An in depth scouting report on Detroit Lions rookie Ameer Abdullah

Vision:

Dec 27, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers running back Ameer Abdullah (8) carries the ball as USC Trojans safety John Plattenburg (24) defends during the first quarter in the 2014 Holiday Bowl at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

It’s often an underrated component when it comes to evaluating running backs. Sure it’s nice to have a big back who can run fast, but they won’t last in the NFL very long if they have a really bad vision. This is one of the bigger reasons why the Lions decided to let Reggie Bush go. Bush consistently misses holes, and often tries to bounce it to the outside where he can use his speed to outrun defenders. Ameer’s vision is outstanding and it’s one of the reasons why I feel he’s the best runner in the draft. Here is a good example of Ameer’s vision at a display:

He’s not only a great athlete in space, he is also adept at finding holes, then goes north/south to the open space. You’d think he’s not a great inside runner based on size, but he’s actually very good at it. He finds holes and slithers his way past the line of scrimmage to get to the second level. What often goes unnoticed to most fans, is that Ameer is excellent in manipulating defenders to moving where he wants them to go, then he’ll burst to go to the other way.

Receiving Skills:

While Nebraska doesn’t use him much as a receiver, Ameer showed characteristics of a great receiving back in the NFL. Ameer has natural hands in which he catches the ball with ease. What do I mean by that?:

As you can see, Ameer extends his arms and hands away from his body to catch the ball and looked quite natural doing it, despite limited in-game reps. Ameer uses his quickness and explosion to gain separation then immediately looks at QB to look for the ball.