RB Bilal Powell, New York Jets

HT: 5-11, WT: 207, Born: 10-27-1988, College: Louisville, Drafted: Round 4

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full ADP list]

Overall: K Allen (183), Bilal Powell (185), D Allen (186),
Position: D Thomas (173-RB63), D Harris (182-RB64), Bilal Powell (185 - RB65), M Tolbert (193-RB66), M Turner (197-RB67)
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PPR Average draft position

Current as of May 21st. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: F Davis (176), A Dobson (177), Bilal Powell (178), R Randle (180)
Position: J Dwyer (170-RB62), D Thomas (173-RB63), Bilal Powell (178 - RB64), J Randle (181-RB65), M Turner (182-RB66)
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Outlook

While he looked to have some promise when he was drafted in 2011, Bilal Powell has struggled to find open space and be consistent with his carries. Powell could do everything well when he was at Louisville but can't seem to replicate that in the NFL. It hasn't helped that his carries can be scattershot, with most of the backfield work going to underwhelming Shonn Greene over the past two years. He won't get a lot more opportunities with Chris Ivory and Mike Goodson in town, though Ivory has injury issues and Goodson hasn't shown 100% that he can be a lead back if Ivory gets hurt. Still, Powell will have to hope for bad luck to strike the rest of the backfield for him to get a chance and even if he does, he still hasn't shown he can do much with the chances he's already had.

2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Powell was named the team’s 3rd down back going into the season but 3 of his four touches this week came on 1st downs. He finished the game with 3 carries and 1 reception, but all of them came in the first half. With Tebow around and running the ball regularly, there probably won’t be many opportunities for backups like Powell or Joe McKnight in most weeks.

Week 2 - Once Greene left with his head injury, Powell carried the ball on four of the next five plays. He looked good in limited action, gaining 21 yards on those four carries. Powell runs in a determined fashion like Greene, but he has more bounce and can move laterally more effectively to gain more yardage than is originally presented. If Powell would get an extended look, the team might be surprised with his ability to balance the offense. If pass blocking is the reason for his limited playing time, perhaps the team should reconsider because Greene wasn’t stellar in that department himself.

Week 3 - While Greene looked uninspiring as a runner, Powell showed some nice burst and elusiveness. Powell appeared on the Jets’ third drive and immediately received touches. Powell received three consecutive touches (two carries and one reception), picking up 17 total yards. On his first run, Powell pushed the pile for four extra yards, which was a common trend throughout the afternoon. It’s worth noting the Powell came out on the Jets’ first overtime series and picked up 19 yards on his first three carries. Going forward, the Jets may want to consider giving Powell more touches. His pass blocking ability must improve, but he has demonstrated that he is the most dynamic Jet running back.

Week 4 - Powell came out with the first team offense, but was immediately subbed out for Greene. Powell and Greene rotated each series, but Powell was a mainstay on third downs. Powell did not pass block, but slipped out as a safety outlet for Sanchez. Despite only taking four carries, Powell demonstrated some nice wiggle in space. Overall, the 49ers quickly closed running lanes and forced Sanchez to throw the ball.

Week 5 - After starting last week, Powell did not appear until the third drive. When he did play, Powell was largely unimpressive. On his first play, Powell slipped as he ran out into the flat on a pass route. Given Shonn Greene’s limitations as a receiver, the Jets were hoping Powell could offer more production, but he hasn’t been able to take advantage of his chances. The Jets gave Joe McKnight some opportunities, but he too was unable to make any plays on offense. Powell did have one nice eight-yard run where he cut back into the middle of the field and drove his legs for additional yardage after contact. On passing downs, the Jets left Powell in and he did a nice job of picking up free rushers.

Week 6 - After Greene’s fast start, Powell was relegated to a back-up role. Powell took his first carry on his team’s second drive. Powell spelled Greene and took the red zone carry five yards for a first down. Two plays later, the Jets attempted to set-up a short, red zone screen pass to Powell, but Sanchez threw the ball into the ground. On his team’s fourth drive, Powell was able to catch a screen pass, but was unable to make the first tackler miss and settled for a one-yard gain. During the third quarter, Powell left the game with an apparent shoulder injury and did not return.

Week 10 - After missing the last two games with a shoulder injury, Powell returned in a backup role. During his team’s third drive, Powell took his sole handoff up the middle for a seven yard gain. Unlike his backfield counterpart Shonn Greene, Powell showed some burst. During his team’s sixth drive, Powell caught a quick dump off pass and turned up field for a four yard gain. Powell left the game after suffering a concussion in the third quarter.

