Zach Charbonnet Scouting Report

By: Brett Houck

(Image courtesy of Mark. J Terrill/Associated Press)

School: UCLA (Senior)

Position: RB

HT: 6’1

WT: 220 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #43

Zach Charbonnet is one of the best pure backs in his class and is highly regarded. He started his college career at Michigan but really blossomed when he transferred back to his hometown and suited up for the Bruins. From Day 1 at UCLA he was Chip Kelly’s feature back and caught the attention of Pac-12 defenses immediately. Across 2 seasons at UCLA as the bell cow back, he reached almost 2500 yards on the ground and over 500 yards through the air. This past season he was 19th in FBS in rushing yards with 1359, 16th in TDs with 14 and 7th in YPC with 7 (!). Charbonnet is one of the few backs in this class with the experience, makeup, work ethic and production mix to be confident that he can be productive at the NFL level. As a senior and with 2 years as a feature back in one of the more dynamic offenses in College Football, he was as reliable a workhorse as there is. He wins with his decisive running, ability to make guys miss in the open field with elusiveness and power, and with a strong lower half that keeps churning after contact. At 220 lbs and standing over 6’1”, Charbonnet is shiftier than expected to go along with the “bowling ball” stereotype, causing defenders to be careful with how they approach him. He is a north-south runner who rarely wastes time behind the line of scrimmage waiting for running lanes but has the field vision and feel for the game that allows him to get to the 2nd level with ease. Arm tackles by Defensive Linemen and Linebackers alike aren’t enough to bring him down. His technique is very impressive, keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage at all times and keeping a solid base while he runs. He has the innate ability to read and set up blocks from his Linemen as well as put a foot in the ground at a moments notice to cut back or up. Charbonnet is not known as a receiving threat but does have solid hands and can pick up yards as a security blanket if need be. He’s also a great pass protector with not just his size and strength, but solid base and feet. He delivers a subtle blow to blitzing Linebackers and can stymie blitzers with a stonewalling punch.

A weakness that can be seen on tape with Charbonnet is that he doesn’t offer a ton of upside as an athlete long term with his bruising running style. He’s projected to be a 4.6 40 guy combined with the heavy workload the last 2 seasons, teams may wonder if health could begin to become an issue rapidly. He also tends to run straight up and down at times which at his size could lead to some injury vulnerability.

All in all, Zach Charbonnet is a really solid prospect and should be a consensus top 4 RB in this year's draft class. With the current devaluation of the position, I think he ends up at best as a late Day 2 pick.

Scheme Fit: Zone or Gap Rushing Scheme

Ideal Role: Power Back

Best Team Fits: JAX, LAC, BUF

Player Comparison: James Conner

Player Grade: 80.2