Kenneth Gainwell is a running back who isn’t for everyone and must be used correctly if he’s going to have any value. It seems unfair to call him a 3rd down back but that might just be what he ends up being in the NFL. He’s a running back who’s extremely scheme dependent with a high ceiling and a low floor. 

Strengths: 

  • Great Elusiveness

Kenneth Gainwell is incredibly shifty with great elusiveness and juke moves that make defenders look silly. It’s what makes him so great in the open field.

  • Good Acceleration

The acceleration that Gainwell has is next level. He gets near his top speed and no time and his overall play speed is off the charts.

  • Has a Second Gear

Gainwell is incredibly fast in short areas and as he gets going he hits a 2nd gear that’s even faster. Gainwell has great acceleration, agility, and long speed.

  • Gets Extra Yards

Gainwell is a guy who’s extremely aware of how many more yards he needs when running the ball and he frequently seems to be able to get that extra lunge and drive in him to convert a 3rd down.

  • Decent Vision

Contrary to what others believe I think that Kenneth Gainwell has great vision. When holes are open he does find them and he also sees cutback lanes other guys don’t.

  • Looks Like a WR in Passing Game

There is probably a game or two on Gainwell’s tape where lines up out wide more than he does in the backfield. He’s the most advanced receiver out of the RBs in this year’s class and he has great hands and route running.

  • High Effort Blocker

Kenneth Gainwell stands at 5’11 195, so not only is he small but he isn’t built well either. To make up for this to be even a passable blocker he needs to put forth an insane amount of effort into blocking which he does.

Weaknesses: 

  • Bad Contact Balance

Once contacted Kenneth Gainwell is almost sure to go down. You rarely see him bouncing off of big hits and a lot of times he gets tripped up by some pretty weak arm tackles at his legs.

  • Can’t Run Between the Tackles

You rarely ever see a designed running play for Gainwell to go up the middle nor do you see Gainwell cut back into the middle of the field. He’s just too small and not compact enough to run between the tackles, which can limit his ability.

  • Too Small to be Good in Pass Pro

He is a very high effort player in pass protection but just because he’s giving it his all doesn’t mean he’s good. He got pushed around in college and NFL players will do that even more, and he’s also been beat by speed when he gets overaggressive in pass pro.

Player Comp: At his ceiling I’d say that Kenneth Gainwell is an extremely similar player to Austin Ekeler of the Chargers. Both guys are pretty smaller and also have amazing speed, acceleration, and change of direction. They both have decent vision and the ability to push forward for a few extra yards when needed. Both are smooth receivers and put forth high effort in pass blocking. The main difference is probably that Ekeler has significantly better contact balance.

Final Thoughts: Overall I think I think that it’s tough to say this but I think that Kenneth Gainwell is going to end up being a 3rd down back for most of his career in the NFL. He can never really be the main back for a team and he’d rather be better suited as a supplement for another back. He’s not really a back for everyone and I have a Round 4 grade on him which is lower than most. Teams that could use a receiving running back like the Steelers or the Jets would be the best team fits for him.