Tyjae Spears 2023 Dynasty Rookie Profile
Position: RB
School: Tulane
Class: Senior
Date of Birth: June 15, 2001
Height: 5-10 Weight: 201 lbs
Athletic Testing
40-Time:
Speed Score:
Vertical: 39”
Broad: 10’5”
Shuttle:
3-Cone:
Bio
Tyjae Spears attended Ponchatoula High School in Louisiana. There, he amassed 920 rushing yards and 880 receiving yards with 18 total touchdowns in his senior season. It wasn’t enough to grab the attention of the major programs, but Spears committed to Tulane as a three-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting class. He only played in four games as a freshman, totaling 192 yards on 32 carries with another 133 yards by the way of five receptions. Spears was dominant to start his sophomore campaign but a torn ACL limited him to just three games. He finished with 274 yards on 37 carries and two touchdowns with two receptions for another 30 yards.
Back from the injury in 2021, Spears ran 129 times for 863 yards and nine scores. He tallied up another 145 yards on 19 receptions. As a senior in 2022, Spears made a name for himself, taking 229 carries for 1,581 yards and 15 touchdowns. He continued to develop his receiving chops, taking in 22 receptions for 256 yards and a pair of scores.
College Stats
Tyjae Spears College Stats Courtesy of sports-reference
Positives
+Explosive
+Acceleration
+Speed
+Decisive
+Vision
+Quickness/Agility
+32.8% touchdown share
+10-inch hands
+Good receiver; 22 receptions in 2022
+1.96 yards per team play
Listen: Tyjae Spears Prospect Profile
Negatives
-Slightly undersized
-Pass Protection
-Ball security
-Tends to go down easy
-Tends to run upright (doesn’t get his pads low enough)
-Torn ACL in 2020
Highlight Reel
Archetype: Satellite+
Best Comparable Player: Nyheim Hines
Draft Projection: Second Round
Bottom Line:
If his more than 1,800 total yards in 2022 wasn’t enough to catch the eye of NFL scouts, his performance during senior bowl week surely did the trick. Spears was named the practice player of the week as he wowed scouts with his incredible combination of speed, agility, acceleration, and explosion. Even when the games count, Spears shows great vision and runs with decisiveness and purpose in a way that allows him to take full advantage of his athletic traits.
At Tulane, Spears displayed the versatility to line up anywhere on the field—even taking snaps as a wildcat quarterback. Spears operated in both gap and zone-blocking schemes at Tulane so he will be ready to contribute at a high level no matter where he lands. While he is a bit undersized and will need to improve in pass protection, Spears is one of the fastest risers at this point in the pre-draft process. He projects as a high-volume RB2 early on with the skill and just enough size to earn an opportunity to lead a backfield. He has locked himself into day two and will likely come off the board before the third round.
Resources: DLF, PlayerProfiler, PFN, PFF, TDN
RANKINGS | DYNASTY |
