Okay so this week I kept seeing folks argue online about Rakeem Boyd’s chances in the NFL. Honestly, I hadn’t paid him super close attention either. Figured, why not dig in? Saw a headline about teams scouting him hard – Rakeem Boyd vs Other RBs Why NFL Teams Watched Him Closely – that kinda sparked it. Time for some tape diving.
First thing I did was fire up the old laptop, grabbed my lukewarm coffee. Went straight to YouTube. Searched “Rakeem Boyd highlights Arkansas”. Found a bunch of clips from his 2019 season, mostly. You gotta start somewhere, right? Watched a couple of those. Initial thought? Dude runs angry. Like, really low pad level, drives his legs, fights for every damn inch. Not super flashy, just… forceful. Decent vision too, saw him hit holes quick.
But highlights are just the shiny stuff. Needed to see the whole picture. Found a full Arkansas game replay against Mississippi State from that year. Grabbed my notebook. Watched every single carry Boyd had. Focused on:
- How did he handle contact right at the line?
- What happened on passing downs – did he block? Catch?
- Did he break tackles, or just get swallowed up?
This is where it got interesting. Saw him take a huge shot behind the line, almost went down. Somehow kept his damn feet, stumbled forward for maybe two yards. Just pure willpower. Not pretty, but NFL guys notice that grit. Then, later, a screen pass. Made a guy miss clean in space – that surprised me a bit. Had some wiggle I didn’t see in the highlight reels.
Okay, but the headline said “vs Other RBs”. Felt like I needed a baseline. Pulled up some tape of guys generally considered mid-round types that year, other guys teams might be looking at late or as free agents. Watched some AJ Dillon stuff from Boston College – pure power back. Different animal. Looked at a shiftier guy like Raymond Calais.
Started mentally comparing them point by point while watching Boyd’s tape again:
- Boyd ain’t got Dillon’s truck-stick power, but maybe a bit more agile?
- Didn’t have Calais’ pure jets, but seemed way stronger running between the tackles.
- Pass blocking… well, it was inconsistent. Got run over once, stonewalled a blitzer the next play.
Here’s the thing I kinda got: Boyd isn’t the best at any one elite skill. He ain’t the fastest, strongest, shiftiest. But watching him compete play after play, drive after drive… he looks like a real football player, you know? Doesn’t shy away. Competes hard. Shows flashes of everything – power, a bit of burst, sometimes nice hands, sometimes tenacious blocking.
Finished up my notes, finally drank that cold coffee. Yuck. The “why teams watched closely” clicked for me. It’s that dude just shows up. They see someone with a mix of decent traits who brings it every down. Not a guaranteed star by any stretch. But teams looking for depth, a guy who might surprise in camp? A fighter? Yeah. I totally see why they kept an eye on him. Just wants it, man.