and zone concepts; there won’t be much of a transitional issue for him in any offense.
— Estime forced 64 missed tackles last season on 209 carries, and his tape is replete with “F YOU” runs. If… pic.twitter.com/iyg7D3XC4X
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) March 24, 2024
Strengths
Estime brings good mass, strength, and power, with active feet at the point of contact. He has elite contact balance with the ability to consistently break tackles. Amidst contact, he’s very good at keeping his feet and re-accelerating upfield.
He also demonstrates excellent patience behind the line of scrimmage, between the tackles, and attacking closing gaps. Estime has good one-cut/lateral agility behind the line of scrimmage and once read, his explosiveness to shoot through the gaps and get to the second level is impressive. He has solid vision due to finding late-developing lanes, both inside and outside, of the tackles. He’s also a solid pass protector that brings some physicality.
Weaknesses
Estime has just an adequate change-of-direction ability, sometimes missing the B or C gap during inside zones, and has marginal second-level breakaway speed. He can also sometimes become too patient behind the line of scrimmage and needs to improve as a receiver out of the backfield to be a reliable three-down back.
Summary
Audric Estime does have some limitations, but his physicality and willingness to fight for that extra yard helps position the offense in a better down-to-distance situation. His physicality, active feet, and contact balance allow him to consistently break tackles and make positive yardage on first and second down. He can be a team’s prototypical workhorse back, ideal for a run-first or run-heavy offensive scheme, which opens up play action.
Even though he lacks that three-down style, Estime wins as a “setting up your offense for success, style of back” with great explosiveness, solid speed, good vision behind the LOS, and one-cut agility, along with solid processing ability, patience, and discipline between the tackles.
Pro Comparison: Jonathan Stewart
Draft Projection: Third Round
Grade: Third Round
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