Matt Forte Scouting Report

During his freshman season, Forte rushed for 624 yards on 140 attempts with four TDs. He was selected to the All Freshman Conference USA Team. In 2005 he leaded Tulane in rushing with 655 yards. During his junior campaign he leaded the team in rushing with 163 carriers for 859 yards, with eight TDs. He also caught 28 balls for 360 yards and two TDs. He did this while missing the last two games due to a season ending injury. Nevertheless, Forte was voted to the Third Team All C-USA. In 2007 he had one of the best years by any running back in this year's class. He started all of Tulane's twelve games (eleven at RB and one as QB - just for the first snap) and he rushed for an amazing 2,127 yards on 361 attempts while scoring 23 TDs. After the season, he was named to the Associated Press' Third Team All American squad. He is an experienced back, with a strong build. He's a very tough inside runner, is able to break tackles and gains yards after contact. Forte is patient, allowing the blockers to do their job before hitting the hole. He protects the ball well, is a capable receiver out of the backfield and can extend his hands to catch out-of-reach passes. He is a better than average blocker, with good blitz awareness. He lacks speed (4.50-40), he is not elusive and will sometimes get caught from behind. He also has difficulty turning the corner and needs to improve his route running. Forte was a solid college running back. But there were questions regarding his game. Is he a one year wonder? Could he perform at the same level against top competition? He put those questions to rest with a very impressive 59 rushing and 38 receiving yards effort in the Senior Bowl. His performance earned him the MVP trophy. Forte has consistently shown that he is a force while running between the tackle. He wears down defensive linemen. Forte is a solid and consistent back, who is able to move the pile and posses the necessary work ethic to perform at the next level. Though his lack of speed and elusiveness is a concern. Before the postseason, Forte was expected to go in the middle to late rounds of the draft, but a solid (if not spectacular postseason) has launched him to the late third or early fourth round area. In fact, several scouts believe that with time, better coaching, and more effort, Forte could challenge for a starting role within three years.