The Unpacking Future Packers Countdown is a countdown of 100 prospects that could be selected by the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL draft.
With Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon on the roster, Green Bay is in good shape at running back for the upcoming season.
What after next season though? Dillon is entering the final year of his rookie contract and Jones will turn 29 in December.
The Packers need a third back and Brian Gutekunst will likely look to add one during the 2023 NFL Draft with the idea that said rookie could take on a much larger role during their second year in the league.
A player that Gutekunst could target on day two of the upcoming draft is Tyjae Spears. The Tulane running back checks in at No. 54 in the Unpacking Future Packers countdown.
A three-star recruit, Spears scored a rushing and receiving touchdown during his first season on campus. His second season was cut short after suffering a torn ACL three games into the season.
The following season, Spears rushed for 863 yards and nine touchdowns. This past season Spears was named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year. He rushed for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns. Spears also hauled in 22 passes for 256 yards and two touchdowns.
Spears closed out his collegiate career with a bang against USC in the Cotton Bowl. Against the Trojans, Spears rushed for 205 yards and four touchdowns. He added one reception for 14 yards, where he was stopped at the one-yard line. He punched it in for a touchdown on the next play.
“Simply put, Tyjae Spears was the most dominant player on the field in a New Year’s Six bowl game. USC’s defense,” Steve Helwick, a reporter for Underdog Dynasty said. “With a month of film study and preparation — simply could not find an answer for the AAC Offensive Player of the Year in that 205-yard, 4-touchdown Cotton Bowl performance. Spears shed tackles with regularity that game and broke off explosive run after explosive run to lead the Green Wave to their greatest win in program history. As a workhorse back and the focal point of the offense, he seemingly improved every week of the season and found an impeccable gear which lasted from mid-October until Tulane’s season concluded in January.”
Spears’ trump card is his ability to make people miss and create yards after contact. He’s elusive in the open and stays balanced through contact. According to Pro Football Focus, Spears had 1,052 yards after contact this past season and forced 63 missed tackles.
“Tyjae Spears’ greatest strength is his ability to shed tackles,” Helwick said. “We saw this on full display toward the end of the season when he broke his season-high rushing total in three consecutive weeks — which happened to be Tulane’s three most important games of the 21st century. I’d throw him into an exclusive category with Bijan Robinson and Zach Charbonnet when it comes to break-tackle ability in this draft class. He bounces off tacklers like he’s in a pinball machine and consistently fights for extra three-to-five yards through contact. Spears’ break-tackle ability is what leads to his explosive playmaking, as evidenced by five 30+ yard runs in the AAC Championship Game and Cotton Bowl combined.”
He’s an instinctive runner with outstanding vision. Once he sees it, he plants his foot and goes. He’s able to hit the top gear quickly and erases pursuit angles. Spears averaged 6.8 yards per carry during his time at Tulane. This past season he ripped off 21 runs of 15-plus yards.
“When he runs, it looks like he slows the game down as navigation becomes his priority,” Helwick said. “Patience is one of his calling cards when running, and he often waits for openings before pursuing anything with no fear of testing unconventional pathways. Spears’ vision is why thrusting him into a wildcat role in the Cotton Bowl was so effective. He prefers to operate toward the boundaries, oftentimes bouncing carries to the outside and trying to slip through a tackler en route to daylight. Because of this running style, it seems like the majority of Spears’ carries are under six yards or over 20 without much in between.”
Spears is a slasher with electric feet. He’s able to weave through the trash and find daylight. He makes sharp, sudden cuts and he has outstanding lateral agility. Once he sees a cutback lane he shifts on a dime without gearing down. The Tulane running back has a high football IQ and understands run angles. He’s able to string together a combination of moves that will leave defenders grasping at air.
“Spears displays a tremendous cutback ability when in open space,” Helwick said. “Sometimes it looks like he’s teleporting past a defender on his cuts. It’s rare to see Spears utilizing straight-line speed in open space, rather, he’s a very shifty runner who frequently changes speeds and directions in effort to shake his way past defenders. It’s especially optimal for defenses to wrap up Spears at the line of scrimmage because his combination of physicality and craftiness makes him as lethal as any running back in this draft when breaking through to the second level.”
Spears finished his career at Tulane with 48 receptions, including a career-high 22 this past season. He showcases soft, natural hands. He’s alert in pass protection. He’s a nightmare for defenders when he catches the ball in space.
“I think his shiftiness and ability to change directions on a dime make him a solid route runner, but Tulane didn’t utilize him much in a receiving role outside of two early-season games last September,” Helwick said. “While pass catching is not one of his main strengths, once the ball is in his hands, he thrives in open space just like he would on a handoff. A prime example of this is in the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl when he stops on a dime to evade a USC defender, reclassifying an apparent 2-yard reception into a 14-yard gain. Don’t expect Spears to be utilized like Brian Westbrook as a receiving threat, but he’s dangerous enough in space where dump-offs in the flats shouldn’t be too uncommon.”
Fit with the Packers
If Spears were to land in Green Bay his impact during his rookie season would likely be minimal. Barring an injury, Spears would see limited touches playing behind Jones and Dillon.
During Dillon’s rookie season, he carried the ball 42 times, as he sat behind Jones and Jamaal Williams. That jumped up to 187 rushes during his second year in the league.
It’s reasonable to expect that if the Packers take a running back in the 2023 NFL Draft that they’d follow the same flight plan.
Spears is an explosive playmaker with a knack for creating yards after contact and forcing missed tackles in space. He’d make his limited touches count.
“Spears’ break-tackle ability is top-notch, and he displays quality vision and patience to succeed at the professional level,” Helwick said. “We typically see at least one mid-to-late round running back flourish as a rookie, and there is certainly potential for Spears to become this draft’s Tyler Allgeier.”
The Packers are set at running back for the upcoming season. There won’t be many bites at the apple for the team’s third running back.
What will the position look like a year from now? That third back could be the new No. 2 tailback, or possibly the lead dog.
