While the Steelers will select a running back, they would be wise to avoid Jefferson out of Oregon State this year.
The Steelers have an undeniable need at running back heading into the draft, and while an early-round running back is in play, the team could target one of the many mid-round options. A player the Steelers reportedly have talked with is Oregon State’s productive running back Jermar Jefferson. While I am all for the team targeting a running back outside of the first and even as late as the fourth round, Jefferson would be a hard pass based on his play style.
Metrics:
5’10, 206 lbs.
2020 stats: 925 total yards, 7 scores
Tape studied: Oregon, California, Washington St.
While as a prospect I am not particularly high on Jefferson, he was an extremely productive back in a good program. He only played in six games this year yet rushed for over 850 yards and averaged an impressive 6.5 yards per carry. Those numbers seem good enough to get him drafted somewhere in the middle of the pack, especially when you consider how good he was as a rookie (1500 total yards and 12 scores). His projection seems to be somewhere between the third round and fourth round.
Hurting his stock now seems to be his athletic profile though, as he tested as a below-average athlete. Seen as somewhat of a power back, Jefferson measured in rather small and light. Worse yet, his forty time was only 4.6, a low time especially when you consider how small he was measured as. His explosion and agility scores came in low as well. While his tape will be important to see how he overcomes these deficiencies, his testing this offseason certainly did him no favors.