INDIANAPOLIS — Tulane running back Tyjae Spears is cooking, and good luck stopping him. The 5-foot-9, 204-pound back comes to the scouting combine looking to prove his worth as an every-down back (“A four-down back,” as he told me), and if you’re discounting him because of his size, you may want to check that, because Spears’ 2022 tape with the Green Wave is as full of utterly ridiculous plays as you’ll see from any back — perhaps from any player — in this draft class.
The metrics bear this out. In 2022, Spears gained 1,586 yards and scored 19 touchdowns on 231 carries. 1,052 of those yards came after contact, he averaged 4.55 yards per carry after contact, he forced 63 missed tackles, and 21 of his carries went for 15 or more yards for 793 explosive yards. He also caught 22 passes on 28 targets for 251 yards and two touchdowns, and though all of his passes were of the short-to-intermediate variety, he averaged 12.7 yards after the catch per reception.
Then, when he got to the Senior Bowl, Spears continued his penchant for ridiculousness.
Tulane RB Tyjae Spears continues to cook down here at the Senior Bowl! pic.twitter.com/saZ4enCaNS
— Full-Time Dame đź’° (@DP_NFL) February 2, 2023
I met with Spears in the lower lobby of the Indianapolis Omni Severin Hotel on Wednesday, as he was one of many EXOS clients doing final training for the combine.
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It was the first time I’ve ever watched tape with a player on my phone, but I could not resist the opportunity to go over a few plays with the most explosive back in this class. Spears was eager and able to explain — to a point — how it is that he does what he does, though as he says, you just can’t plan some of this stuff. It either happens, or it doesn’t, and with Spears, it happens all the time.
Without further ado, let’s have the man himself explain some of the silliest tape you’ll see from anyone working out at the scouting combine this year.