Size: Gillislee has solid running back size, but he looks slim despite weighing 208 pounds. I think he could pretty easily put on some weight, and at 5’11” he has the frame to do so.
Speed: In my opinion Gillislee has good enough speed to be a NFL running back. It may not have shown in his combine workout when he ran a 4.55 40 yard dash but when I watched him I thought he had about 4.5 speed. I didn’t think he looked like a blazer when I saw him, but he looked like he was adequate in this area. However, I’m not sure he has the speed to consistently get the corner at the next level, though I believe he will be able to gain chunks of yardage despite lacking elite speed.
Quickness: This is one of Gillislee’s strengths. He is quick and it is evident almost immediately when you watch him. He has more than enough burst to hit the hole, possesses enough shiftiness to make defenders miss in the open field, and changes directions well. He isn’t elite in this area, but he is certainly impressive.
Inside Running: Gillislee is solid in this area, but not spectacular. He is relatively tall and is not a thick runner, but he has good leg drive and can run through arm tackles. He consistently fights hard for extra yardage by running with good pad level and churning his legs upon contact, fighting until he is on the ground.
Outside Running: This was one of Gillislee’s strengths at Florida in my opinion, but I’m not sure he has the speed to replicate the same success at the next level. He showed good patience, found cut-back lanes well, and used his blockers well when he found himself in open space.
Receiving: I believe Gillislee is a good receiver out of the backfield even though he only has 23 career receptions (16 of which came as a senior). He seemed to catch the ball naturally out of the backfield when he was targeted and adjusted to poorly thrown passes well. Based off of the limited sample size we have, I think Gillislee will be a reliable pass catcher at the next level.
Blocking: Gillislee’s lack of bulk is evident as a pass blocker, but he puts forth quality effort and is surprisingly effective despite not having ideal size or bulk for pass protection.
Vision: I was not overly impressed with Gillislee’s vision, though I thought he showed better vision and patience on outside runs than he did when running between the tackles. I thought he was slow to see running lanes inside and occasionally would run into his offensive linemen while he was looking for a hole. He runs patiently when running outside and I thought he was effective when doing so, the only question is whether he will be able to get the edge as consistently in the NFL as he could in the SEC.
Ball Security: When I watched Gillislee I saw him carry the ball high and tight with appropriate points of pressure and he rarely, if ever, lets the ball get too far away from his body where it would be easier for defenders to knock it free. I don’t think I saw him fumble in any of the games I watched of him as a senior.
Overall: Gillislee looks like a solid but not spectacular back to me. I don’t see elite speed from him, but he does have quality quickness and good enough vision to be a contributing back at the next level. I am honestly not certain he’s going to be a front-line feature back because while he does a number of things adequately, I don’t think he does a lot of things exceedingly well. He has adequate speed, good quickness, projects to be a good receiver, and is a better than expected pass blocker despite his lack of bulk. There were just times I questioned his straight line speed when I watched him, and seeing him run a 4.55 didn’t exactly ease those concerns. To me he strikes me as a solid NFL Draft prospect, not a great one.
Projection: 4th round. Perhaps he will go on day 2, but I personally think that he’s more of a Day 3 complementary back based on what I’ve seen.