August 30, 2021

Javian Hawkins has a small frame, standing at only 5'8 and 183 lbs, but his scorching speed makes him a threat to score from anywhere on the field. Over his last two seasons at Louisville, Hawkins piled up 417 total touches for 2,432 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns. He went undrafted, but was signed initially by the Atlanta Falcons and was recently added off waivers by the Tennessee Titans. Hawkins has a long way to go before he sees the field behind superstar Derrick Henry and backup Darrynton Evans, but he has a few skills that translate well to the next level. While Hawkins could probably hide behind one of Henry's quads in a rousing game of hide-and-seek, he is much tougher than he looks. He has never given up a sack in pass protection, which could lead to passing down snaps for the rookie, and he is not afraid to lower his shoulder to gain a few extra yards to move the sticks. The other thing to love about Hawkins is that he fell into the perfect landing spot from a scheme perspective. Head coach Mike Vrabel helped run an outside-zone rushing scheme to perfection these past two seasons with Henry and that scheme is tailor-made for Hawkins. His speed from the point of the handoff is impressive and enables him to easily reach the open gaps created by the shifting offensive linemen, and well before the defensive linemen or linebackers get a hand on him. As a result, Hawkins regularly creates explosive chunk plays, which can sometimes swing the momentum of games. Don't expect much from Hawkins unless there is an injury ahead of him, but he should remain a name in the back of your minds as a potential waiver wire add during the season. He is currently going undrafted as the RB72 in ADP.--Frank Dyevoich, Esq.