Position: Running Back
School: Florida State
Status: Senior
Height: 5-9
Weight: 202
40-Yard Dash: 4.50 (EST)
Positives:
Every time Leon Washington touches the ball he has the ability to take it to the house for six. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry over his four years as a Seminole. At Florida State he got the ball in a variety of ways; running the ball, catching passes out of the backfield, and occasionally touching the ball as a return man.
Not only possessing excellent speed, at 5-9, 202 lbs he plays bigger than he is and runs behind his pads. His low center of gravity allows him to bounce off tacklers who fail to wrap him up, and not many corners and safeties want to take him on one on one in the open field. Overall, Leon Washington is a football player who brings the ability to do almost anything for his team. The more a player can bring to the NFL, the more opportunities he will have to touch the ball.
Negatives:
Unfortunately Leon Washington did not have the type of senior season he had hoped for. Only carrying the ball 91 times for 400 yards and only getting in the end zone three times his senior campaign was lackluster to say the least. Although he did become a better receiver, catching 19 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown.
Washington was battling some nagging injuries, which caused him to miss two games as well as cause his season totals to drop as compared to his junior year. So durability will be a concern to NFL talent evaluators.
Overview:
Fortunately for Washington, he has more positives than negatives. He brings a variety of skills with him to the NFL. His ability to play special teams is especially important for the fact that he most likely will not be the starter. Overall he is a well rounded back. He runs the ball with power and speed, can catch the ball fairly well, and has the ability to return kicks if need be.
Depending on pre-draft workouts, he could slip into the third round. His draft status is down not only because of his senior season, but also because of the potential four first-round running backs.
NFL Comparison: Dominic Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts
