Deneric Prince NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Tulsa RB | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

HEIGHT: 5'11 5/8"

WEIGHT: 216

HAND: 9 1/4"

ARM: 31 1/4"

40-YARD DASH: 4.41

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: 35.5"

BROAD: 10'4"

— Good top speed.

— Good acceleration and burst. Rips through the second level.

— Downhill runner with above-average strength. Not easy to bring down right away.

— Great understanding for how to minimize contact and maneuver tight areas. Stays upright no matter what.

— Inconsistent vision.

— Below-average lateral ability. Ability to cut and make people miss is underwhelming.

— Limited pass-catching experience; looked uncomfortable catching passes in small sample

2022 STATISTICS

— 8 G, 126 ATT, 729 YDS (5.8 AVG), 5 TD; 9 REC, 84 YDS, 1 TD

— DOB: April 11, 2000

— 3-star recruit in Texas A&M's 2018 class, transferred to Tulsa in 2020

— 12 career starts (all at Tulsa)

— Missed first five games of 2022 with undisclosed injury

Deneric Prince has the size and athletic tools to be an NFL starter, but he needs to find consistency in his vision and improve his pass-catching skills in order to meet his potential.

Prince comfortably checks the boxes when it comes to size and strength. At nearly 6'0" and 216 pounds, Prince has a thick frame that can handle an NFL workload. He is a tough downhill runner who plays with decent play strength and, better yet, impressive balance to stay on his feet while taking hits. On top of that, Prince has a knack for navigating tight spaces and finding ways to contort his body to minimize contact, allowing him to really squeeze the most out of each run and occasionally spring big runs.

Prince has the open-field speed to make good on those chances, too. Prince's burst and acceleration to and through the second level are quite good, especially for a back his size. He's got the top speed as well. Prince's 4.41 40-yard dash might be a hair generous compared to what he shows on film, but he's still got plenty of juice to rip off big plays if he gets a runway.

Inconsistency stunts Prince's game, however. Prince's vision is not bad on the whole, but he shows frustrating ups and downs. At times, he flashes great patience and allows the blocks to play themselves out. In other instances, however, Prince can be found completely ignoring potential cutback lanes or pitter-pattering his feet trying to decide between two rushing lanes. He would find greater consistency in his production if he could play a little faster.

Additionally, Prince is not a useful pass-catcher right now. Not only does he have very limited production in that area, but he looks uncomfortable doing it on film. In a limited sample, Prince double-clutched a couple passes and was not really asked to do anything beyond simple checkdowns. Prince very well could improve his hands, but that will have to be proven at the next level.

Prince is a worthwhile Day 3 swing on a potential starting-quality runner. His blend of size, physicality and speed are that of a real-deal NFL starter; he's just a little rough around the edges right now.

GRADE: 6.4 (High-Level Developmental Prospect/Round 5)

OVERALL RANK: 151

POSITION RANK: RB13

PRO COMPARISON: Jerome Ford