Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse
5’10” 210lbs
Redshirt Sophomore
Since the age of six, Sean Tucker’s father would coach and drill Tucker to be the best. This work ethic and the training regime continued on and manifested while at Calvert Hall high school in his hometown of Towson, Maryland.
Tucker was a versatile athlete, playing running back and cornerback while also running indoor/outdoor track. According to cuse.com, he won the MIAA indoor title for the 55-meter in back-to-back years. As a junior, he won the 100 and 200-meter sprints.
During his junior year, he rushed for 1,556 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 7.2 yards per carry. In his senior year, he ran for 1,204 yards and another 14 touchdowns.
As a recruit, he was labeled as a 3-star prospect and the 58th RB in the 2020 class according to 247Sports composite rankings. He held just 5 offers that included Kent State, Rutgers and Wisconsin. He committed to Syracuse in April of 2019 and signed that December.
During his freshman year, he became the starting RB after four games. In that fourth game against Georgia Tech, he rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns, putting his name on the map early in his career. He ended the season with another 100-plus yard game and a touchdown against Notre Dame, giving him 626 yards and four scores on the season.
In 2021, Tucker found momentum and impressed with 1,515 yards with 12 touchdowns and just one fumble. He improved his rushing average from 4.6 to 6.1 yards per carry and showcased his pass-catching ability, adding 249 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Last season Tucker continued rolling with 1,062 yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2022 season. He also saw 37 receptions off 52 targets for 297 yards and added five receiving touchdowns.
Fantasy Relevant Scouting Criteria:
Athleticism: Tucker possesses good acceleration at the line of scrimmage, quickly generating speed through gaps and getting to the second level with subtle, quick footwork to evade laterally. He displays average ability to pick and slide and proves he can weave through traffic without losing much speed. His speed to the perimeter is average, but he does show solid acceleration along the redline once he gets to the perimeter. Tucker will succeed against average athletes at the NFL level.
Long Speed: Once in the open field, Tucker shows good breakaway speed to separate himself from average second-level defenders. He will have success breaking off additional yards with his long speed but could have challenges against NFL-level competition to break off big runs as he did in the ACC. The synergy between his mental processing speed and long speed in the second level could hinder him as he doesn’t always identify proper pursuit angles.
Play Strength: With a thicker lower half, Tucker can manage to break one-arm tackles and mid-torso tackle attempts but doesn’t show an alpha-like mentality to take on contact and win with functional strength and tenacity. He shows he can survive lower-body tackle attempts, maintaining his balance with solid lower-body stability, but can find himself going down on first contact when wrap-up tackled or pursued from angled tackle attempts. Tucker runs behind his pads and has a good lower center of gravity but still doesn’t show he can break tackles consistently.
At the National Combine in 2019, Tucker had an official weight of 157 pounds. He is listed on the Syracuse website at 210 lbs. This is a dramatic variance in weight in just three years. Somewhere along this timeframe, Tucker gained more mass but never applied the functionality of it to his game. His lack of physicality is also evident in his pass blocking, which he will need massive improvement.
Vision / Patience: Tucker shows solid vision to read the line of scrimmage and understand his blocker’s setup. He allows lanes to develop but can be indecisive about hitting the correct developing gap or not identifying peeking second-level defenders that invade his lane even though Tucker shows patience, his lack of processing to see defenders in pursuit through the trenches negates the quick burst that proves to help him succeed. There is no synergy between what he sees on the field and how his feet move. Tucker tends to move without a plan which was evident against Pittsburgh, Virginia, Purdue, and Florida State this season. If Tucker wants to maximize his overall athleticism, he needs to learn how to read defensive alignments, or he could see below-average yards per carry in his professional career.
Receiving Ability: In 2022, Tucker had five drops on 52 targets, but it’s the overall body of work that gives him the title of a reliable pass catcher. He has shown he can catch outside his frame, but also body catches a bit too often. His average depth of target for his career is 1.2 yards, and his career yards per route run is a1.05 which tells the story he is reliable at or near the line of scrimmage. He won’t impress running routes and separating, but if needed can be a safety valve for a QB under pressure.
Analytics:
Best Analytics:
24th in College Fantasy PPR Points – 245
6 TDs vs. Power 5
35% Total Offense Dominator Rating
5.2 Yards per attempt
2.79 yards after contact
54% of total yards came after contact
30.1 BMI (Body Mass Index)
21 years old (Born October 25, 2001)
Projections:
Draft Capital Expectation – Round 4-5
Rookie Draft Capital Expectation – Late round 2/ Early 3
Future Fantasy PPR Projection – RB3/4
NFL Role – Backup/ depth player
Best Scheme Fit / Landing Spots – Falcons, Bears, Broncos, Packers, Colts, Chiefs, Dolphins, Vikings, Steelers, 49ers, Seahawks, Titans
Overall, Tucker has a nice combination of athletism, speed, and size. If he is going to succeed at the next level, he will need to learn to read the field better and understand defensive alignments. His functional strength will also need to improve to win against next-level competitors. Tucker projects as a backup and an RB3/RB4 in fantasy with a pass-catching upside. He’s a perfect target in the late 2nd, or early 3rd of rookie drafts, as he could have a Chuba Hubbard-type impact if he sees playing time early on.
