Summary

Travis Etienne was selected in the 1st Round (#25 Overall) out of Clemson University. Etienne is a dynamic, explosive running back who brings big‑play ability, receiving versatility, and excellent vision to the field. His major strengths lie in his speed, elusiveness, and dual‑threat usage. His limitations revolve around physical size/impact in power situations, consistency of touches/efficiency, and development in blocking and short‑yardage dominance. With the right role, health, and scheme fit, he has the tools to be a standout back in the league.

Strengths

• Explosion, speed, and big‑play potential: Etienne’s game features speed, acceleration, quick first‑step to hit the hole, second gear in the open field, and threat to rip off a long touchdown on any carry. His ability to change direction and hit creases quickly is a major asset.

• Elusive runner with strong vision: He shows good vision, decisive cuts, and the ability to evade tacklers with balance and agility. Etienne runs hard and is physical for his size.

• Receiving skills and three‑down potential: Etienne has shown promise in the passing game — he has good hands, can catch out of the backfield, and adds value on third downs.

• Finish‑line ability and scoring track record: In college he was a heavy touchdown producer, and early in his NFL career he had seasons with 1,000+ rushing yards and solid production.

Weaknesses

• Shorter stature and physicality limitations: At 5′10″/215 lbs, Etienne is not the biggest back in terms of size and may face challenges with power runs, bumped blocks, or when asked to be a pure between‑the‑tackles load carrier. The Draft Scout

• Consistency in workload and efficiency: While he has had strong seasons, there have been stretches where his yards per carry dropped and his usage varied. For example, in some games he was less efficient and touches were fluctuating. 4for4

• Pass protection and short‑yardage/goal‑line usage: Some evaluators noted that while his receiving and running skills are strong, his ability to consistently block in pass protection and dominate in goal‑line/short‑yardage might need development.

• Durability and team role certainty: Etienne missed his rookie season due to injury, and in later seasons his role and touches have been less stable, especially when the team uses committees or rotates backs. That affects his ceiling as a workhorse.

Fit & Outlook

Etienne is ideally suited to an offense that uses zone‑runs, outside zone, stretch plays, and gets the back into space in the run and pass game. His receiving chops enhance his value in a modern backfield. If Etienne continues to improve his yield per carry, secures a larger, more consistent role, and strengthens his blocking/physical‑run game, his ceiling is a top‑tier every‑down running back. On the flip side, if usage remains split and efficiency remains inconsistent, he may settle as part of a backfield committee with high upside but not full feature status.