Gerrid
Doaks.
Gerrid
Doaks.
Cincinnati· 6'0"· 228 lb· 4.60s 40
"A 6'0"/228 Cincinnati one-cut back with 2020 AAC-lead rushing production, a between-the-tackles profile and no combine invite — a late Day-3 rotational grinder and short-yardage bet with practice-squad risk."Pre-draft read
A downhill, one-cut zone runner, he adopts a compact build and exhibits a north-south demeanor. He presses the line of scrimmage, plants a hard foot, and gets vertical without wasted motion, running behind his pads with active feet through initial contact. Contact balance is a calling card; he bounces off arm tackles and finishes runs falling forward, dropping his shoulder into linebackers, rather than dancing.
His vision is functional on gap and outside-zone concepts, though he can grind through creases instead of setting up blocks. He lacks a second gear to pull away in the open field, often getting tracked down on chunk runs. Passing-game utility is limited to willing but late-triggering pass protection and check-releases or swing routes.
The ideal scheme for Doaks is a Shanahan outside zone or gap concept offensive system, where his downhill running style and decisiveness can be best utilized.
Initially a rotational early-down back specializing in short-yardage and goal-line situations, with a ceiling as a reliable two-down contributor.
A spread RPO system that prioritizes speed, open-field creation and receiving ability out of the backfield instead of downhill power.
Doaks is a physical, one-cut runner best suited for schemes that want a decisive, between-the-tackles back who can consistently fall forward.
Cincinnati RB Gerrid Doaks Career Highlights ⬛️🟥 ᴴᴰ
Game film cut-up of Gerrid Doaks's Cincinnati tape.
Gerrid Doaks
Game film cut-up of Gerrid Doaks's Cincinnati tape.
Gerrid Doaks Full Highlights vs Houston 11/7/20
Game film cut-up of Gerrid Doaks's Cincinnati tape.
He projects as a between-the-tackles back with the physicality to gain tough yardage. A team seeking a rotational early-down runner and short-yardage specialist will value his contact balance and finishing ability. His reported 4.60 forty-yard dash speed confirms his role rather than suggesting a lead-back profile, making him a specific schematic fit. He is a reliable back who falls forward, offering a clear situational role.
He spent his career in a shared backfield at Cincinnati, culminating in 673 yards and seven touchdowns on 144 carries in 2020. This usage highlighted his core strengths as a physical, downhill runner who finishes runs and pass blocks with intent. He demonstrated versatility in various run concepts, suggesting adaptability to different pro schemes, and consistently contributed without being a workhorse against elite competition.
Evaluators noted his modest passing-game utility and average long speed as limitations in a deep running back class. His profile as a thick, downhill, two-down back without significant third-down juice placed him in a competitive market. Consensus projected him as a UDFA to seventh-round pick, primarily as a size-and-toughness bet for short-yardage situations and special teams.
- 01
Contact balance
Contact balance — He bounces off arm tackles and finishes runs falling forward for hidden yardage as a downhill runner.
- 02
Downhill decisiveness
Downhill decisiveness — He presses the line of scrimmage and gets vertical without wasted motion on inside zone concepts.
- 03
Physicality
Physicality — He runs behind his pads with active feet through initial contact, lowering his shoulder into linebackers.
- 04
Pass protection
Pass protection — He shows willingness in pass protection, squaring up blitzers rather than ducking in the backfield.
- 05
Scheme versatility
Scheme versatility — He demonstrated versatility in various run concepts, suggesting adaptability to different pro schemes.
- 01
Marginal long speed
Marginal long speed — His reported 4.60 forty indicates he lacks a second gear and gets tracked down on chunk runs in the open field.
- 02
Limited vision
Limited vision — He can grind through creases instead of setting up blocks, meaning he does not create extra yardage.
- 03
Limited passing game utility
Limited passing game utility — His passing-game is limited to check-releases or swing routes making his third-down impact minimal.
- 04
No workhorse experience
No workhorse experience — He spent his career in a shared backfield, never carrying the load against elite competition.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.60sp50
- Vertical
- —in
- Broad jump
- —in
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Cincinnati | 12 | 87 | 513 | 2 | 14 | 135 |
| 2019 | Cincinnati | 11 | 100 | 526 | 5 | 8 | 70 |
| 2020 | Cincinnati | 10 | 144 | 673 | 7 | 14 | 202 |
| Career | — | 33 | 331 | 1712 | 14 | 36 | 407 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Late-round Miami back who lived on special teams and situational carries, with roster value tied to core-teams reps rather than tailback production — the realistic outcome.
Thickly built, downhill early-down back who parlayed contact balance and pass-pro willingness into a rotational starter role — the ceiling if he sticks and grows into short-yardage work.
Size-and-toughness Day-3 profile whose lack of creation and long speed capped him at practice-squad flux — the downside if the short-yardage role never materializes.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Gerrid Doaks arrived at the 2021 process as one of the archetypal late-Day-3 backs: a 6'0", 228-pound between-the-tackles runner from Cincinnati whose 2020 tape (673 yards, seven touchdowns, 4.7 per carry in a shared backfield) leaned on contact balance and downhill decisiveness rather than explosive traits. Without a combine invite in the COVID-shortened cycle, the pro-day forty of 4.60 confirmed the archetype rather than reshaping it, and the board consensus landed in the UDFA-to-seventh-round band as a short-yardage insurance piece.
NFL fit — Miami Dolphins. Miami used pick #244 to add a physical early-down complement behind Myles Gaskin and Malcolm Brown, and Doaks made the initial 53-man roster as a rookie in 2021. He appeared in four games with limited touches, spent time on and off the practice squad through 2021 and 2022, and never carved out a stable rotational role behind the Dolphins' evolving committee. He was released and drifted to practice-squad opportunities elsewhere without breaking into a game-day rotation on offense.
Retrospective. The evaluation aged as a Day-3 miss in the specific sense that the roster path never opened: the profile — thick, honest, without third-down juice — matched a role that Miami filled with other bodies before he could stack seasons. In a class that produced Najee Harris, Travis Etienne, Javonte Williams and Elijah Mitchell at the top and a wave of undrafted contributors below, Doaks landed in the flat middle where the traits weren't distinct enough to force snaps, and he is remembered as a late-round short-yardage bet that dissolved into the practice-squad churn.