Patriots NFL Draft Prospect: RB Kendall Hunter, Oklahoma State

by Richard Hill on Mar 28, 2011 12:00 PM EDT in New England Patriots NFL Draft

Name: RB Kendall Hunter

School: Oklahoma State

Size: 5'7, 199 lbs

Expected Round: 2nd-3rd

40 Time: 4.52s

Career Stats: Click Here.

Player Previews: CBS; Walter Football; NFL Combine [If you would like your website included, please e-mail me!]

Strengths: Versatile player who can run between the tackles, run to the outside, catch the ball and chip block on opposing blitzers. Plays well against high levels of competition and succeeded against the top ranked teams in the nation. He has quickness to get to the outside and can make yardage when there's no daylight. He's an explosive runner who is able to quickly change direction in a one-cut-and-go motion. Can leave opposing tacklers grabbing air.

Weaknesses: Quick, not fast, which means that he won't be a home run hitter every game. He's a little on the small side, so he may get bit by the injury bug in the professionals. Must bulk up to be an every down player and could be only a third down player at the next level.

Why and Why Not the Patriots after the jump, and my final verdict!

Why the Patriots?: Hunter is an explosive runner who could provide a solid complement to BenJarvus Green-Ellis in the backfield. His ceiling is a feature back, which means that BJGE could resume his #2 RB role, where I believe he is better fit. Hunter is a second or third round pick, which means that he could be drafted at a reasonable value. The Patriots are obvious when they put their personnel on the field (ie: if BJGE is on the field, he's not pass blocking so it's a run play), so a "do-everything" runner in the backfield would make the offense even more dangerous.

Why Not the Patriots?: Hunter could also just be another Kevin Faulk or Danny Woodhead- which is great if the Patriots needed another one. However, I don't think they would want another player to be a single down player. While Hunter can catch, so can Woodhead. While Hunter can block, so can Woodhead. Hunter is a stronger runner, but Woodhead does a fine job- and Woodhead didn't cost a draft pick.

Verdict: While I like Hunter as an NFL prospect, I don't see him coming to the Patriots. He's too similar to a couple players on the roster, which means that he's not really worth a draft pick for the team. Hunter may be a valuable player for another franchise, but I don't see him coming to the Patriots.

Courtesy of Aaron Aloysius

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Too small

we already have Woodhead

by pats4life on Mar 28, 2011 8:13 PM EDT reply actions

Troy Brown and Kevin Falk are among the best when they have the ball

watch each of those guys get tackled 200 times and you get such respect for how they handle a hit. Both of them always “fall forward.” Each of them is able to assess the coming hit while running full speed and still get up field while being tackled. for both of them it must have added up to what seemed like a thousand additional yards in their careers. i would say “slippery” but that really isn’t the best way to describe it.

When i first saw this post I thought the pats already have a couple of smaller backs

I have watched a lot of video on Hunter now and i can see why
Belichick may take a shot on him. He makes a half yard loss look good..He has better acceleration than either of our guys. When a back is “choosing” where to go, good backs make money. Malroney was a good example of a back who was clueless when faced with quick decisions.

Having watched video other than highlight reels against second tier teams,I think Hunter is a good shot…issue? can he catch passes. OSU was not using him that way.

by tstorey1 on Mar 28, 2011 8:29 PM EDT reply actions

I'm not sure he'd have a quicker first few steps than Woodhead

Woody was a 4.3 40 guy – that means blinding acceleration + top-end speed. You flat-out can’t get a 4.3 unless you’ve got both quick acceleration and a high top-end. Welker’s quick off the mark and even he could only manage a 4.6.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.
Contributing Writer at PatsPulpit

by Comedic.Sans on Mar 29, 2011 5:56 AM EDT up reply actions