D’Vonte Price is a physical specimen of a man, and he knows how to deliver a punishing blow to would-be tacklers. That said, the Florida International running back doesn’t do too much else exceptionally well with his touches. He’s a big body with impressive top-end speed for his size, yet the resume isn’t going to “wow” too many folks.
A three-star recruit from Punta Gorda, Florida, Price opted for FIU after receiving offers from South Florida and Kentucky. His true freshman season was exactly one for the record books, but the end of his stay at the university resulted in consecutive Conference USA honorable mentions.
Height: 6-foot-1 3/8
Weight: 210 pounds
40 time: 4.38 seconds
Price led FIU in rushing yards in 2021, a “super senior” season after the 2020 pandemic extension gave him another year of eligibility. He publicly discussed his struggle about deciding to return to school, ultimately choosing to take advantage of the extra year. If nothing else, it probably didn’t hurt him in the end, but he’s still likely a fifth-round pick or worse, unless a team’s brass is enamored with the size-speed combo for its specific situation.
Table: D’Vonte Price NCAA stats (2017-21)
*includes postseason/bowl games
Pros
- Pretty good vision for the timely cut-back
- Tough runner who keeps his legs moving and fights for added yardage after contact
- Functionally sound blocking skills and effort
- Can break big plays with adequate blocking in front of him
- Considerable size and enough speed to plow through people and keep going to the house from anywhere on the field — more of a galloping runner but is hard to catch from behind
- Could be a reliable returner on kickoffs but will need more experience
- Plenty of tread left on the tires
Also see: 2022 NFL Draft Central
Cons
- Runs far too upright at times, costing extra yardage and opening him up to injury — he can’t change his height, but more emphasis on consistently lowering his pads needs to be seen
- Isn’t particularly effective at creating yardage on his own
- Limited experience catching passes out of the backfield
- Build-up speed without quick access to a second gear — timed remarkably well at the combine but effectively doesn’t play as fast as a result of turbocharger lag
- Doesn’t profile as more than a change-of-pace backup or special teams returner
- Ball security could be an issue after four fumbles on only 414 offensive touches
- Lacks lower-body flexibility and can get tight in the hips when trying to make multiple evasive maneuvers in a row
Fantasy football outlook
It will require the right system and personnel situation to put Price in an immediate situation to contribute. His game reminds of Cordarrelle Patterson, minus the proven receiving chops. That’s not to say Price doesn’t have such a dual-threat role in him. In some ways, this is a discount version of Darren McFadden.
Price is worth keeping an eye on and should have more value as a deep-bench stash in dynasty formats than a single-year selection. We’ll provide a more thorough prognostication during the upcoming NFL draft once he finds a home.