Week 11 - Powell operated as the third down back, as well as taking over as the lead back later in the game. He outsnapped Greene 28-26 and was the beneficiary of both of the Jets rushing touchdowns, both coming on third down runs in the redzone. Before being nicked up over the last few weeks, Powell had been outsnapping Greene, but it had never translated to better overall numbers. On Sunday though, he gained four fewer yards than Green on five less touches, as well as picking up those two touchdowns. With some plum matchups down the stretch, if Powell has secured the fulltime third-down/redzone back for the Jets, he might have a few good games down the stretch.

Week 12 - For the second straight week, Powell delivered an impressive performance. During his team’s third drive, Powell amassed 32 of his 54 total yards. To start this drive, Powell received six straight touches, five runs and one reception, as he led the Jets into New England territory. Powell put a nice open field move on Devin McCourty as he accelerated up the left sideline for a 14-yard gain. On a 4th-and-1 play from New England’s 31-yard line, Greene replaced Powell and fumbled the ball away.

During the second half, Powell took his first carry up the middle for a 14-yard gain. Powell showed some nice wiggle as he ran to left, cut back to the middle of the field, and lowered his shoulder to run over a New England defender. Three plays later, Powell ran off left tackle for a four-yard touchdown.

Powell demonstrated that his burst and open field moves are much better than Greene’s. The Jets still seem devoted to Greene as their featured runner, but Powell’s impressive play has not gone unnoticed.

Week 13 - For the third straight week, Powell turned in an impressive performance. Powell demonstrated nice burst and balance as he attacked Arizona’s defense. Powell started the game, but ceded carries to Greene throughout the game. After the Jets made the change at quarterback, Powell ran with a renewed sense of urgency. With McElroy under center, Powell amassed 42 of his 58 yards and displayed a variety of open field moves. To develop some rhythm on offense, McElroy fed the ball to Powell and he responded by making his longest run of the day. Powell took McElroy’s first handoff up the middle, cut to the right, and accelerated into the secondary for a 17 yard gain. Powell showed some nice wiggle by fitting through the tight crease and getting into the open field. The Jets continued to call Powell’s number and he rewarded them with strong, inside runs of four or five yards. On a 1st-and-10 carry from Arizona’s 14-yard line, Powell made an impressive jump cut to the right and accelerated for a 10-yard gain. Powell’s slashing style complimented Greene’s hard-nosed running style.

Week 14 - This was Powell’s best performance to date. Given Tony Sparano’s reluctance to throw the ball, Powell and Shonn Greene nearly split carries as offensive line gashed Jacksonville’s interior defense. Powell was dynamic, displaying an array of shifty moves in space coupled with good burst and acceleration as he made second level defenders miss. Powell scored his fourth touchdown in the last four weeks by taking a carry off left tackle for a four-yard touchdown plunge. Powell’s longest run of the game, a 13-yard run off left tackle, was a thing of beauty as he accelerated around Jason Babin into the open field. Given Mark Sanchez’s inefficiencies as a passer, Powell and Greene should continue to handle the majority of touches.

Week 15 - Powell spelled Shonn Greene throughout the game. Powell displayed his slashing running style as he took a carry off left tackle, made a shift move, and earned a 15-yard gain. Compared to his last few games, Powell was underutilized as Tony Sparano called more passing plays.

Week 16 - Powell had just 3 of the Jets 23 rushing attempts in the game, and was bottled up at or behind the line of scrimmage each time. He had a bit more success in the passing game, actually leading all players in the game with four receptions. On one catch he showed a nice shake to elude the first tackler but wasn’t able to gain much more. Late in the contest, he was on the field to pick up some of the “garbage time” receiving yardage

Week 17 - Nearly averaging five yards a carry on 12 carries, Powell looked like the Jets best RB on Sunday. Clearly the quicker back, Powell’s longest run went for 18 yards on a stretch play to the left that took the Jets inside the Buffalo 10-yard line. Powell took the hand off and was able to explode through the hole on the left side before using one quick cut to escape the initial tackle five yards down the field. Powell wasn’t just limited to outside runs; however, as he showed elusiveness in traffic and power through the middle, including an 11-yard run through the (baby) teeth of the Bills’ defense on the Jets’ opening drive. Powell’s best play, however, was called back due a holding penalty. Showing a burst that Greene just doesn’t possess, Powell was able to make tacklers miss without losing speed and turn the short toss into a 33-yard gain. Powell received six targets in all, catching two for 12 yards.