Pierre Strong Jr. South Dakota St.: Scouting Report

Height: 5’11’’

Weight: 207

Overall

Pierre Strong Jr. is a big play running back in South Dakota State’s balanced offense. Throughout his 3 seasons of action, Strong had excellent production and with his athleticism and speed, he can be a big-time playmaker at the next level.

Run Game

In the run game, Strong is an electrifying player. After the snap he shows very good vision in finding the hole and has excellent speed and burst through the line of scrimmage. If he is hit by a defender early in the play though, he struggles breaking tackles and often goes down with first contact. He has good shiftiness to dodge defensive linemen but in open space he lacks the balance and change of direction ability to juke defenders. His vision and home run hitting speed make him a true change of pace back. When he gets past the line of scrimmage he has the speed to outrun the defense and make big plays.

Pass Game

As a receiver, Strong ran very simple routes in college and did not show much route running ability. He has very good hands but after the catch, his inability to quickly change direction made it hard for him to gain extra yards. He can be a quality receiver in the NFL with his catching skills but he needs to vastly improve his open field quickness. As a pass blocker, he shows good effort and can make cut blocks which will allow him to be used on 3rd downs.

Last Word

Strong projects best in a zone run scheme where he can use his speed and vision to move laterally and burst through the open running lane. His catching skills will make him a good 3rd down option but he projects best as an early down change of pace back. His athleticism will allow him to be a quality special teams player as well.

One-Liner: Pierre Strong Jr. has excellent speed and big play ability, but his lack of contact balance and open field quickness will limit his usage in the pros.

Grade: 6.3 (Role Playing Starter)

Games Watched: 2021 – South Dakota State, Montana State, Colorado State

Team Fits: Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers