Sean Tucker  |  Syracuse 5’9″ 207 lbs.  |  10/25/2001 (21)

Sean Tucker went undrafted, signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an Undrafted Free Agent.

COLLEGE PRODUCTION

Tucker broke out as a 19-year-old, posting a solid freshman season of 626 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, with 8 catches for 113 yards. This is below-average efficiency, at just 4.6 yards per carry, but impressive nonetheless. Tucker exploded onto the college football scene as a sophomore, rushing for almost 1,500 yards and hauling in 20 catches, finding the endzone a total of 14 times. His efficiency markedly improved, jumping from 4.6 to 6.1 yards per carry. Tucker regressed a bit as a junior, seeing dips in efficiency and total numbers, but got more receiving work, upping his receptions from 20 to 36.

Overall, Tucker’s raw numbers are fairly impressive. He was a high-level producer, and despite taking a step back as a junior, his 2022 campaign was still very solid. His college production is definitely a strength for his prospect profile.

FILM

The film is where things got ugly for Tucker. I found that he struggled terribly with vision, missing a ton of holes up the middle. Tucker was an impatient runner and struggled to let his blocks develop, which often caused him to miss lanes and attempt to bounce runs outside, often to no avail. Context does matter here, as the Syracuse offensive line was quite poor. However, that doesn’t excuse Tucker for missing the holes that they did pave for him. Tucker also lacks power as a runner and often struggles to pick up tough yards in short-yardage situations. This aspect reminds me a lot of Austin Ekeler, who he gets compared to quite often. However, I think Tucker lacks the elusiveness and vision of Ekeler. 

One thing Tucker does have that Ekeler lacks is explosiveness. He is one of the fastest players in the entire class, regardless of position, and that speed and burst absolutely pops out on film. He excels at toasting angles at the second level, which makes up for his lack of elusiveness on second cuts. Tucker is also a good receiver, running solid routes and showing fairly reliable hands, although I will note he’s not remarkably above average at this.

Overall, I’m weary of Tucker as a prospect. I think there could be a nice role for him on the right team, but I don’t think he’s guaranteed to become a solid impact player, and could easily see his running style fail to translate. I’m hesitant to count him out fully as a dynasty asset due to his receiving ability, but I’m definitely lower than the consensus on Tucker as a whole.

ATHLETIC TESTING

Due to medical reasons, Tucker was unable to participate in the NFL Combine. He did host his own pro-day, where he weighed in at 209 pounds, jumped 38 inches in the vertical, and had 29 bench press reps (per Adam Schefter). Some of these numbers are quite impressive but don’t move the needle at all for me on Tucker as a prospect.

DRAFT ANALYSIS 

Tucker was not selected in the NFL draft and signed with Tampa Bay as a UDFA. 

Obviously, the hit rate for undrafted running backs is next to 0. With some exceptions, such as the aforementioned Austin Ekeler, and guys like Chris Carson, there’s virtually no outcome where Tucker carves out a long-term meaningful role in the NFL. We can’t totally count him out, but Draft weekend was not kind to Ekeler in the slightest, and his odds at NFL success certainly dipped.

Tampa is not loaded at running back but is set up fine with guys like Rachaad White and Ke’Shawn Vaughn ahead of Tucker. This is definitely not the most loaded depth chart in the league, but I don’t see Tucker jumping too high. That being said, if Tampa doesn’t touch their running back room all offseason, Tucker could be in for some touches if White were to go down with an injury.

FANTASY INSIGHTS

I never had Tucker higher on my board than as a fourth-round grade. Even before the medical concerns, and ultimately now the poor draft capital, I was skeptical of Tucker’s game translating to the NFL. Now, with the lack of draft capital, Tucker’s completely off my board until the late 4th round. I’m fine taking a shot on him anywhere in that range, as at that point it’s mostly a dice roll. But, there’s a real chance that Tucker never sees a carry in the NFL, which should be baked into his value at the moment. Tucker currently sits at my RB18 in the class, behind the likes of Kenny McIntosh and Evan Hull.

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