Strengths: Hunt is a big, powerful runner who punishes defenders that try and tackle him. He runs extremely hard and is tough to bring down in the open field. Hunt hits the hole hard and is a strong runner between the tackles. He’s also an effective cutback runner. Hunt has good vision as a runner and his football speed is better than his timed speed. He really drives the pile backwards and has a nose for the goal line. Hunt is basically a piledriver with speed. He also has good hands, although Penn State doesn’t throw a lot of passes to its running backs.
Weaknesses: Hunt doesn’t break off a lot of long runs. He’s more like Curtis Martin where he may not have a lot of 80-yard runs but Hunt will pile up six and seven yard gains all day long. Hunt was able to get to the outside in college but did most of his damage between the tackles. He’ll have to prove in the NFL that he has the speed to get to the edge. Hunt doesn’t stand out in any particular area but he does virtually everything well.
Overall: Hunt is one of the top two or three backs available this year in my opinion. I think he would be a perfect fit in the Broncos offense because of his power and ability to cutback. Hunt is a patient runner who wears down defenses as the game goes on. He’s not a flashy player but more like Corey Dillon where he’s deceptively quick for his size and will abuse tacklers all game long. Hunt will probably get drafted in the second or third round but he has the physical ability to be a productive starting running back in the NFL right away. Patriots fans better hope the Broncos don’t get their hands on this kid because he could become an instant star in that system.
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Possible Patriots
Hunt - Hunt would be a perfect complement to Maroney. His bruising running style would help replace Corey Dillon and make Hunt valuable near the goal line. If he were still on the board in the third round, the Patriots should really consider scooping him up.
