NFL Draft 2012: Scouting Baylor RB Terrance Ganaway

Let me preface this scouting report by saying that I know Terrance Ganaway personally, and he is truly one of the nicest people I've ever been around. The first day that I was on the team at Baylor University, Terrance was the first person to come up to me and introduce himself and welcome me to the team. He made sure I belonged with the team and he invited me to dinner right off the bat. That said, I will still try to be as objective as possible with this scouting report to try and give you an honest analysis of Terrance as a player.

Ganaway is a well-built power-back at 6'0" and 238 lbs but also has the wheels to hit the home run too at the college level. He had two 80-plus yard touchdown runs in his career - one of those runs was against an FBS school (Sam Houston State) and the other was against the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl (sorry I had to bring that up Dawg fans).

A lot of Baylor fans were curious as to who would step up at the running back position following the departure of Baylor's 2010 starting running back Jay Finley to the NFL (incidentally, Finley was drafted in the 7th round by the Cincinnati Bengals and was briefly a member of the Seattle Seahawks practice squad this season - though I haven't seen whether he will be retained with a futures contract for the offseason). Ganaway certainly answered the call in 2011 with a breakout season, amassing 250 carries, 1,547 yards, and 21 touchdowns for the Baylor Bears. That's an average of 6.18 yards per carry. Not bad.

Quite honestly though, it is difficult to judge how much of Ganaway's success at Baylor should really be credited to Terrance. Did Baylor's passing game with Robert Griffin III make Ganaway a better runner? Or did Ganaway make Robert Griffin III a better passer?

Strengths:

Power: There is no denying that Terrance runs the ball with a ferocious attitude. Rarely will a single defender bring him down alone, he commands the defense to rally to the tackler, and it takes multiple defenders to take him down. He loves to lower the shoulder and deliver the boom.

One-cut running ability: Ganaway is a fantastic natural runner. He will be patient to set up his blocks and then when he sees that hole open up, he plants his foot and rockets forward to open space. If there is no green grass ahead of him, Ganaway makes the most of the play anyway and lowers his shoulder to get some yards.

Durability: Ganaway has never battled any serious injuries, as far as I know. He's never had any surgery of any kind and he is 100% healthy, which is phenomenal considering he shouldered the load with 250 carries this season.

Ball Security: Ganaway is superb at protecting the ball. He has strong hands and carries the ball tightly with correct technique and he simply does not fumble.

Weaknesses:

Receiving Skills: Ganaway only had six catches throughout the entire 2011 season and rarely has the ball thrown this way. He doesn't have the greatest hands in the world and is one area he could stand to improve in.

Lacks Elite Speed: While Ganaway did have some long touchdown runs this season, he simply does not project to have the ability to hit the home run ball at the NFL level with the speed defenders have there.

Projections:

NFL Worst Case: Ganaway goes into the league as an undrafted free-agent and never lands on an NFL roster.

NFL Best Case: I could see Ganaway being drafted in the 5th round at the absolute earliest. I think he could develop into a running back of the ilk of Michael Turner of the Atlanta Falcons, for instance (Turner was drafted by the Falcons in the 5th round). Turner is a true power back that rarely breaks the long run and I could see Ganaway developing into a this type of player.

My Prediction: I think Ganaway will end up being a very late draft pick in the 6th or 7th round, possibly even an undrafted free agent. However, I do think that he'll stick on an NFL roster somewhere. He is a true power-back that still has decent speed and I think he will be a serviceable backup RB and maybe one day he'll get his shot to be a featured back in the NFL.

Fit with the Seahawks:

After much pondering, I do think that Ganaway would be an excellent complement to Marshawn Lynch in the Seahawks backfield (that is assuming the Seahawks re-sign Marshawn, obviously). Marshawn is the only power back on the Seahawks roster - Justin Forsett and Leon Washington, though possessing different styles, are smaller, speedier, and shiftier players than Lynch, and that is why Ganaway could develop into a superb backup for Marshawn.

Both players have a physical running style. Ganaway outweighs Lynch by 25 pounds so it might be nice to give the Seahawks bell cow an occasional breather and bring in an even bigger back in Ganaway to wear down and soften up the defense.

Further, Terrance's one-cut running style, as I described above, would likely fit nicely in Seattle's zone scheme. Gannaway could utilize the patience he displayed at Baylor, take what the defense gives him, then put his foot in the ground and get downhill. When the hole doesn't materialize, he's 240 pounds of savagery that can pick you up a few hard yards.

The Seahawks could draft Ganaway later in the draft where he would be a value pick. As with any later round pick, he'd have to hone his skills - particularly in catching passes out of the backfield, but I do think that Ganaway could serve as a nice complement in the Seahawks offense. Personally, I'd be happy to see Terrance Ganaway sporting a Seahawks uniform next season, and it's not just because I know him well.

I'll leave you with this, and excerpt from the game press book from SeniorBowl.com, where he'll look to showcase his skills this Saturday in Mobile, Alabama.

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Ganaway was a first team All-Big 12 selection in 2011 by both the AP and league coaches. He capped off the Bears' terrific 10-win season by claiming MVP honors in the Alamo Bowl after totaling 200 rushing yards and five touchdowns. The DeKalb, Texas native set single-season school records this season with 1,547 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, 119 rushing yards per game average, and three 200-yard rushing games. He also set a single-game school record this year with 42 carries in the Bears win over Texas Tech.

"Growing up, you always dream of opportunities like this and you wonder how special times are created or made and they're created by opportunities and this is a great opportunity to create some excitement around the name Terrance Ganaway, Baylor University and I'm very honored to have this opportunity to go and play in the Senior Bowl."

Ganaway leaves Baylor ranked ninth on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,042 yards and fourth with 28 rushing touchdowns. His career mark of 5.61 yards per carry average is second-best in Baylor history and he is the only Bear to ever have multiple 200-yard rushing games-all of which came his senior season.

"The clock doesn't stop now," Ganaway said. "As long as I'm breathing I'll be the hardest working guy and I need to show that to people."

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Check out Ganaway's performance in the Alamo Bowl below, with thanks to DraftBreakdown.com and JMPasq. Again, sorry Dawgs.