Sean Tucker
- Rookie Draft ADP: 40
- Underdog ADP: 215.6
- Rookie RB Super Model: 53rd percentile (RB15)
- Landing Spot: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (UDFA)
Fantasy Outlook
Sean Tucker went undrafted and faces an uphill battle to earn a roster spot. Fortunately, he did sign with a Buccaneers squad that has very little quality depth behind Rachaad White.
If he is able to truly clear the medical issues that hurt his draft stock, Tucker has the talent to compete in the NFL. The track record isn't great for undrafted prospects, but Tampa Bay seems to be in a total rebuild year so there may be more opportunities for their young players.
Overall, Tucker was one of the biggest losers of the draft process after he was a popular prospect in dynasty circles for the last few years.
He is now entirely off 2023 redraft boards and is either a last-round pick or undrafted in most dynasty rookie drafts.
Summary
Sean Tucker was very productive as a workhorse RB at Syracuse. He was nothing short of dominant in 2021 when he set a school record for single-season rushing yards and was named as a second-team All-American for his efforts.
Year | Attempts | Rush Yards | Receptions | Receiving Yards | Total TDs |
2022 | 204 | 1,062 | 37 | 262 | 13 |
2021 | 247 | 1,515 | 18 | 249 | 14 |
His production dipped in 2022, which dampened the hype a bit, but there is still plenty to like about Tucker as a prospect. He is one of the better pure rushers in the class and has shown the ability to handle a significant workload.
One of the biggest questions is how much NFL teams will buy into Tucker’s self-reported testing numbers. If he put up these numbers at the NFL Combine, he would have been one of the clear winners and guaranteed himself strong draft capital.
If teams completely disregard those numbers, there is a chance he could slide in the NFL Draft, which would, in turn, cause him to be much less exciting of a pick in fantasy drafts this summer.
Pros
Has Big-Play Potential
Tucker’s film is littered with chunk gains and explosive runs. His best season (2021) compares favorably with consensus RB1 Bijan Robinson’s best season (2022) in terms of explosive runs and breakaway yardage gained.
Tucker actually had more carries of 10+ yards in 2021 than Robinson did in 2022, despite having fewer carries overall. He also had more breakaway rush yards than Robinson did last year.
He failed to create big plays with the same consistency in 2022, but there were still plenty of flashes of explosive play potential.
Beast After Contact
The other defining trait of Tucker’s game is his ability to create yards after contact. He has a nice combination of contact balance and strength. This allows him to break arm tackles as well as consistently finish runs by falling forward to pick up that extra yard.
In 2021, Tucker finished third in the nation (behind only Kenneth Walker and Tyler Allgeier) in total yards after contact. This was another area where he fell off a bit in 2022, but he still posted respectable numbers for yards after contact and missed tackles forced.
The question that NFL teams will need to answer is whether they believe Tucker’s 2021 level of play is what he can bring to the next level, or if that was simply an outlier season that he won’t be able to repeat.
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Cons
Below average in the passing game
Tucker put up decent counting stats as a receiver in college, but he is far from a natural pass catcher. He can handle a basic receiving role in the NFL but is unlikely to ever be viewed as a difference-maker in the passing game.
A lot of his receiving production came on screen passes which supports the idea that he isn’t a great receiver, but can create big plays once the offense finds a way to get the ball in his hands.
He is also pretty poor in pass protection. Most rookies are, but the combination of not being a great receiver and not being a solid pass protector means that he will be way down the depth chart on passing downs.
Not having a major role in the passing game will lower Tucker’s fantasy floor and potentially make him more of a touchdown-dependent option.
Fantasy Impact
Tucker projects as an early down committee back who would be best paired with a more dynamic receiving weapon. As a result, his path to high-value touches will primarily come in the red zone.
If he can seize the goal-line opportunities on his new team, he can be a productive fantasy asset. On a good offense, he can be a double-digit touchdown threat in any given season.
On the other hand, there is a risk that Tucker only earns the early-down, low-value touches that make it difficult to put up big weekly scores.
Landing spot is important for all RBs, but it could be of increased importance for Tucker based on his projected role in the NFL.
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