Bias. It's a prejudice best left out of fantasy sports, yet I couldn't help but feel it when the Seattle Seahawks drafted C.J. Prosise. The biggest reason? Because I have Thomas Rawls in my league of record and the selection of Prosise worries me in terms of Rawls' value.
Prosise is a talented, multi-dimensional back that could find success in his rookie season.
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A Deeper Dive Into C.J. Prosise
Outside of Ezekiel Elliot who was the clear-cut No. 1 running back on the board, Prosise was one of the most intriguing backs entering the 2016 NFL Draft. Elliot would land himself in a great fit with the run-first, Cowboys offense anchored by a fantastic offensive line. If Elliot does indeed get his projected 20-25 touches per game, he is the clear-cut front runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. With Prosise, the situation is a bit different -- but there is a lot of potential there as well.
When Prosise arrived at Notre Dame he was not a running back. He wasn't even on the offense. He was a safety that would later convert to wide receiver, and then to running back. After making his way into the backfield, Prosise would put up over 1,000 rushing yards, 308 receiving yards and scored 12 total touchdowns in 2015. Standing 6'0", and weighing in at 220-pounds, Prosise became the Fighting Irish's work horse during his senior campaign.
It was this exact versatility that drew the Seahawks and head coach Pete Carrol to Prosise, and Seattle would eventually take him off the board in the third round.
Once joining the Seahawks, the question then became; where does he land on the depth chart?
Nine-year NFL veteran, Marshawn Lynch, decided that it was time to hang up his golden cleats in the off-season. Lynch's retirement opened the door for heir-apparent, Thomas Rawls who had moderate success while filling in for Lynch last season. The problem? Rawls is still recovering from a broken ankle suffered in December of 2015. The loss of their top two running backs is the exact catalyst that prompted Seattle to add not one, not two, but three additional tailbacks in the draft and also brought back Christine Micheal for another run with the organization. They then also added USC prospect Tre Madden as an UDFA. Once Rawls is fully healed, it is reported that he will indeed be the No. 1 back -- at least heading into training camp. Will he be able to hold on to that role? That is the big question right now.
At Seattle's organized team activities (OTA's), Prosise was found flashing his distinct versatility by practicing with the wide receiver core. This is likely a sign that Prosise will be the teams third down back if things goes as planned.
Our friends over at numberfire.com did a great break-down of Prosise's role with the team if Rawls does heal up and assume the bell-cow role in 2016. In 2015, Fred Jackson was the team's third down running back. Out of the 41 targets thrown his way, Jackson hauled in 32 of the attempts. His 41 targets were the most receptions by a Seattle tailback since Lynch himself dating back to 2013. Without the two heaviest-targeted backs on the team, numberfire projects that 77 percent of the 80 targets thrown to running backs in Seattle will be up or grabs in 2016.
Will This Benefit Rawls or Prosise?
There is obviously no way of being able to answer that question yet, however looking back to Rawls' collegiate career at Central Michigan University you have to lean in favor of Prosise to receive those targets. In Rawls' senior season at CMU, he recorded just 10 receptions. Now, I am not saying the guy cannot catch, but I will say that his competition, can.
One negative that needs to be brought up in regards to Prosise is his lack of experience coming out of the backfield. As previously mentioned, he is a converted wide receiver who only has 10 games at the college level under his belt as he enters the NFL. With that in mind, his positives still greatly outweigh the negatives.
Of his positives, it is his great instinct to run north-and-south on the field, and again, his ability catching the ball that stand out the most. Being so multi-dimensional should allow Prosise to collect a lot of all-purpose yards this season -- no matter what kind of role he is in. He also has great ability to bounce the ball outside on his carries with his great speed. Ultimately, Prosise presents a threat that defenses cannot afford to ignore and has shown that he is capable of taking one to the house on any given play.
In short, Prosise can do it all at an extremely high level and should be on your draft radar as fantasy football season approaches. Especially for teams drafting Thomas Rawls, like myself.
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