Welcome back to the Dolphins Draft Film Room series. Unfortunately, this is the last time I’ll be writing those words until this time next season. Former Cincinnati running back Gerrid Doaks, who the Dolphins selected with their final pick in the seventh round, is the last player I’m going to break down. 

The running back position is a contentious one for Dolphins fans. There are two very passionate factions, one of which was quite disappointed when the team passed on Alabama’s Najee Harris at pick 18. They got sniped at pick 34 by the Denver Broncos when they traded up to select North Carolina’s Javonte Williams. 

Miami decided to wait for the seventh round to select Doaks, who will join Miami’s stable of backs that includes Myles Gaskin, Salvon Ahmed, and Malcolm Brown. The Dolphins seem to be in the “Running Backs Don’t Matter” camp, or, at the least, they tend to lean that way. 

 I am a staunch proponent of the “Running Backs Don’t Matter” motto. The chief reason is that you can draft potentially productive players like Gerrid Doaks in the seventh round. 

Let’s break down what Doaks can bring to the table and why I think he should make the team and see the field as a rookie. 

 

Doaks spent most of his time at Cincinnati as a backup. He was behind the uber productive Michael Warren for several years but was allowed to be the feature back this past season. 

Doaks was quite productive in his feature role, ripping off many big runs like the one above. His decisiveness as a runner is apparent when watching his film in large sample sizes. He makes a decision in the backfield quickly and then commits to it. 

This rep demonstrates Doaks’ profile as a runner perfectly. He makes a good decision behind the line, and he hits the hole hard with a pretty good burst. This allows him to rip off a considerable chunk of yardage with relative ease. 

Now, the flip side of this play is that, ideally, Doaks should’ve scored on this play. But, instead, if you watch closely, he loses a considerable amount of his speed around the 50-yard line allowing the Houston defenders to get back into the picture and tackle him short of the endzone. 

The player who caught him from behind was linebacker Grant Stuard, who was a seventh-round pick by the Buccaneers. Sturad is not fast, and by extension, neither is Doaks. His burst is perfectly cromulent, but his long speed leaves a lot to be desired. 

Doaks ran a 4.58 at his pro-day, which is a slightly above-average time, but I thoroughly believe he’s slower than that. 

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Okay, so Doaks isn’t fast. This, however, does not preclude him from being an effective running back in the NFL. My favorite part of Doaks’ running profile is how deliberate with his running. As I mentioned earlier, he decides which direction he’s going and commits to it. 

Doaks isn’t stubborn in his process, though. He understands how to set up blocks and how to make effective cuts off of them. The Bearcats ran a counterplay on this rep, and Doaks executed it perfectly. 

Doaks slows his pace in the backfield allowing his center to pull around and be his lead blocker. The counterplay forced the Houston defenders to overcommit to the outside a bit. Once Doaks sees his blocker throw himself into three defenders, he plants his foot and makes a perfectly timed cut leading to a big play. 

This isn’t anything special by any means, but it is the right process for a running back to have if they want to be an option to tote the rock in the NFL. 

 

The plays I’ve shown so far are not truly indicative of Doaks running style, which is why I’m showing this two-yard run. Doaks process is pretty good, as I have outlined already, but he’s going to make a name for himself as a power back. 

Doaks has absolutely no problems taking on contact and meeting defenders in the hole like you see above. He’s consistently running behind his pads and dropping his shoulder to try and run over opposing defenders. 

Doaks doesn’t have the requisite quickness or explosivity to juke out defenders consistently. Thankfully, he’s 228 pounds with a fair amount of burst behind the line of scrimmage. Doaks possess solid contact balance allowing him to pick up extra yards after contact as well. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up in the role Jordan Howard had at the onset of the 2020 season. 

 

Doaks running ability can be an asset for the Dolphins, given their current backfield. He can be the thunder to Gaskin’s and Ahmed’s lightning. But, with that said, I think Doaks’ highest value will come as the team’s primary third-down back in obvious passing situations. 

Doaks ability to pass protect is well above average for a college running back and might be his best overall skill right now. He takes his ultra physical style as a runner and translates it to his pass protection skills quite well. 

The rep above is pretty simple. Doaks is heading out to run a simple flat route on this play. He then proceeds to absolutely lay out the Army linebacker about as casually as you would stop for gas on your way home from work. But, of course, the linebacker was already on his way, so why not blast him into next week? 

This is an eye-popping play, but Doaks consistently showed a good process in pass protection. He’s naturally dense and holds up quite well against blitzing players. Having a good pass protecting back for third downs is something Miami sorely needs, and Doaks can do it right away. 

 

To be an effective third down back, Doaks will have to provide the team some value as a pass catcher as well. Thankfully, his Bearcats’ film is filled with him making catches both in the short and deep areas of the field. 

This play sees him running a wheel route with two over routes occupying the linebackers, Doaks slips behind them for an easy touchdown. This isn’t a difficult play by any stretch of the imagination, but Doaks ran a good route, caught the ball without a hitch, and then turned upfield for the touchdown. 

Miami’s bar isn’t particularly high for a receiving running back, so Doaks might provide them with an upgrade. However, he’s comfortable with this wheel route as well as flares, screens, and delay routes already. 

 

Besides experience as a route runner, I think Doaks is just simply at catching the football than Miami’s other backfield options. Doaks is capable of making adjustments to poorly thrown passes. 

This one-handed catch displays good hands from Doaks and above-average athletic ability to make the catch, stay in bounds, and turn upfield for more yardage. It sounds mind-numbingly obvious, but Doaks’ body control and ball skills give him a leg up on the competition. 

 

Conclusion: 

Doaks film was much better than I expected from a seventh-round pick. Doaks is the first player I wrote up for this series that I didn’t watch for my 2021 Draft Grades. So this was, essentially, my first exposure to him. 

I truly believe he can be the Dolphins’ primary third-down back for the 2021 season. His pass protection ability is a plus trait, and he’s proven he can be an effective receiver out of the backfield. 

The question is whether or not that is enough to make the 53 man roster. Doaks is definitely the least effective runner out of the Dolphins’ current set of backs. On the other hand, Gaskin and Ahmed have significantly more juice, and Brown has much more experience. 

I would argue that Doaks has ample running ability and a different enough style to make the team. He, Ahmed, and Gaskin are underwhelming on paper, but the three of them complement each other quite well, are super cheap, and don’t preclude you from upgrading the position before, during, or after the season.