The Scouting Academy’s Dan Hatman and the RSP’s Matt Waldman conduct a deep-dive into Cleveland running back Nick Chubb’s upside in the Browns’ offensive scheme.

Nick Chubb is my candidate to become the next 2,000-yard rusher in the NFL. I’ve been saying this privately for over a year. I know it’s a low-odds proposition, but the fact I think Chubb is the most likely to do it is a testament to his rare skills.

Chubb is an athletic dynamo equipped with decision-making expertise that any NFL running back’s coach could use as a training tape for young backs entering the league. Dan Hatman and I watched two hours of cutups from Chubb’s game to project how he’ll perform in Kevin Stefanski’s outside zone scheme that he used last year in Minnesota.

We picked alignments common to Cleveland’s new scheme and runs where Chubb faced at least seven defenders in the box. The tape reveals a running back with an unwavering dedication to using the scheme to create open lanes and elite flexion, burst, contact balance, and skill to run through or avoid wraps to his legs.

Chubb exhibits such strong knowledge of his run schemes that his movement literally runs defenders into blockers who otherwise wouldn’t have had a chance to make a play. These are all plays where the defenses should have held Chubb well under four yards but they failed to do so thanks mostly to Chubb.

When you finish watching this analysis, you’ll understand why Chubb is a special NFL back on a team that is about to get the most out of him.

Here’s the complete menu with timestamps so you can pick what you want to watch.

Timestamps!

• WEEK 2 @ NYJ (3 PLAYS)
  • 4:24 – CUTBACK ON A GAP RUN?
  • 9:05 – “FRANK GORE BACK WITH TURBO BOOSTERS”
  • 15:19 – THE QUIET ASSASSIN
• WEEK 4 @ BAL (3 PLAYS)
  • 25:59 – STAYING TIGHT TO YOUR BLOCKS 29:43 –
  • HOW RUNNING BACKS READ BLOCKING LEVERAGE ON THE FLY 34:07 –
  • “PUT THE PEN DOWN MOMENT” A MARK SCHOFIELD TRADEMARK
• WEEK 5 @ SF (4 PLAYS)
  • 42:24 – “SO NOW WERE LOOKING AT A NINE MAN BOX, SO THIS BODES WELL”
  • 44:45 – “THERE ARE SOME PLAYS WHEN YOU WATCH HIS ACCELERATION, IT LOOKS LIKE HE’S TELEPORTING”
  • 47:00 – “DOWNHILL BABY”
  • 51:38 TWO CUTS STRUNG TOGETHER
• WEEK 6 VS SEA (3 PLAYS)
  • 55:07 UNTOUCHED FOR SIX
  • 56:30 – “THIS IS GONNA BE A FUN ONE”
  • 59:40 – “WELL THANK YOU FOR PICKING NICK CHUBB”
• WEEK 8 @ NE (5 PLAYS)
  • 1:02:48 – “WHEN ITS TIME TO BE DRAMATIC, HE’S IN A POSITION TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT WITH HIS FEET”
  • 1:05:51 – THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PROCESSING AND VISION
  • 1:10:00 – “THE CONFIDENCE COMES FROM UNDERSTANDING THE SCHEME”
  • 1:11:50 – “BILL BELICHICK IS LITERALLY SAYING I COULD HAVE HAD NICK CHUBB”
  • 1:13:25 – MANIPULATING DEFENDERS TO SET UP BLOCKS
• WEEK 9 @ DEN (2 PLAYS)
  • 1:14:41 – “DO YOU FIND YOURSELF SEEING THINGS THAT AREN’T NECESSARILY THERE?”
  • 1:17:30 – “CHEF’S KISS TO JERALD INGRAM”
• WEEK 10 VS BUF (1 PLAY)
  • 1:20:30 – “HE JUST MAKES THIS FIRST DOWN GAIN LOOK EASY”
• WEEK 11 VS PIT (5 PLAYS)
  • 1:22:40 – “FIVE YARDS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE”
  • 1:23:43 – “ALMOST”
  • 1:25:14 – “WERE LOOKING AT A BACK WHO COULD BE A TWO THOUSAND YARD BACK”
  • 1:27:23 – “SOME OF THIS STUFF JUST ISN’T FAIR”
  • 1:28:32 – HOW DO YOU STOP HIM?
• WEEK 12 VS MIA (4 PLAYS)
  • 1:29:46 – “THERE’S NO WAY THIS SHOULD WORK”
  • 1:31:34 – YARDS THROUGH CONTACT
  • 1:33:06 – WE SHOULD USE THIS PLAY FOR OUR TEACHTAPE CLIPS
  • 1:34:55 – “AND WE’RE GOING TO SCORE A TOUCHDOWN” WEEK 14 VS CIN (1 PLAY)
  • 1:36:13 – “A HORSE WITH A PLOW ON ITS BACK”
• WEEK 15 @ ARZ (4 PLAYS)
  • 1:37:54 – KAREEM HUNT CREATING SPACE
  • 1:39:15 – ESCAPE ARTIST IN TRAFFIC
  • 1:40:28 – GET YOUR NICK CHUBB SHARES
  • 1:41:50 – “THIS GUY IS BUILT DIFFERENT”
• WEEK 16 VS BAL (2 PLAYS)
  • 1:43:17 – “IF YOU LIKE YARDS AFTER CONTACT, THIS IS YOUR GUY”
  • 1:44:10 – PINNED DEEP
• VIKINGS PLAYS –1:45:11

For the most in-depth analysis of offensive skill players available (QB, RB, WR, and TE), pre-order the 2020  Rookie Scouting Portfolio for $21.95.  

If you’re a fantasy owner and interested in purchasing past publications for $9.95 each, the 2012-2019 RSPs also have a Post-Draft Add-on that’s included at no additional charge.  

Best yet, a percentage of each sale is set aside for a year-end donation to Darkness to Light to combat sexual abuse.