Khalil
Herbert.
Khalil
Herbert.
Virginia Tech· 5'8"· 210 lb· 4.46s 40
"A 5-8, 210-pound Kansas-to-Virginia Tech grad transfer with 1,183 yards at 7.6 per carry in 10 ACC games and an 8.19 RAS - a Day 3 zone-scheme rotational back projection where vision and one-cut burst fought size and pass-pro reps."Pre-draft read
The player operates almost exclusively as a downhill single back in an inside/outside zone scheme. He demonstrates patience, pressing the line of scrimmage and allowing combo blocks to develop. Once a crease appears, he employs a decisive plant-and-go rather than hesitating.
His movement quickness is evident in short-area sidesteps and an ability to win in closed alleys. He maintains a low pad level and exhibits strong balance through contact, churning through arm tackles and sustaining his base against glancing shots. In pass protection, he is willing and understands assignments but tends to be moved by larger rushers. As a receiver, his usage is limited to simple swings, checkdowns, and screens.
Khalil Herbert is a compact, one-cut zone running back best suited for a Shanahan/Kubiak wide-zone run priority system.
Year 1: immediate depth and kick returner with upside to develop into a rotational zone-scheme back due to his vision, burst, and contact balance.
Any gap/power run scheme that asks him to run between the tackles consistently and make square-cut read/react decisions.
A scheme-specific back, Herbert offers legitimate speed, vision, and contact balance for a wide-zone system, but his utility diminishes outside of that role due to size and pass-protection limitations.
Khalil Herbert 2020 Regular Season Highlights - Virginia Tech RB
All-ACC first-team season reel showcasing zone vision and finishing speed.
Khalil Herbert 2020 Virginia Tech Highlights
Second full-season cut-up with big-run production against ACC defenses.
Khalil Herbert (Kansas RB) vs. West Virginia 2017
Earlier Big 12 tape showing the same one-cut zone traits before the Virginia Tech transfer.
This prospect projects as a compact, one-cut zone runner, bringing legitimate speed and significant short-area quickness to a backfield. A team acquiring him expected a scheme-specific complementary back, capable of breaking off long runs due to his vision and burst, and contributing special teams value. His 4.46 forty speed was observed on tape and at his pro day.
His college career involved a five-year progression from Kansas to Virginia Tech, culminating in a dominant 2020 season. In 10 games at Virginia Tech, he recorded 1,183 rushing yards and earned first-team All-ACC honors, showcasing his ability to operate in a specific run scheme. While consistent production was evident over his career, his peak performance came in that single, shortened ACC season.
Pre-draft evaluations placed him in the Day 3 range, specifically rounds 4-6, due to questions surrounding his frame's capacity for a full bell-cow role, his polish in receiving, and pass protection against professional fronts. He was ultimately selected in the sixth round, 217th overall, by a team seeking a zone-scheme back with special teams ability.
- 01
Zone Vision and Patience
Reads combo blocks and second-level defenders effectively, pressing the line with control and making decisive cuts.
- 02
One-Cut Burst and Speed
Demonstrates explosive acceleration through openings, resulting in significant gains against defensive pursuit.
- 03
Contact Balance
Plays larger than his listed weight due to low pad level and leg drive, consistently breaking arm tackles and maintaining upright position.
- 04
Short-Area Quickness
Displays quick feet for sidestepping in the hole and executing jump cuts, allowing him to navigate tight spaces.
- 05
Special Teams Value
Possesses a background as a kick returner, adding a valuable special teams dimension to his prospect profile.
- 01
Frame and Workload
Not built for high-volume, every-down bell-cow role against NFL defensive fronts due to his stature.
- 02
Pass Protection
Willing in assignments but struggles to anchor and hold ground against larger, more powerful rushers at the point of attack.
- 03
Receiving Polish
College usage was scheme-limited to basic routes like swings and checkdowns, indicating a developmental gap for varied receiving roles.
- 04
Scheme Specificity
More effective in zone running concepts, potentially limiting his fit and effectiveness in offenses with mixed or gap-heavy run schemes.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.46sp50
- Vertical
- 33inp50
- Broad jump
- 115inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.96sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.31sp50
- Bench
- 22repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Kansas | 8 | 44 | 189 | 3 | 5 | 38 |
| 2017 | Kansas | 11 | 120 | 663 | 4 | 8 | 38 |
| 2018 | Kansas | 12 | 113 | 499 | 5 | 9 | 39 |
| 2019 | Kansas | 4 | 43 | 384 | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| 2020 | Virginia Tech | 11 | 155 | 1183 | 8 | 10 | 179 |
| Career | — | 46 | 475 | 2918 | 22 | 33 | 293 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Reliable rotational and bridge starter who steps in for the RB1 without a drop-off in scheme fit, the realistic outcome for a Day 3 zone back with this skill set.
Compact zone-scheme back who plays bigger than his size and grew into a lead-back role, Herbert's ceiling if workload and receiving development coalesce.
A powerful, downhill runner who provides reliable depth and can handle short-yardage situations, offering consistent but limited contributions as a backup.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Herbert took the long road: three years at Kansas as a productive but low-profile Big 12 back, a transfer detour that briefly reset his stock, and a grad-transfer landing spot at Virginia Tech for 2020 where the profile finally caught up to the tape. In one shortened ACC season he ran for 1,183 yards on 155 carries (7.6 yards per attempt) with 8 touchdowns in 10 games, earning first-team All-ACC honors as a downhill zone runner with home-run juice. Measurables landed at 5-8, 210 pounds with a Virginia Tech pro day of 4.46 forty, 33-inch vertical, 115-inch broad, 6.96 three-cone, 4.31 short shuttle, and 22 bench reps for an 8.19 RAS - a well-built compact frame with legitimate speed and short-area quickness. Board consensus put him in the Round 4-6 window as a scheme-specific complementary back with special-teams and third-down developmental value.
NFL fit - Chicago Bears. Chicago took Herbert at 217 to sit behind David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen as a change-of-pace zone-scheme piece with kick-return juice. The offensive system leaned inside/outside zone, which fit Herbert's one-cut style, and the Bears' running back room needed a Day 3 body with return-team value after the Cohen ACL. The projection was clean: rotational carries behind Montgomery, four-phase special-teams reps, and a longer look on obvious rushing downs if the tape translated.
Retrospective. It translated better than the pick price. Herbert flashed as a rookie with a 100-yard game against Detroit while Montgomery was hurt, then took over Chicago's backfield for multi-game stretches in 2022 when injuries hit again - finishing that year with 731 rushing yards at a strong per-carry clip. He held a rotational role through 2023 in the Justin Fields offense before signing with Cincinnati in 2024 as a veteran backup. The pick was a hit: a Round-6 back who gave Chicago three full seasons of quality rotational production and a bridge starter role, exactly the upside outcome the vision-and-burst profile pointed toward.