The Retort

Draft Preview: C.J. Version 2.0?

March 26th, 2010 by Joe Olivo Of The Retort Staff

Height: 5 feet 11 inches

Weight: 195 pounds

Comparable at the next level: Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Projected Draft Spot: Seattle Seahawks, 14th overall

Clifford “C.J.” Spiller, Junior, was born in Lake Butler, Florida. Spiller has made a career out of highlight reel-worthy runs. As a senior at Union County High School he rushed for an amazing 1,840 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was heavily recruited by most top colleges. He was the number one ranked running back and top ranked prospect overall out of Florida. Spiller chose to attend the University of Clemson. During the majority of his college career he split carries with James Davis, a sixth round draft choice by the Cleveland Browns in 2009. In 2006 Spiller rushed for 938 yards, while racking up 10 touchdowns in the process. He quickly flashed his explosive abilities; his first college touchdown came on a 82-yard pass. His sophomore year saw a drop-off in production as the team struggled. His rushing total dropped to 768 yards with only three touchdowns. Spiller set his goals high for his junior season; again he struggled. His rushing total again dropped, down to 625 yards. He did, however, increase his touchdown production, from three to seven.

Spiller chose to return to Clemson for his senior season, identifying his decreased production as a key factor in the choice. He accomplished exactly that during his season. With the departure of James Davis, Spiller was now the key weapon in the Tigers offense. He rushed for 1215 yards and 12 touchdowns, becoming one of the most explosive athletes in college football. He was voted to the All American team and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, awarded to the top running back in college football. Despite his two down years he is one of only five other players in college football history with 7,000 all purpose yards. He graduated in December with a degree in Sociology, becoming the first member of his family to earn a four-year degree.

Since the end of the college season Spiller has become the number one running back prospect for this year’s NFL Draft. The only question mark about Spiller is whether or not he can handle the punishment of the NFL. A very easy question to answer if you look at the numbers: in four years Spiller has never missed a game because of injury - even playing his whole senior year with a nagging foot injury. Unlike most of the explosive college running backs of the past who would routinely bounce runs outside rather then run between the tackles - Reggie Bush for example - Spiller consistently ran up the middle and challenged tacklers. He has additional value because of his versatility. During his college career he recorded 83 receptions and had eight kicks returned for touchdowns, five in his senior year.

Former Super Bowl winning coach Brain Billick explained Spiller perfectly, “He is the definition of explosive. He will be instant offense for any team.” Spiller backed up Billick's words during this year’s NFL Combine, clocking in an unofficial 4.27 forty-yard dash. Many scouts have been comparing Spiller to the NFL reigning rushing leader, Titan's Chris Johnson. Both had unbelievable forty times (Johnson ran a 4.24), excellent vision, elite agility, and are patient at setting up blockers.

When asked what he can bring to a team Spiller had a simple answer, “I'm a running back. I've been blessed enough that I can do returns too and I take a lot of pride in my ability to catch the ball. I've got just one goal, to win a Super Bowl.”