Tank Bigsby (Jaguars) NFL Draft Preview
Post-Draft Fantasy Impact
Tank Bigsby was drafted by the Jaguars in the third round and was the seventh Running Back off the board. He went 88th overall.
The Jaguars were looking to add a back in the draft, although they do have plenty of talent and experience already on the depth chart. Obviously, Travis Etienne will be the day-one starter, and after that, you have a bunch of guys who had some success on previous teams. JaMycal Hasty had some relevance on the 49ers, and D’Ernest Johnson had some great games for the Browns when Chubb and Hunt were hurt. Plus they added Snoop Conner, a player who always looked great in preseason but could never crack the roster when he played for the Texans.
Now the Jaguars wanted to add a back with size, and that’s what they got with Bigsby. He is a big, strong back that should be great between the tackles and on short-yardage downs. We may see him a lot around the goal line, and he may score a lot of touchdowns with how good the Jaguar offense is becoming.
Unfortunately, Bigsby is a bit of a fantasy risk right now, only because we have no idea how that backfield will shape out. He should be the backup to Etienne, but depending how he plays he could lose carries to Hasty and/or Johnson as the season progresses. That said, I think Bigsby is a potential steal of the draft. He ran behind one of the worse lines in college football, so the Jaguars might have found quite a gem if he is given a good offensive line.
Bigsby may not be worth a draft pick in fantasy this season, but he easily could be a great waiver wire pickup should he perform well. Add to that the fact that Etienne has dealt with injuries and Bigsby becomes another intriguing handcuff option.
Tank Bigsby NFL Draft Preview
Tank Bigsby was a three-year starter for the Auburn Tigers, and his size and agility make him one of the better prospects of the NFL draft.
Bigsby saw plenty of action as a freshman, rushing 138 times for 834 yards and five touchdowns. He also was utilized as a kick returner, returning 13 kicks for 306 yards. He won the SEC Freshman of the Year award.
In his sophomore year, he rushed for 1099 yards and 10 touchdowns on 223 attempts and caught 21 passes for 184 yards. He did lose four fumbles this season, but only fumbled six times total in his three years.
In his last season as a Tiger, Bigsby rushed 179 times for 970 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had a career-high 30 catches for 180 yards.
Bigsby doesn’t necessarily have mind-blowing stats, but he is a well-rounded back with good size, speed, and agility that make him a good addition to any backfield. It’s also interesting to note that Auburn was really not a great offense, and his offensive line was pretty bad during his three years there.
Bigsby is probably going to go in the third round or later.
Tank Bigsby is a dude huh pic.twitter.com/UsKY6l4Efs
— mike (@bengals_sans) February 4, 2023
Measurables
- 6’0″ 210 lbs
- 40-yard dash – 4.56 seconds
- Vertical jump – 32.5″
- Broad Jump – 9’11”
POSITIVES
Bigsby has great size for an NFL back, coming in at 6′ and 210 lbs.
Although a bit bigger, Bigsby (no pun intended?) has great agility that allows him to make quick jump-cuts. He also can squeak through tight spaces and elude tacklers through holes in the line of scrimmage.
He has good strength, making arm tacklers miss. His leg strength is great as well, and he consistently fights through tackles and pushes for extra yards.
Bigsby isn’t afraid to bounce it outside and has enough speed to at least make the corner.
His catching and kick-returning aren’t prolific, but he has enough experience with both to make him an asset in those areas.
Lastly, Bigsby’s size makes him a solid pass blocker who can stop blitzing linebackers.
The Cowboys don’t need to spend up to get Bijan Robinson. Tank Bigsby would be a much better compliment to Tony Pollard pic.twitter.com/15HhZogsc8
— John “Supi” Supowitz (@ImThatSupi) March 23, 2023
NEGATIVES
Bigsby is an upright runner, which makes him easier to take down. He loses a lot of his strength capabilities when running in this manner.
Bigsby is agile as mentioned above, but sometimes he takes too long to make a decision. He jukes/dances a bit too much instead of just running hard into holes. He also tends to bounce it outside too often instead of waiting for his blockers to open up a spot.
He doesn’t have great hands and isn’t an experienced route runner. He probably would be mostly used as a check down instead of an actual wideout.
GRADE – C+
It’s tough to say where Bigsby will land in this draft, and if he will really be utilized often in his rookie year. I added a plus to his grade because he had pretty decent stats for a guy who ran behind one of the worst offensive lines in the NCAA. I’d love to see what he would do behind a great NFL offensive line.
Bigsby has good size and agility, but he is lacking in pass-catching and decision-making. If he dances around too much in the backfield at the NFL level, he won’t see much time on the field.
Still, Bigsby has every chance to be a part of an offense early on. Depending on what team drafts him, he could be in line for either a backup role or a potential committee.
Happily married father of two boys. I love all sports, although prefer watching them since I’m a wildly mediocre athlete. And that’s why I write fantasy football articles! I’ve been writing for Fantasyfootballcalculator for over six years now. Besides that, I enjoy watching Badger football and basketball even though it raises my blood pressure. In my downtime, I enjoy traveling with my family, playing video games with friends, and golfing.
