Buffalo Bills 2021 NFL Draft Prospect to Know: RB Javian Hawkins
The Buffalo Bills are looking for speed at the running back position and Louisville running back Javian Hawkins has plenty of that. The team met with Hawkins at the Senior Bowl and he should be a late-round target to add a home run threat to the running back position. Let’s take a closer look at his profile and how he might with the Buffalo Bills.
Measurables/Stats
Height: 5’8″
Weight: 183 pounds
Arms: 29.5″
Hands: 7.875″
Javian Hawkins played in 23 games over three seasons and had 399 rushing attempts, 2,355 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns. He also had 21 receptions for 189 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. This past season he did show more as a receiver with 16 of his 21 receptions coming in the eight-game season last year.
NFL.com Scouting Report by Lance Zierlein
"He can create for himself with vision and athleticism, but the run will often end as soon as there is contact. Hawkins appears capable of doing more in the passing game than Louisville asked of him and has a chance to compete for backup carries within a couple of years in a zone-heavy run scheme."
Highlights
How he fits with the Buffalo Bills
Javian Hawkins is an interesting player and how he could fit with the Buffalo Bills. Under Sean McDermott, the team has typically had only three running backs active on gameday. This past season it was Devin Singletary, Zack Moss and then Taiwan Jones, who primarily played on special teams.
If the Buffalo Bills were to draft someone like Hawkins, especially during his rookie season, the coaching staff would likely not feel confident with Hawkins active along with either just Devin Singletary or Zack Moss. This would mean they would need to change how they have treated the roster and have four running backs active.
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This change wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing but it would impact the depth at another position. If the Bills were to go this route, then Hawkins would be apart of the gameplan and would likely see somewhere between 10-20 snaps. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll would need to scheme ways to get Hawkins the ball but make sure he had room to get up to speed and run away from the defense.