Travis Etienne was selected twenty-fifth overall in the 2021 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Etienne had quite an accomplished college football career earning consensus all American honours in 2018 and 2020.
Travis Etienne ran an unofficial 40 time of 4.41 seconds at the Clemson Pro Day in 2021. Etienne was unable to record an official 40 time because the 2021 NFL combine was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Other 2021 draft class players such as Kyle Pitts, Devonta Smith, and Jaylen Waddle were unable to record official 40 times for this reason.
Pre Draft Strengths And Weaknesses
Strengths
Very capable of excelling on all three downs
One of the biggest positives about Travis Etienne’s game coming out of college was his ability to carry and catch the ball. To be a successful three-down back in the NFL you need to be skilled in both departments.
This is because teams are often forced to pass on third down. This typically results in the lead back going to the sideline so a receiving back can come in.
In Etienne’s case, he has the ability to fill both of these positions in the NFL. Etienne didn’t start his collegiate career as a great receiving back but in his final season, he was able to accumulate five hundred and eighty-eight receiving yards.
Leg drive and balance to power and bounce through contact
Another strength of Etienne’s game was his ability to fight through tackles. On top of being elusive and fast, Etienne also has the ability to power right through defenders.
While defenders tried to keep up with Travis Etienne’s 4.41 40 time speed they would also have to hit him considerably hard in order to bring him down.
If players attempt to arm tackle Etienne he will be able to easily run through these sorts of tackles. He may not be able to break tackles at the same rate once he reaches the NFL but a player with this skill will always be valuable on an NFL team.
Nose For The Endzone
One thing scouts loved about Etienne as a prospect was that he was always able to find his way to the endzone. Throughout his time spent playing running back at Clemson, he accumulated a total of 78 touchdowns.
On top of that Etienne has sixteen touchdowns that were forty-four yards or longer.
This displayed to scouts that Etienne is able to operate as a goal-line back on top of having the ability to be a home run hitter and break off a long touchdown run.
Weaknesses
Average ball security needs to improve
One of the few knocks that came against Etienne was that he did not possess the ball security required at the NFL level.
In the NFL players are incredibly skilled and will take notice if a player fails to protect the ball properly. This will result in defensive players looking peanut punch the ball out of the ball carrier’s grip.
Luckily for Etienne, this is a trait that is relatively easy to improve upon.
That’s all on Travis Etienne’s 40 time see our articles on Michael Vicks 40 time or Travis Kelces 40 time for comparison.
