Arkeem Byrd has picked up an offer from Boston College recently and seems content taking time with his recruitment. Here's what Justin Howland, a mid-Atlantic analyst for Rivals, wrote about Byrd:
"He's 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds with a listed 40-yard dash time of 4.48 seconds. Thus, he would seem to have more than requisite speed to get to the second level and beyond, perhaps even as a home run hitter out of the backfield, and he's got the kind of frame that will allow him to continue to fill out, perhaps to a back as big as 205-210 pounds.
In high school Byrd runs from out of the backfield where he lines up alongside the quarterback.
On film he displays more than enough quicks and strong cutting ability to get to the edge and beat linebackers to the corner.
Unlike some running backs Byrd does not run in quick, short steps. He's got a long stride especially in the open field, and that might mean that his cutting ability will be tested in college. Still, for a longer (taller) back he's better at those quick, hard cuts in the backfield than most.
Byrd sometimes lines up in the slot where he's demonstrated he can excel on end arounds because of that hard cutting ability on the edge, his explosiveness in turning upfield, and his vision, which is on display in the way he weaves through defenders when his blocking is set up.
Byrd hasn't yet demonstrated himself to be a downhill power runner and he's better on the edge running in space than when he sticks to going between the tackles. So that will be worth keeping in mind. He's used to blocking with a lead back - either a fullback or an H-Back - and seems to benefit from that.
While not strictly a power back Byrd has demonstrated enough lower body strength to run through arm tackles. He's a bigger target than some backs because of his longer legs, so continuing to improve his lower body strength will be important. He appears to be well-proportioned and has a wide upper body."
Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks really blew up as seniors in high school. If he were to commit, Byrd would continue the trend of diamonds in the rough that blew up their senior seasons.
"He's 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds with a listed 40-yard dash time of 4.48 seconds. Thus, he would seem to have more than requisite speed to get to the second level and beyond, perhaps even as a home run hitter out of the backfield, and he's got the kind of frame that will allow him to continue to fill out, perhaps to a back as big as 205-210 pounds.
In high school Byrd runs from out of the backfield where he lines up alongside the quarterback.
On film he displays more than enough quicks and strong cutting ability to get to the edge and beat linebackers to the corner.
Unlike some running backs Byrd does not run in quick, short steps. He's got a long stride especially in the open field, and that might mean that his cutting ability will be tested in college. Still, for a longer (taller) back he's better at those quick, hard cuts in the backfield than most.
Byrd sometimes lines up in the slot where he's demonstrated he can excel on end arounds because of that hard cutting ability on the edge, his explosiveness in turning upfield, and his vision, which is on display in the way he weaves through defenders when his blocking is set up.
Byrd hasn't yet demonstrated himself to be a downhill power runner and he's better on the edge running in space than when he sticks to going between the tackles. So that will be worth keeping in mind. He's used to blocking with a lead back - either a fullback or an H-Back - and seems to benefit from that.
While not strictly a power back Byrd has demonstrated enough lower body strength to run through arm tackles. He's a bigger target than some backs because of his longer legs, so continuing to improve his lower body strength will be important. He appears to be well-proportioned and has a wide upper body."
Rodney Smith and Shannon Brooks really blew up as seniors in high school. If he were to commit, Byrd would continue the trend of diamonds in the rough that blew up their senior seasons.
