From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Central Connecticut State RB Elijah Howard.
No. 7 Elijah Howard/RB Central Connecticut State 5096/178 (Fifth-year Senior)
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Elijah Howard 5096/178 8 1/4″ 29″ 72 1/2″
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
N/A N/A N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
N/A N/A N/A
The Good
– Compact, tightly wound frame
– Good play strength and contact balance for his size
– Quick-twitch athlete who possesses breakaway speed
– Rapid acceleration with the ball in his hands
– Plays with a forward lean in short-down situations
– Creates yards independent of his blocking
– Patient runner when pressing the line of scrimmage
– Able to get skinny in tighter running lanes
– Top-notch short area burst
– Knows how to make the first defender miss in tight quarters
– Runs stronger than his weight
– Demonstrates reliable hands in the pass game, who can track the ball well
– Functional route-running capability
– Willing and high effort blocker
The Bad
– Undersized, which limits his ability to withstand punishment in the NFL
– Struggles with designed outside-zone concepts
– Less patient when stretching the play horizontally
– Bursts up the field prematurely
– Prone to getting knocked back into the quarterback in pass protection
– Struggles to maintain his blocks for an extended time
– Unable to run through defensive linemen if his momentum is stopped in the backfield
– Catch radius is limited due to his physical wingspan
Stats
– 2025 stats: 202 rushes, 1117 yards, 5.5 yards per attempt, 11 touchdowns, 3 fumbles, 42 receptions, 332 yards, 12 games played
– Career stats: 598 rushes, 3043 yards, 5.1 yards per attempt, 24 touchdowns, 7 fumbles, 79 receptions, 743 yards, 46 games played
– Virginia Tech career stats (as DB): 3 tackles, 12 games played
– 795 yards after contact (2025)
– 3.94 yards after contact per attempt (2025)
– 63 missed tackles forced (2025)
– 1.27 yards per route run (Career)
– 51 rushes of ten or more yards (2025)
– 87.6 rushing grade per PFF ranking third among FCS draft-eligible running backs (2025)
Injury History
– Missed five games during his freshman year of high school due to a hamstring strain and turf toe (2017)
– Dealt with a high ankle sprain during his senior year of high school but played through it (2020)
– Missed two games with an undisclosed minor injury (2024)
– Suffered a calf injury in the second quarter vs. UConn and missed the following game (2025)
Background
– Born April 17th, 2002 (23 years old)
– Started his collegiate career as a defensive back at Virginia Tech before switching back to running back at CCS
– Originally committed to Tennessee before flipping to Virginia Tech
– Three-star recruit out of Baylor High School after being named a finalist for the Tennessee Mr. Football Award as a junior (2019)
– Rushed for 1422 yards and 20 touchdowns in his breakout high school year
– Was a starter on Varsity at Webb School of Knoxville in the eighth grade
– Decorated track sprinter in high school
– Posted a timed 100m in 10.56 seconds in eighth grade
– Ran a timed 200m in 21.73 seconds
– Back-to-back winner of the NEC Offensive Player of the Year, becoming one of the few players to do so (2024, 2025)
– Two-time Walter Payton Award Finalist (FCS Heisman Trophy) (2024, 2025)
– Two-time first-team All-NEC (2024, 2025) and second-team All-NEC (2023)
– Named to the All-New England team twice (2024, 2025)
– Avid outdoorsman who loves to go hiking and fishing
– Plays video games on the PS5 in his free time
– He’s a foodie who cited 881 Grab & Go as one of his favorites
– Plans to join law enforcement after his playing career, and participated in the Bristol Cadet Youth Program to prepare
– Takes boxing lessons to help with his conditioning
Tape Breakdown
One of the more explosive running backs at the FCS level with back-to-back Conference Player of the Year awards to show for it, Howard is a home-run threat who can break a game open with his speed. The decorated track star always has speed to burn, allowing him to consistently dominate lower-level competition. But he isn’t just pure speed. There’s a jitterbug element to his game, with the ability to accelerate to top gear in a matter of steps.
Howard can turn a play designed to gain only a couple of yards into a house call thanks to his ability to accelerate through the line of scrimmage. While his work in the outside zone is less efficient right now, that appears to be more tied to questions about patience than to physical limitations, as he clearly has more than enough juice to beat defenders to the edge and turn the corner.
For a smaller-statured running back, Howard surprisingly does his best work between the tackles rather than on the perimeter. A major factor is how twitchy he is. While his long speed is undeniably potent, his game is better defined by lightning-quick feet in condensed areas.
When pressing the line of scrimmage on inside-zone concepts, Howard remains patient as his blocking develops. Once he diagnoses his pathway, his top-tier athletic traits take over. The most dangerous weapon in his arsenal is his jump cut. Thanks to his smaller frame, he can halt his momentum on a dime and plant to redirect laterally, effortlessly avoiding the defender filling the running lane.
He’s highly effective at making the first defender miss and generally shows a strong understanding of how to manipulate leverage and use a defender’s momentum against them. He knows how to force opponents to open their hips the wrong way before snapping his cut back in the opposite direction.
Another surprising element of his game is his contact balance and his refusal to go down on first contact. For a lighter back, you’d expect defenders to bring him down with less effort, but that often isn’t the case. Much of his success here stems from his running style. He consistently runs with a low base and forward lean, turning his upper body into a battering ram that can absorb and shed contact from linemen and linebackers.
Howard produced high-level yards-after-contact metrics thanks to a combination of twitchy elusiveness and the core strength to run through arm tackles. Despite his size, he’s a one-cut, downhill runner who’s willing to initiate contact when necessary rather than shy away from it.
When he’s on the field, Howard can also add value as a receiver. While he isn’t the most dynamic threat out of the backfield, he understands his role as a safety valve and check-down option. He does a good job of finding voids in zone coverage and presenting easy completions for his quarterback. He also shows functional route-running ability, using his change of direction to win on angle and Texas routes.
Howard makes a point of transitioning into a runner immediately after securing the ball, which makes him highly effective on designed screens and flat routes that get his speed into space.
Conclusion
Overall, Howard’s tape explains why his raw production and efficiency metrics are so dominant. At his level of competition, he’s in a class of his own athletically, and his blend of speed and elusiveness was rarely matched.
However, he showed much more than just pure athletic wins. He displays patience between the tackles, pairs it with solid vision, and consistently shakes defenders in tight quarters. He also offers enough value as a receiver to project a third-down or change-of-pace role at the next level.
His size, though not a liability in the FCS, will be a more significant concern with the jump in competition. There aren’t many successful NFL backs with his frame who have consistently led a committee.
A player who frequently came to mind while watching Howard was Myles Gaskin. Gaskin is slightly heavier with a thicker lower half, but Howard compensates with more top-end speed. Both backs win by maximizing their vision and patience to create yards where none seem available. They are true one-cut runners who plant, get downhill, and reach top speed in a hurry.
NFL Draft Projection: Late Day Three – UDFA
Steelers Depot Draft Grade: 6.4 (Pure Backup)
Grade Range: 5.9 – 6.8
Games Watched: @ Central Michigan (2024), vs. Wagner (2024)@ Rhode Island (2024), @ Robert Morris (2025), vs. Stonehill (2025), vs. Mercyhurst (2025)
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