8 DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT...
Joe McKnight did not have the best pro day at USC a couple weeks ago and had a so-so combine but didn't really blow anyone out of the water with his performances. However, a lot of the coaches and scouts will most likely revert back to the game tape. McKnights game tape is what will determine th outcome of where he will be drafted.
Throughout the course of his career in college, a lot of folks called McKnight the next Reggie Bush. McKnight certainly had a good career at USC, but he was not on the same level as a Reggie Bush as far as college is concerned. Bush was faster, more elusive, and far more explosive than McKnight was. While he was similar in size, he just wasn't close to being anything close to a Reggie Bush, so I never got the comparison's.
In 2008, McKnight broke out and had an impressive 9.2 yards a carry which was catapulted by his 206 all-purpose yard performance in the Rose Bowl his freshman year. His senior year (2009), the USC running back went over 1000 yards for the first time and put the ball in the endzone 8 times. He has the potential to be a very good complimentary back to an NFL starter but I think that is where it ends for McKnight.
Below, we'll look at McKnights stats, highlights, and projection.
First, I just want to preface this video by saying mute your speakers if you do not care for the music but would like to see the highlights. The video here shows just how versatile McKnight can be. He is elusive and can make people miss. A lot of these feeds lead me to believe that he can be caught from behind in the NFL. Overall, he can be dangerous though.
AWARDS AND HONORS:
- 2x All-Pac 10 Honorable Mention (2008,2009)
CAREER STATS:
| Stats Overview | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||
| YEAR | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST |
| 2007 | 94 | 540 | 5.7 | 65 | 3 | 23 | 203 | 8.8 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 89 | 659 | 7.4 | 55 | 2 | 21 | 193 | 9.2 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 164 | 1014 | 6.2 | 54 | 8 | 22 | 146 | 6.6 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Regular Season Game Log | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
| DATE | OPP | RESULT | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST |
| 9/5 | San Jose State | W 56-3 | 14 | 145 | 10.4 | 54 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 21.0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9/12 | @Ohio State | W 18-15 | 16 | 60 | 3.8 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 45 | 22.5 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9/19 | @Washington | L 16-13 | 11 | 100 | 9.1 | 34 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9/26 | Washington State | W 27-6 | 6 | 49 | 8.2 | 21 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4.5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/3 | @California | W 30-3 | 20 | 119 | 6.0 | 38 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 4.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/17 | @Notre Dame | W 34-27 | 19 | 79 | 4.2 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 8.0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/24 | Oregon State | W 42-36 | 11 | 65 | 5.9 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10/31 | @Oregon | L 47-20 | 15 | 95 | 6.3 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/7 | @Arizona State | W 14-9 | 15 | 78 | 5.2 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/14 | Stanford | L 55-21 | 16 | 142 | 8.9 | 51 | 1 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11/28 | UCLA | W 28-7 | 12 | 47 | 3.9 | 12 | 0 | 1 | -4 | -4.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/5 | Arizona | L 21-17 | 9 | 35 | 3.9 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Postseason Game Log | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
| BOWL | OPP | RESULT | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST | ||
| EMERALD BOWL | Boston College | W 24-13 | Did Not Play or did not accumulate any stats. | |||||||||||||
SUMMARY AND PROJECTION:
McKnight is relatively tall but lacks weight and bulk which will leave him open to take some hard knocks in the NFL. If I were him, I would have worked diligently before the combine to add about 12 pounds or so. He has issues with blocking and sometimes misses pick ups leaving his quarterbacks wide open to be destroyed. He in my mind is a situational player which will justifiably get him drafted in the 3rd round. He didn't see a ton of returns, so it is even a question as if he could contribute significantly there. McKnight measured at 5'11" and weighed in at 198 LBS at the combine.
Possibilities -- 3rd Round: Picks 81-98, 4th Round: Picks 99-131.
For more 100 in 100, click below: