The Panthers, & Cameron Artis-Payne: Explaining the Fit

[SetfreexX]

It was the third day of the 2015 NFL Draft and the Panthers are on the clock…tic toc, tic toc, and with the 38^th pick in the 5^th round Carolina selects Cameron Artis-Payne running back from Auburn…(Don’t believe me just watch)

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sneB0S3VpEE

 

 

 

And just like that Carolina had drafted their third running back in three years in the latter rounds under GM Dave Gettleman, the previous two seasons saw Oregon stand-out Kenjon Barner (5th), and Stanford’s bell cow Tyler Gaffney (6th) be the teams choices, neither of whom are still with the team. But this time, maybe, just maybe the player will stick.

 

 

 

Name: Cameron Artis-Payne 
College: Auburn     Number: 44
Height: 5-10   Weight: 212 
Position: RB  Pos2: 
Class/Draft Year: Sr/2015
40 Low: 4.33   40 Time: 4.43  40 High: 4.54 
Projected Round: 4-5  Stock:   High: 3rd  Low: 5-6th
Rated number 13 out of 149 RB's     141 / 2303 TOTAL

 

 

 

When listening to early commentary on (CAP for short) we kept hearing him being referred to a bowling ball creating an image many may liken to Tolbert’s build. Upon further review CAP is more of a mix between the departed DeAngelo Williams (5’9, 215), and current lead Back Jonathan Stewart (5’10, 235), as CAP is listed at 5’10, 212 lbs.

 

 

 

Per his draft profile -- http://www.nfl.com/draft/2015/profiles/cameron-artis-payne?id=2552375 – CAP’s strengths fall in line with what Carolina looks for in their feature back, a north/south running style, patience in following blocks, burst through the hole, and finishing runs by playing through contact. His listed weakness bring to light a concern in pass protection, a weakness common among many of the non-first round running talents as many colleges utilize the spread and the backs find themselves often out in space, while being asked to pass protect on a fewer snaps.

 

 

 

Another concern was his top end speed (4.53 40 time - high end) and being able to turn the corner vs NFL caliber defenses, I say to that look no further than backs like Le’Veon Bell (4.6), Doug Martin (4.55), and Justin Forsett (4.62) who have all found fairly high levels of success behind power run, and zone blocking schemes similar to what the Panthers currently employ.

 

 

 

So now that the preliminary information is out of the way let’s talk about, ‘The Fit’ : Coming out of Auburn’s Pistol attack I think CAP has a niche he’s already accustomed to and well suited for as he pairs with the likes of Cam Newton, and Jonathan Stewart among others in the back-field to show-case one of the more college influenced offenses in the NFL.

 

 

 

If you take a look at his tape, you can see just how similar our Pistol run game is to the Auburn system he just left-

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA-tvSBW7Q0

 

 

 

That right there is where I think we’ll see the most impact with CAP as he grows as a rookie, in the Pistol, and Shotgun option looks. Just watching that video I see some characteristics that remind me of the way Jonathan Stewart runs for us as he tends to bounce off of tackles, and fall forward through the contact.

 

 

 

So while I don’t think CAP will be our feature back this season or the next, he definitely should have more than enough opportunity excelling at what he excelled in at Auburn working from the Pistol, and Shotgun as he matures as an NFL runner. So if you don’t believe me just watch…

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPf0YbXqDm0

 

[L-TownCat]

Don't believe me just watch

dont believe me just watch

dont believe me just watch

Hey, hey, hey, hey!

 

[pantherphan96]

I'm a huge fan of this pick. If you watch the highlight reel, you can see how often CAP sheds tackles, especially arm tackles. Reminds me of Stewart with his ability to burst through the line and ping pong off of tacklers and continue moving forward. Also watch how he patiently reads the defense and finds a lane (starting at 2:15 in the video) before making his cut to the outside, something DeAngelo used to be very good at doing.

[LinvilleGorge]

With his production in the SEC and his measurables, I was very surprised to see us be able to land him at the bottom of the 5th.  5'10 212 is a great size for an NFL RB.  Marshawn Lynch is 5'11" 215.  Emmitt Smith was 5'9" 216.  4.53 is also a fine 40 time for an NFL RB as another poster above pointed out.

Dude ran for over 1600 yards last year for Auburn in the SEC while toting the rock 300+ times, averaging 5.3ypc, and scoring 13 TDs.  That's a beast.

I think the reasons that he was available at the bottom of the 5th are:  

1. Age (he'll turn 25 as a rookie) 

2. Passing game concerns.  He hasn't shown much either as a blocker or as a receiver.  But, he's ready to come into the NFL and carry the rock as a runner right now.

3. He isn't perceived as a big play threat.  Guess what, some of the best backs to come out of college recently weren't and that's why they didn't go in the 1st round.  Le'veon Bell, Jeremy Hill, Alfred Morris, etc.  All of those guys have proven to be very successful RBs, but didn't go higher because they're all 4.6 type guys.

[panthers55]

I don't see a lot of Stewart in him but he sure does look like DeAngelo. I don't see him being big between the tackles but he does have a nice burst around the edges. He will be a good complement to Stewart and Tolbert who will get playing time commensurate with his ability to pass protect which is critical in our offense with many intermediate and deep routes.

[motocross_cat]

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[PoundCat]

 

I'm Back, do we really need tacky sh!+ like that on this board? Nobody wants to see Paula Dean, and the sh!+ ain't even funny.

[t96]

That being said....

 

Please Stew play all 19 games.

[pantherclaw]

He has a good center of gravity, and runs hard. 

 

 

[juliosantos]

Runs similar to demarco murray

[bleedsgreenandgold]

Last year's Auburn/USC game was on the SEC network this morning. I watched a solid hour since golf was on delay. CAP runs hard and continues to moves his feet even after the 2nd or 3rd tackler arrives. Should be a capable backup in year one.

[motocross_cat]

As much as i like the pick, i have a feeling we will see much more toldozer this year than we think.  Bottom line we look good at RB.

[pantherclaw]

Over analyzing it. 

 

Panthers love to run the ball.

Cameron Artis-Payne is a talented ball carrier. 

Great fit!

[magnus]

it's fairly simple.  Unlike a lot of the other zone read teams, Malzahn's spread came from the Wing-T offense he'd run early in his (high school?) career.   So while almost everyone's spread zone read is basically the inside or outside zone runs with the QB option attached, a lot of Auburn's have pulling linemen - which is what Carolina does.  

They'll pull a guard for a QB power, or a read option, or just a good ol' buck sweep.  They run to power. Most spread RBs don't know a lot about that, and CAP does.