Tre Madden 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report and Stock Watch

Tre Madden’s injury history and limited tape put his 2016 NFL Draft stock in doubt, but size and all-around capabilities could help him make a roster.

When Tre Madden debuted against Hawaii in 2013, it felt like the Trojans would be set at running back for a few years. But after a hot start to the year, injuries derailed his season, and ultimately his USC career.

After that, even when healthy, other backs like Buck Allen, Justin Davis, and Ronald Jones II seemed to earn more playing time and out perform him.

In the past year, Madden fared well as a rotational runner, but many of his big plays were fairly pedestrian in terms of the space he created by evading tacklers.

Take a look at his run against Arkansas State from the beginning of the season.

The line of scrimmage breaks wide open for Madden on this play, as the Trojans ran to the side opposite of where Arkansas State was overloading, along with great blocking by the offensive line. As the run develops, Madden jukes the lone unblocked defender to essentially stroll towards the end zone.

There aren’t any amazing cuts or crazy athleticism on display here, mostly great blocking, especially down field, and good vision by Madden to follow them. Beyond the first down line, Max Tuerk is still blocking his man, with Damien Mama not far behind. Darreus Rogers and JuJu Smith-Schuster clear up the rest of the defense.

While it’s foolish to think Madden should have done anything more than he did on this play, the fact that many of his highlights look like this could concern NFL scouts. At the next level, blocking this open will rarely happen. Most backs need either great elusiveness, strong power running, or a combination of both.

Since we just took a look at a bit of elusiveness, let’s take a look at some of the goal line power running Madden did last season.

The Trojans are in a classic power run situation, near the goal line and on fourth down. JuJu Smith-Schuster goes in motion across the formation as a decoy, while guard Damien Mama pulls in front of Madden to make the lead block. Madden actually runs into Mama’s back, which ends up being ideal, as Mama bulldozes the defender into the end zone with Madden right behind him.

This is another situation of Madden succeeding due to everything being setup in front of him. Again, it would be silly to imagine him doing anything more on this play, but it could concern scouts that many of his touchdowns and big plays follow this pattern.

Despite the negatives people see in his running style, Madden does have an ideal NFL running back frame.

Weighing in at 6-foot and 223 pounds, he measures up comparably to Adrian Peterson, listed at 6-foot-1 and 217 pounds. This frame allows him to keep his legs going into tackles and fall forward for extra yards.

Some talent evaluators in the NFL will take an athlete with ideal size and less-than-ideal play because they trust their coaches to make the player reach their potential. If he checks out on the medical side of things, Madden’s frame alone may get him a shot at making an NFL roster.

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Madden could also create interest from the interview room. Like the rest of the Trojan draft prospects on offense, he has experience with a pro-style offense, including experience pass blocking and receiving. Prospects from many spread offenses do not have these qualities, so that could be valuable for Madden to get his foot in the door.

Despite a positive combine performance on the bench press, teams will still be worried about his injury history and lack of consistent production even if everything else in their evaluations go well. Consequently, he could end up undrafted.

However, his prototypical physique will help him at least get signed for a training camp, where he can prove himself.

A team with recent troubles with depth at running back would be the ideal landing spot, like the Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, or San Diego Chargers.

Preliminary Prediction: Tre Madden is signed as an undrafted free agent by the San Diego Chargers

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