Zach Charbonnet

Pos: RB

School: UCLA

Ht. 6’0”

Wt. 214

Games Watched: Oregon, USC, Stanford

One Liner: Well built running back who wins with contact balance, power, and receiving prowess.

Strengths: 

  • Elite contact balance. Charbonnet displays next level ability to withstand positioning and keep himself going after tackle attempts. He can be attacked from multiple angles by multiple defenders and still keep himself going to gain extra yardage on the play. 
  • Very good power. Charbonnet is a powerful back who uses his size to his advantage to bulldoze and keep himself generating power to run over defenders in space beyond the line of scrimmage.
  • Very good receiving ability. Charbonnet is a threat to win as a receiving back and was the recipient of a plethora of DTR’s checkdowns at UCLA. He shows the necessary ability to make cuts out of the backfield in the stem of his route and with soft hands and long enough arms to have a highly projectable catch radius at the next level.
  • Good vision at the LOS. Charbonnet shows solid vision at the LOS to find the right hole and attack, making him scheme versatile although he would be better suited in a zone blocking scheme due to his patience and football IQ.

Weaknesses:

  • Adequate speed. Charbonnet doens’t have great long speed and was timed at 4.53 at the combine. While I think he does play a little faster than that time, he won’t be known as a burner at the next level. 
  • Adequate athleticism. Charbonnet doesn’t have elite explosion or bounce into gaps. He lacks speedy acceleration to really attack holes created by the offensive line. He generates good speed with momentum going downhill in space, but will not be known to accelerate from the meshpoint. 
  • Adequate instincts beyond the LOS. Charbonnet makes questionable decisions when choosing gaps in space beyond the LOS. He may kick outside when he has space and numbers in front him, where, at the very least he can use his contact balance and power to create extra yardage. 

Overall Assessment: Zach Charbonnet is a high floor back that can be a three down player with his ability as a receiver as well. Charbonnet can be a workhorse back considering his frame and the power he generates on every run. His home run trait is elite contact balance that keeps every play alive when the ball is in his hands. Charbonnet’s floor is limited by adequate jolt and athletic ability which hinders his acceleration, but he will be a reliable player from Day 1 as a contributor in multiple levels of an NFL offense.  

Scheme Fit: Inside zone power back.

Pick Projection: Day 2

Grade: 6.35