Etienne looked solid in the on-field drills in Indianapolis. The 20-year-old ran a 4.42 40-yard dash and posted excellent times in the 10 and 20-yard splits. Etienne hopes to have flashed enough juice to offset concerns regarding his size and lack of power and stay relevant in an extremely deep running back class.

After rushing for a combined 1472 yards and 14 touchdowns in his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Florida Gators, Etienne transferred to Georgia and played the 2024 season with the Bulldogs. Despite averaging 5 yards a carry, he was out-rushed by freshman Nate Frazier 133 to 122 on the season and dealt with a rib injury that may have hindered him down the stretch.

Many thought, myself included, that Etienne would have benefited from another year in college after not improving upon his first two statistical seasons and fumbling in his final game, the playoff loss to Notre Dame. He has taken a back seat in terms of hype to a litany of other names who will most likely garner higher draft capital. Etienne’s best chance to flash early in the NFL will be if a team with a light running back room drafts him in a complimentary role. He did flash as a receiver at times with the Gators and could potentially carve out a role as a third down back.

–Blake Stachel (IG: bllakkay)