Seahawks Draft Profile: Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia

At Nike’s The Opening in 2013, then-Georgia commit Nick Chubb announced himself to football fans with a ridiculous performance, posting a SPARQ score of 143.91 which included a 4.47 40-yard dash, a 4.12 short shuttle and a 41-inch vertical. Chubb then followed up that eye-catching performance with an incredible freshman season with the Bulldogs, rushing for 1547 yards and 14 touchdowns. A gruesome knee injury wiped out a good portion of his sophomore season and left people wondering how much of his elite athletic ability would remain when he tested at the Scouting Combine.

After running a 4.52 40-yard dash, jumping 10-8 in the broad and 38.5 inches in the vertical, we had our answer. Three years after blowing out his knee, Chubb posted a 136.6 SPARQ score. A physical runner with outstanding athletic ability, Chubb is in the ideal mold of a running back on the Seattle Seahawks.

Athletic Ability

The athletic ability Chubb displayed first at The Opening and then at the Scouting Combine translates perfectly to the football field. He is a fluid runner, able to open up his hips and change direction at full speed. Chubb’s .468 missed tackles forced per carry is the fifth highest among running backs in the last three years.

At 227 pounds, his combination of athleticism and balance make him a difficult back to bring down.

Vision

Chubb possesses a great ability to find space on inside runs when it looks as though nothing is on, constantly getting to the defense’s second level and into the open field. In the backfield, he’s a patient runner with the burst to explode through the hole when it appears.

Burst

In addition to burst at the line of scrimmage and on inside runs, Chubb has the fluidity and speed to get to the corner on outside runs and the speed to run away from defenders when he gets to the sideline.

Finish/Yards After Contact

Importantly for the Seahawks, Chubb is as good of a finisher as there is in this year’s draft class. He consistently keeps his legs churning upon contact, finishing forward and gaining yards in the process. It’s a simple thing not done enough, but it’s something Carroll and Seattle value highly. Chubb is a smart runner and protects the ball when tackled and going to ground — he had a fumble rate of 98.6 at Georgia, an above average mark for his draft class.

When Chubb meets defenders in the hole, he has the frame and physicality to shake them off, rarely being stopped by arm tackles. He gets to the second level with great consistency and his running style lends itself to a 20-carry-a-game workload.

Chubb was one of two running backs who tested at the Scouting Combine to hit on each of the team’s athletic thresholds, with Alabama’s Bo Scarbough being the other. Firmly behind Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and LSU’s Derrius Guice in this year’s class, Chubb is likely to be available in the day two range when the Seahawks should be targeting a running back. If Seattle does in fact address the position through the draft, Chubb would be an excellent fit for the Seahawks.