Rankings:
Nawrocki: #36 player overall, #2 running back. Grade: 5.80, likely second-rounder with immediate starter potential.
Mayock: #55 player overall, #4 running back.
Kiper: #55 player overall, #3 running back.
DraftCountdown.com: #65 player overall, #3 running back. 2nd-3rd round grade.
Scouts Inc.: #61 player overall, #4 running back. Grade: 78, solid prospect.
Biography/Honors:
2013: SEC Offensive Player of the Year. First-team all-SEC, second-team all-America. Played in all 14 games, starting 12. 317 rushes for 1,816 yards (5.7 ypc) and 23 TDs. Led SEC in rushing and broke Bo Jackson's single-season school record, along with school records for all-purpose yards and rushing TDs. Ran for a TD in a school-record 11 consecutive games. Had nine 100-yard games (12 for career). 12 receptions for 163 yards (13.6 ypc) and a TD. Averaged 26.3 yards on 15 kick returns with a TD. Destroyed Mizzou with 304 yards and 4 TDs in SEC championship game, following it with 195 vs. Florida State in the BCS "Championship" game. Finished sixth in Heisman Trophy balloting.
2012: Played in 12 games, starting 6. 171 rushes for 1,002 yards (5.9 ypc) and 8 TDs. 7 receptions for 86 yards (12.3 ypc).
2011: Played in 12 of 13 games. 28 rushes for 166 yards (5.9 ypc) and a TD. Averaged 26.4 yards on 24 kickoffs with a 97-yard TD. Led SEC in kickoff return average.
Academics: Leaves school with a year of eligibility remaining. Was majoring in public administration.
Off-field:
Father Vincent plays for De La Soul.
Injuries:
2013: Played through a sprained ankle and a broken wrist.
Twitter handle: @TreMason21
NFL Combine Stats:
(2014 Combine averages for running backs in parentheses)
40-yard dash: 4.50 (4.58)
Vertical jump: 38.5" (35" – Mason had 3rd-highest jump)
Broad jump: 10'6" (10'0" – Mason had 4th-longest jump)
3-cone drill: DNP
20-yard shuttle: 4.15 (4.26)
Bench presses: DNP
Scouting Report:
Quick out of the blocks, with low center of gravity and good low pad level. Powerful lower body. Excellent, sudden jump-cut move. Very quick feet. Decisive one-cut runner. Great field vision, sets up his blocks while on the move. Good instinctive cutback runner. Can cut on a dime and accelerates well out of his cuts. Will spin off of tackles. Excellent running form, ideal base and lean. Plays bigger than his size. Finishes his runs. Good hands as a receiver. Has kickoff return experience and can bring it back all the way. Plays through pain and can handle a heavy workload (317 carries in 2013; 46 carries in SEC championship game). Big production in big games: 195 vs. Florida State, 304 vs. Mizzou, 178 vs. Texas A&M, 132 vs. LSU, 168 vs. Alabama. Money runner at the goal line. Rarely has to come off the field. Most complete running back in this year's draft. A fit for multiple schemes.
Doesn't have ideal size and needs to bulk up to withstand an NFL pounding. Below-average strength. Short arms and small hands. Lacks breakaway speed. Will dance too much sometimes instead of taking what the defense gives him. Eight fumbles the past two seasons. Not much receiving experience. High-speed spread offense gimmicked up his production. Usually overmatched in pass pro. Needs to learn to cut block. Compares to: Ray Rice, according to Mel Kiper and Rob Rang
Fun Facts:
Tre becomes the third player drafted by the Rams this year who played in the 2014 BCS "Championship" game.
RamView:
A rather surprising pick; Zac Stacy should have had 1,000 yards for the Rams last year and running back was rarely if ever listed as one of their offseason needs. (And yes, Les Snead and Jeff Fisher's son went to Auburn. WE GET IT. You can draft from the rest of the NCAA, too, you know.) At the same time, Mason gives the Rams the serious complement they need to Stacy (or vice versa) to bang it out with the rest of the NFC West. They've gone from not being able to run the ball last September to having a strong, two-headed rushing attack. That's a win. The Rams may also have found their kick returner, and it looks like we can call a merciful end to the Isaiah Pead era. It's been a pretty easy draft for the Rams so far. They're just grabbing the top guy off their board every pick, and each one's been a nice fill for a hole on the roster. Thumbs up.
Sources: NFL Draft 2014 Preview (Nolan Nawrocki), NFLDraftScout.com, DraftCountdown.com (Scott Wright), Scouts Inc., Columbus (Ga.) Ledger-Enquirer, Auburn University athletics, AL.com