DOMINIC RHODES
By: Dave-Te' Thomas

#1-DOMINIC RHODES Midwestern State University Indians 5:09.0-209

ANALYSIS
Positives... Compactly built runner with a solid upper body frame...Very quick coming out of his stance, getting into top speed immediately...Quite sudden in his movements, gaining advantage over the defender with his juking moves...Has great field vision, easily spotting blockers down-field and seeing the rush lanes, running through the holes with awareness...Picks and slides through the inside holes at a low pad level... Changes his angles properly to reach the outside corner when the inside rush lanes are clogged...Displays fluid lateral agility and the balance to spin, plant and drive with no hesitation in order to gain additional yardage upfield...Adjusts smoothly in his pass patterns to find space for the underneath tosses.

Negatives... ...Has had a penchant for fumbling the ball, carrying the pigskin too loosely... Struggles when he has to lower his pads to push the pile...Unproven blocker, who shows willingness, but lacks technique...Lack of size and that explosive second gear prevents him from making the big play into the secondary...Handles punt return duties, but will not be effective in that area at the pro level due to his possible poor vision and uncertainty on how to field the ball properly (lets too many punts hit the ground before fielding)...Needs to mature off the field, as he has had several run-ins with law enforcement in recent years (arrested in junior college for unpaid speeding and parking tickets. Spent a day in jail before being released. Arrested in the Winter of 1998/99 on a recruiting trip to Midwestern State after he tried to intervene in a fight between his girlfriend and another person. He was arrested by the police for interfering, spent a day in jail and was fined $700. He failed to pay the fine and was re-arrested in January, 2000 after neighbors called the police due to a domestic disturbance between he and his girlfriend. Spent a day in jail and was also charged with failure to pay the previous fine. Had to make restitution before he was released.) CAREER NOTES
Two-year standout for the Indians, setting school career-records with 493 carries for 2541 yards (5.2 avg) with 29 touchdowns and 174 points scored, topping the previous marks of 368 attempts for 1957 yards by Henry Anders (1991-92), 19 scores by Stephon Brockington (1994-95) and Bryan Gilmore (1996-99) and 118 points scored by Gilmore.

REMIND ME OF... Cincinnati's Curtis Keaton.

GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL... Like Keaton, he relies on sudden moves to freeze the defenses. He has good pick and slide ability, but will probably go later in the draft (if at all) than his stock dictates due to a series of off-field incidences that have teams openly questioning his character.

WANT DAVE-TE'S COMPLETE SCOUTING REPORT?
Now, get Dave-Te's indepth scouting report, available for the first time on a CD diskette (Microsoft WORD format). Yes, you can receive Dave-Te's two-to-six page scouting reports on over 500 players eligible for the draft, his indepth position analysis, and ratings for the low price of $25. Interested? Now taking orders for both the pre-draft guide and the post-draft reports. E-mail the "Madman from Brooklyn" at nflscouting@aol.com for more details, but hurry! The draft is just a few short weeks away!