D'Andre Swift is considered one of the top, if not the top running back in the 2020 NFL Draft. The 247Sports five-star composite prospect from Philadelphia hustled for three years in Georgia's zone-heavy run scheme, averaging 6.6 yards per rush and scoring 25 times in 43 games. Perhaps the school did him a favor by never over-working him, sending Swift to the NFL with 513 total touches. The school definitely did him a favor by displaying his talents — he's considered to have a good all-around skill set that gives him the chance to be a startable Fantasy running back, maybe as soon as 2020. 

Numbers to Know

Height: 5-8 1/4

Weight: 212 pounds

Age as of Week 1: 21 years old

Hand: 9 inches

Arm: 29 7/8 inches

Wingspan: 72 inches

40 time: 4.48 seconds

Prospect Stats

2019: 14 games, 196 carries, 1,218 yards (6.2 yards per rush), seven touchdowns; 24 receptions, 216 receiving yards, one touchdown catch

While Swift technically played in five games against top-25 competition, he was barely available in two of them (six touches combined against LSU and Baylor). In the other three games, he amassed 290 rush yards on 60 carries (4.8-yard average) and a score with 23 yards on six receptions.

2018: 14 games, 163 carries, 1,049 yards (6.4 yards per rush), 10 touchdowns; 32 receptions, 297 receiving yards, three touchdown catches

Half of his 2018 schedule was against top-25 teams. In those games, Swift had 669 rush yards on 93 carries with six touchdowns and 193 receiving yards on 23 grabs with two more touchdown catches.

Career stats: 43 games, 440 carries, 2,885 yards (6.6 yards per rush), 20 touchdowns; 73 receptions, 666 yards, five touchdowns

Known Injury History

  • Nagging foot and ankle injuries, 2018
  • Groin surgery, Spring 2019

  • Shoulder, Dec. 2019

Strengths

Swift is short but strong runner capable of playing all three downs. Rarely does he dance in the backfield, instead running with decisiveness and determination. His very good patience and vision pays off when he reads his blockers and doesn't rush to bounce it outside until he sees there's nowhere to go between the tackles. The burst off the handoff is nice but his acceleration with the ball in his hands or in his routes is noticeably better. To that end, Swift's speed is good, helping him separate from defenders and extend runs, averaging 6.2 yards per run in 2019 (11th-best in FBS among rushers with 150-plus carries).

Accompanying traits in Swift's game is what puts him over the top as a quality prospect. He pairs his speed and vision with a juicy combo platter of power, balance, constantly-churning feet and a should-be-patented juke move that buys him real estate. His contact balance is especially impressive. Swift is also a physical runner who's not afraid to lower his shoulder into a defender to finish a run. He's willing and capable of barreling into big bodies to gain the yard or two needed to convert a first down or score a touchdown. And while his blocking technique isn't pretty, he is effective chopping down pass rushers to protect his quarterback.

Finally, Swift has natural hands that kind of went under-utilized at Georgia. The jury is still out on how skilled a route runner he can be, but his mitts caught passes both short and long. According to Sports Info Solutions, Swift caught 92.3% of the catchable targets he saw last season. 

Concerns

Swift's slightly slim build and aggressive style has opened him up to injuries. On top of the groin issues he had before the 2018 season, Swift dealt with foot and ankle injuries two seasons ago and a shoulder problem that severely limited him to end 2019. Swift also had 15-plus touches in only 12 games in three seasons, never had more than 200 carries in a 14-game season and never came close to 250 touches in any year. Will NFL coaches confidently hand him a heavy workload?

Despite Swift's power-and-balance running traits, he didn't rank high in yards after contact stats compared to the rest of his class. According to Pro Football Focus, Swift's 700 yards after contact ranked 37th and his 40 missed tackles was tied for 56th-best among FBS runners with at least 100 carries. There were also plenty of runs of his that were well blocked by Georgia's mammoth offensive line, ranked second-best in 2019 by Pro Football Focus. Might he struggle to succeed, much less improve, on creating yards at the next level? 

Fantasy Comparison

We have seen small-but-thick backs play well in the NFL, from Thurman Thomas to Maurice Jones-Drew to Devonta Freeman. It remains to be seen if Swift can be instantly impactful, but if he lives up to the hype around him, there's a chance he could flirt with 1,100 total yards and seven scores as a rookie. Maybe the odds are against him hitting 1,500 total yards on a regular basis, but if he can simply find and maintain a role where he's getting 15-plus touches regularly, there's a chance.

Favorite Fantasy Fits

Swift's experience in Georgia's zone-blocking scheme will appeal to teams that specialize in it. Tack on a franchise with an already-established offensive line and we're talking about a good fit. Staying in The Peach State with the Falcons would be terrific since he'd climb to the starter's gig eventually, with Todd Gurley on a one-year contract. He could also end up starting before long in Houston, and you can't rule out the Buccaneers as a desirable destination for Day One production.

Fantasy Bottom Line

Swift doesn't have the instant early-round Fantasy appeal like other highly regarded running back prospects have had in the past, but there's a chance he becomes productive, even if it's not to a gaudy level. If a path to a big workload in 2020 can be laid out, he could get swiped before 60th overall in seasonal leagues. He could go in that same range in Dynasty startups. As for rookie-only drafts, he'll likely be viewed as an easy top-six pick with some folks choosing him with the 1.01.