Kenyan Drake has broken out as the newest star running back
Brickwallblitz
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The Dolphins have had unusually good luck with running backs in the last four years.
In 2014, Knowshon Moreno appeared to be a star in Miami before suffering career ending injuries. In his place came Lamar Miller, who rushed for over 1,000 yards that year. When Miller was lost in free agency to the Texans in 2016, Jay Ajayi broke out the following year. Ajayi was traded to the Eagles this year, and now there’ a new breakout star in Kenyan Drake, the 2016 third round pick from Alabama.
Once Ajayi was traded, Drake spent a few games competing with Damien Williams as the feature back. Initially, Williams won that battle, but once he was forced to miss time with a shoulder injury suffered in week 12 against the Patriots, Drake took the job from him, and he doesn’t look to be giving it back.
In his last two games, Drake has rushed for 234 yards on 48 carries (4.9 yards per attempt) and a touchdown, adding on 100 receiving yards on eight receptions. (12.5 yards per reception) In total, Drake has 334 yards from scrimmage in his last two games.
His stats have been inflated by a few huge holes, but Drake has proven himself as a star in the making and a change of pace from Jay Ajayi’s style of running. Whereas Ajayi focuses more on powerful running and breaking tackles, Drake is a leaner, nimbler type of back.
Drake wasted no time making his presence felt once he was named the starting back in Damien Williams’ absence, rushing 120 yards and a touchdown against Denver.
On this run, Drake highlighted his creativity and value when asked to create running lanes. Any running back can be elusive in practice, but it’s how quick you are with your feet and processing that matters at the end of the day. When he sees the safety (#34) coming towards him, he briefly shuffles his feet and jump cuts inside, escaping inside a tiny gap.
It’s here in said gap where he cuts outside, avoiding the inside linebacker (#54). He does this so quickly that he’s in the open field in no time for the touchdown.
This run was called back due to offensive holding, but it’s another impressive play that further highlights Drake’s quickness. It looks like an easy run, but watch as the back goes outside. #32 uses his vision to change the angle and mechanics of his running at the blink of an eye, cutting outside then repositioning himself with a burst of speed for what should have been a first down run.
The very next week against New England, the second year back put up another huge game, posting 114 yards on the ground and 79 yards in the air. Drake’s athleticism was able to exploit the lack of speed and overall talent in the Patriots’ front seven as he made Dolphins fans and fantasy owners very happy.
Similar to his touchdown run against the Broncos, Drake created a running lane on his own. Right away he recognizes the safety rushing towards him as he jump cuts outside, shuffles his feet for an instant inside cut, changes his angle in space, then takes off. This run on the first drive of the game set the template for one of the more prominent upsets of the season as Miami went on to beat their division rivals 27-20.
The spin move shown here is a testament to Drake’s quality against tacklers. Safety Patrick Chung attempts to make a tackle for a loss only to taste turf instead. I mentioned that Drake received a few generous holes this season, but in general he’s been a back that’s created yards on his own despite playing behind a struggling offensive line. Head coach Adam Gase understands he is a dangerous back under center, in the pistol or in the shotgun, so his skill set is versatile as a runner.
Conclusion
Though his efforts in the passing game need more reps, Kenyan Drake has been a really good back in his last two years. His quickness, lightning fast footwork and vision allow him to elude defenders easily, and thanks to his size he’s also a slippery fellow to bring down.
The Dolphins may not make the playoffs this season, but things look bright in the backfield. Damien Williams’ return this Sunday at Buffalo should ease Drake’s touches and compliment his skill set nicely, but frankly this is Drake’s job to lose.