The Chargers got their presumed complement to Austin Ekeler with the pick of former Texas A&M running back Isaiah Spiller at No. 123 overall.
The first thing that stands out with Spiller is his vision. He has the eyes to find the holes and his footwork allows him to get between them quickly.
There’s a good chance Isaiah Spiller (Texas A&M, RB) ends up as my RB1. Vision, burst, and contact balance all pop. pic.twitter.com/i7nBESCzxg
— Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) January 24, 2022
Spiller has smooth and fluid feet when changing directions.
Isaiah Spiller has rare stop and start + change of direction for his size
He's so good at navigating LOS traffic and extremely physical when he gets to the 2nd level pic.twitter.com/Oo6PGcyZcj
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) December 15, 2021
He may not be a bruiser, but Spiller has the toughness and the ability to easily run through arm tackles and grind out extra yardage on contact.
Texas A&M Isaiah Spiller among SEC RBs:
▪️ 6.9 yards per carry (1st)
▪️ 256 yards after contact (1st)
▪️ 17 forced missed tackles (1st)pic.twitter.com/1Ri8KjZn7G— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) October 12, 2020
He ran screens, flats, swings, and wheels out of the backfield, where he showed good hands and catching ability.
#devy 2022 RB1 Isaiah Spiller with a huge TD catch.
— Jeff Bell (@4WhomJBellTolls) September 11, 2021
Spiller does lack long speed and fumbles can be an issue, as he put the ball on the ground nearly 10 times in just three seasons.
The bottom line is that the Chargers got a solid running back in the fourth round who is capable of coming in and making an early impact for them and freeing up some of Ekeler’s workload.