Clemson RB Wayne Gallman drafted by the New York Giants in the fourth round

Clemson Tigers running back Wayne Gallman got the phone call he was waiting for on Saturday afternoon when the New York Giants selected Gallman with the No. 140 pick overall in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Another weapon in the prolific Tigers offense, Gallman isn’t the flashiest running back in the draft, but he is very consistent. He topped 1,000 yards two years in a row, including 1,527 in 2015. And while Gallman possesses some speed, it’s his toughness that helped him stand out from other running backs in the draft class. One NFL scout said this of Gallman: “A lot of backs do some pretty things with their footwork and it gets people excited and then you find out they aren’t tough enough. Give me a guy who can bang like Gallman and let the coaches put him in a position to succeed.”

He is a between-the-tackles running back that fights through hits and moves the pile for more yards. Scouts love the second push Gallman has shown on film. Even if he doesn’t have the best speed, that second effort will come in handy in short-yardage situations. An underrated part of Gallman’s game is his ability to pass protect, which is crucial in the NFL today. Losing touches from 2015 (283) to 2016 (196), Gallman become a big part of the plan to allow Deshaun Watson to throw the ball 100 more times in 2016 than he did in 2015.

The biggest weaknesses for Gallman are his footwork and his upright running style, which affects his vision. Gallman isn’t great at dancing around while running between the tackles and doesn’t always identify the correct hole through which to run. He’s unlikely to be a three-down back in the NFL, but it paired with a faster outside back, any NFL team should be happy with his production. He can potentially be a force at the goal line with his strong second and third efforts.