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The Seahawks have selected running back Christine Michael with their 2nd round pick, after trading back six slots and grabbing two additional picks.
RB Christine Michael, TAMU - 5'10, 220
Michael's stock took a hit this season because of a character concerns his reported issues with his previous coaching staff. However, he got back onto scouts radars with some eye popping measureables - he is very fast (4.54 40) for his size (220) but he's also probably the most laterally explosive running back in this class. Michael's 6.69 3-cone drill was tops among RBs, his 4.02 short shuttle was tops among RBs, and his 125" broad jump was 2nd among RBs. At 220 pounds.
His 43" vert was tops.... among all players at the Combine. Lower. Body. Explosiveness. Quick-twitch athlete on a world-class scale.
Luckily, - and this doesn't always happen - this quickness and agility shows up in his running style and from my untrained eye, makes him a perfect candidate for a zone blocking scheme. His downfield cut is explosive, but once past the offensive line, it's improvisation time, which is where the lateral agility comes into play. As Tom Cable put it once, the Seahawks expect their running backs to do what they're supposed to do from Point A to Point B, but once you get to Point B, how you get to Point C is up to you.
Michael excels at picking his way through the garbage on the second level and his open field shiftiness helps him break tackles. If he's got a guy in front of him that he can't evade, he's not afraid to put his head down and barrel through him.
I like Michael. He reminds me of a more athletic, shifty version of Robert Turbin, which is saying a lot. Michael certainly fits their profile as a 'big back' that can put the hurt on a defense.
There are a good amount of scouts out there that rated Michael the #1 back in the Draft this year.