| Vick Ballard Scouting Report |
| Vick Ballard - Mississippi State (HT: 5-10¼ - WT: 219) |
Positives -- Good bulk, has a strong build... His speed seems to sneak up on people, isn't the fastest guy but he can outrun linebackers... Runs very low to the ground, keeps a low center of gravity and is tough to wrap up... Quick feet through the hole, shuffles his feet well... Wraps up the ball well when initiating
contact... Does a good job of changing speeds when he's running... Good burst through the hole, gets his first ten yards quickly... Should be a better NFL runner than he was in college, is more of a between the tackles type back who was asked to run outside a lot in college due to Mississippi State running an option-style offense... Finishes his runs well, explodes into defenders and attacks for the first down... Keeps his legs moving on contact... Good vision, finds the hole well and should be a solid contributor near the goal line... Does a good job of catching with his hands and should be able to contribute on passing downs... Great production competing in the toughest conference in college football, ran for over 2,000 yards and 29 touchdowns combined over the past two years.
Negatives -- Dances too much before heading up the field, will get caught behind the line of scrimmage... Needs to be more decisive, seems to hesitate before hitting the hole... Struggles in the open field and is more of a straight line runner; he will often try to leap over defenders or he'll initiate contact, which works at the collegiate level but likely won't in the NFL... Poor in pass protection, will lunge at defenders and doesn't always attack his assignments... A bit of a late bloomer, signed with Jackson State before ending up at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for two years and then played his final two years at Mississippi State... Number of rushing touchdowns were almost cut in half from his junior to senior year (19 to 10).
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| Combine Results |
| Height |
› |
5102 |
| Weight |
› |
219 |
| Arm |
› |
31¾ |
| Hand |
› |
9½ |
| 40-Time |
› |
4.65 |
| Vertical |
› |
33 |
| Broad |
› |
9'7" |
| Bench Press |
› |
23 |
| Shuttle |
› |
4.19 |
| Cone |
› |
7.03 |
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At Mississippi State -- (Official School Bio) 2010: Set a new school record with 20 total touchdowns and 19 rushing touchdowns... Posted 968 rushing yards on only 186 attempts, an average of 5.2 yards per carry... Also caught 10 passes for 106 yards and a score... Opened the season with 12 touchdowns in the first six games... Earned his first start in Week 3 at LSU... Had a breakout game with eight carries for 119 yards and three touchdowns against Alcorn State... Rushed 14 times for 134 yards and three more scores at Houston the following week... Carried 20 times for 98 yards against Florida... Suffered a leg injury against the Gators which held him out the following week... Returned to action with 14 carries for 103 yards against Kentucky... Set career highs with 33 rushes for 150 yards and three touchdowns against Arkansas... Carried 20 times and scored three touchdowns in the Gator Bowl victory over Michigan. Junior College: Named first-team junior college All-America by National Junior College Athletic Association... Rushed for 1,728 yards and 22 touchdowns during his sophomore season... Finished season fourth nationally with 144.0 yard-per-game average... Also named to the 2009 MACJC South All-State First Team Offense and named the 2009 MACJC Most Valuable back... Helped lead Gulf Coast to a 9-3 record and a No. 8 national ranking in 2009... Rushed 84 times for 555 yards (6.6 ypc) and 12 touchdowns as a freshman in 2008.
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