Dee Hart?

Submitted by canzior on

Why does anyone care if he comes to Michigan?  According to ESPN he isn't a homerun threat, he is a short, stocky power back, with quickness but lacking in speed.  Isn't that what our backfield is full of now?  He is what Vincent Smith was supposed to be, which supposedly is impressive but at leat Vincent used to be fast.  I don't think he provides a great threat with Denard in the backfield.  He is projected as more of a change of pace back...well read for yourself...this is what ESPN had to say.

 

Hart is a short, stocky runner with great quickness and productivity. A small explosive package. Utilizes his low center of gravity to his advantage as a runner; very difficult to get direct shot on him. Hits the hole with great downhill burst and authority. A decisive runner. Can slice back through the small cutback seams. Shows good lateral quickness and vision stretching it outside as well. Between the tackles he's difficult to wrap up cleanly. Runs with great lean and a powerful base. Absorbs the hit, keeps his balance and downhill momentum as good as any; like a pinball off tacklers at times. Runs hard and is a determined back who can move the pile and spin out of it. While he flashes good speed and burst through the second level, he is a short-strider and a bit quicker than fast. More of a back who will rip off the 10-15 yard burst than a homerun threat. Strong, sturdy and shifty but his shorter frame does bring up durability concerns and he appears to have peaked physically and maybe overall as a runner. Projects more as a change-of-pace runner who could come in and shred a tired defense with his great speed-to-power running style. Has polished hands out of the backfield to help get him more touches without having to carry the load. Overall, Hart is a great competitor and running back prospect who would be garnering more national attention if he just had a few extra inches.

 

 

Sounds like more of a Mike Hart...than a read option, td on any possession kinda guy to me.

NOLA Wolverine

September 30th, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^

Nothing brought up in that ESPN scouting report makes him an unfavorable prospect for us. That's exactly what we need, someone with great vision and explosiveness to get through the seems this running game develops. Couple that with power and balance? That means he'll probably win some of those "1 v 1" mathcups all the experts say we generate, and then he could start crawling because there's no one left. It is so incredibly rare to find a runningback who torches defenders down the field, and the value of that really isn't that high compared to other skills, such as YAC, vision, and quickness, all of which Dee posses. He also has hands out of the backfield, which is great in a Rich Rodriguez system (See: Steve Slaton's flare screens run about 5x per game). I agree with the ESPN report (On some levels, I think he can be a feature guy here), he really doens't have homerun speed, but nobody cares because that isn't a telling attribute for anything really.

mrduckworthb

September 30th, 2010 at 9:50 AM ^

Conclusion: Hart could see early action because he is lightning in a bottle when in space. His superior agility makes him a natural to get looked at as a punt returner early in his career. Depending on the depth chart of where he goes, Hart could make an early splash as a freshman.

As you can see, Rivals calls him "Lightning in a bottle." I think that is exactly the type of running back we want at Michigan. This is also what I have heard Denard described as so I wouldn't be shocked if they have the same type of running ability/style.

bdsisme

September 30th, 2010 at 9:49 AM ^

Wait, so the OP only wants running backs who will take it to the house on every snap?  You quoted ESPN as saying " More of a back who will rip off the 10-15 yard burst than a homerun threat."  Is it a problem if he only rips off a dozen yards a carry?  Are you morally against 12-play, 80-yard drives?