Demetric Felton Dynasty Fantasy Outlook, NFL Draft Profile & Props

Demetric Felton Draft Profile

Demetric Felton Draft Props

Felton might not even be drafted into the NFL. He has no standing whatsoever in the prop market.

Dynasty Fantasy Analysis

For a guy who doesn't like small, unathletic running backs, I probably like Felton more than I should.

A four-star wide receiver as a recruit, Felton redshirted his first year on campus. Then, in his second season with head coach Jim Mora and his underwhelming Bruins team, Felton earned a role as a reserve offensive weapon, logging -2 yards on two receptions but adding an intriguing 10-75-1 rushing line.

As a redshirt sophomore, he was just 20-207-1 receiving and 5-27-0 rushing in 12 games for new HC Chip Kelly, but even with those paltry pass-catching numbers he was still the team's primary slot man and the No. 3 producer in receiving yards.

In 2019 — his second year in Kelly's offense — Felton significantly progressed as a junior. While he still occasionally lined up in the slot, he played primarily as a running back, serving as the change-of-pace option behind starter and future NFL player Joshua Kelley. In his new role, Felton was a pedestrian 86-331-1 rushing but an electric 55-594-4 receiving, ranking second on the team in receptions and third in receiving yards.

Given his playmaking ability, Felton also returned kicks for the Bruins and put up a strong 13-338-1 stat line in the process.

And then in 2020, with Kelley in the NFL, Felton assumed the lead back role for UCLA and utterly dominated usage within the offense. Despite his Austin Ekeler-esque size — and despite his relative inexperience at the position — Felton proved himself as a backfield dynamo.

He played only six games last season due to the Pac-12's truncated conference-only schedule, but he made the most of those limited opportunities: Felton put up 827 yards and eight touchdowns from scrimmage on 132-668-5 rushing and 22-159-3 receiving.

Say what you want about Felton's size, but the guy put in the work last year as a runner — racking up 20-plus carries in 4-of-6 games — and he amassed 36 broken tackles on 132 attempts (per Pro Football Focus). Plus as a receiver out of the backfield, he has always been a total mismatch for linebackers in coverage.

The problem with Felton is that he's entering the league as something of a positionless, hybrid tweener. He may have finished his college career as a lead back, but at the Senior Bowl he worked out with the receivers.

Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy can try all he wants to spin Felton's versatility as a virtue, and it will likely help him earn and keep a roster spot. Nonetheless, it's also a sign that he's an uncertain prospect at running back and also at wide receiver … especially after Felton's unimpressive pro day:

If Felton opts for a career as a full-time slot receiver, then he will likely be too slow and too unpolished as a route-runner to beat NFL cornerbacks. But as a full-time running back, he is likely too small and too inexperienced to earn meaningful NFL carries.

That puts Felton in a tough spot.

In order to be successful at the NFL level, he will likely need to be a multi-dimensional, change-of-pace, pass-catching back. Furthermore, he must work primarily as a receiver out of the backfield, so that he can continue to exploit linebackers in coverage.

But, that alone might not be enough. So, he will also need to supplement his backfield receiving work with a few carries, a handful of slot targets and maybe even a couple kick returns per game.

It's possible: Felton's run-after-catch ability gives him a massive edge against linebackers, and he could be especially dangerous on screens, where he can quickly get into space.

But even if Felton is fortunate enough to carve out an offensive role in the NFL, he's highly unlikely to be anything more than a volatile and uninspiring low-end fantasy RB3 at his peak.

NFL Prospect Comp: Theo Riddick but smaller, faster and better as a runner and return specialist

Matthew Freedman is 1,018-828-37 (55.1%) overall betting on the NFL. You can follow him in our free app.