Larry
Rountree.
Larry
Rountree.
Missouri· 5'10"· 211 lb· 4.62s 40
"A 5-10, 211-pound Missouri four-year starter with 3,720 rushing yards and 40 SEC touchdowns, but pedestrian 4.62 speed and limited receiving reps — a Round-6 short-yardage and core-teams bet on production over athletic ceiling."Pre-draft read
This runner is best deployed in gap and inside-zone concepts between the tackles. He squares his shoulders through arm tackles and runs behind his pads on second-level contact, converting many two-yard runs into four-yard gains. His vision is trustworthy on designed A/B-gap runs; he presses the line-of-scrimmage crease before bouncing and shows patience letting a puller clear to hit the front-side hole.
His feet are quick in a phone booth, but he lacks the long speed to threaten sideline angles once he clears the second level. His receiving profile is thin, mostly checkdowns with average tracking on wheel routes. In pass protection, he takes on the linebacker with proper leverage and independent hands.
Gap/duo power run games that focus on between-the-tackles yardage behind big offensive lines.
Year 1 role as a short-yardage and goal-line back, with a ceiling as a capable rotational #3 back and core special teamer.
A spread RPO or Air Raid system that relies on backs creating outside the tackles and catching passes downfield.
Rountree is a tough, downhill runner whose vision and contact balance excel in gap schemes, but his athletic limitations cap his upside to a complementary role and core special teams player.
Larry Rountree III Senior Highlights (2020)
Full 2020 season reel — pad level, contact balance and gap-run vision against SEC fronts.
Larry Rountree III vs Georgia (2020)
All touches vs an NFL-heavy Georgia front — best evidence for how his tools travel against top-shelf competition.
Larry Rountree III vs LSU (2020)
Every carry vs LSU — shows short-area quickness, pass-pro reps and the long-speed cap on perimeter runs.
This player projects as a situational short-yardage and committee back, capable of converting short gains and contributing on special teams. His game centers on a compact frame and legitimate contact balance, making him effective in gap and inside-zone schemes. Despite a 4.62 forty, his 6.96 three-cone indicates sufficient short-area quickness for interior runs.
He was a four-year starter who produced consistently against SEC defenses, wearing down fronts with contact balance and pad level. While a statistical producer, his usage did not involve a diverse receiving role, nor did he possess game-breaking speed. His role was primarily as an interior grinder with a high volume of carries.
Evaluators consistently flagged his athletic ceiling, particularly his long speed, as a limiting factor for a full-time NFL role. He was generally viewed as a Day 3 selection, a committee back whose primary value proposition included special teams. He was drafted with pick 198, aligning with the consensus projection for a player with his profile.
- 01
Arm Tackles Broken
Consistently broke arm tackles behind his pads on second-level contact, converting two-yard runs into four-yard gains.
- 02
Vision and Patience
Trustworthy vision on designed A/B-gap runs, pressing the line-of-scrimmage crease before bouncing to hit the front-side hole.
- 03
Three-Cone Agility
His 6.96 three-cone indicates sufficient short-area quickness, enabling effective interior runs and sequential cuts.
- 04
Pass Protection Willingness
Takes on linebackers with proper leverage and independent hands, demonstrating a willingness to engage in pass protection.
- 05
Special Teams Potential
Former high-school linebacker exhibited an appetite for kickoff-coverage collisions, bringing core-four traits for special teams.
- 01
Lacks Long Speed
Lacked the long speed to threaten sideline angles once he cleared the second level; defensive backs run him down from behind.
- 02
Thin Receiving Profile
Thin receiving profile with only 62 career catches, mostly checkdowns, limiting his utility in third-down situations.
- 03
Limited Creation Ability
Did not stack moves in space, producing little outside of what the offensive line blocked, with a low boom-play rate.
- 04
Underpowered Frame
Sub-5-10 height and average length prevent him from working over the top of interior defenders on inside-zone bounces.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.62sp50
- Vertical
- 30inp50
- Broad jump
- —in
- Three-cone
- 6.96sp50
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Missouri | 13 | 126 | 703 | 6 | 5 | 57 |
| 2018 | Missouri | 13 | 225 | 1216 | 11 | 14 | 62 |
| 2019 | Missouri | 12 | 186 | 829 | 9 | 13 | 70 |
| 2020 | Missouri | 10 | 209 | 972 | 14 | 15 | 100 |
| Career | — | 48 | 746 | 3720 | 40 | 47 | 289 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Late Day 3 SEC producer with body type and mediocre testing who bounces on and off practice squads while contributing on special teams — the median outcome for Rountree's profile.
Compact grinder profile with contact balance and short-area quickness but capped long speed — realistic best case is a low-end committee back with short-yardage value.
Undrafted SEC-fringe back with production but no athletic trait; camp body who rotates through practice squads before washing out of the league inside three years.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Larry Rountree III arrived at Missouri as an under-recruited three-star from Raleigh (NC) and started 44 games across four seasons, leaving Columbia as the program's No. 2 all-time rusher (3,720 yards) behind Devin West. He was named team captain as a senior and finished with 40 rushing touchdowns against SEC defenses. Pro Day measurables (5-10, 211) came with a 4.62 forty, 30" vertical and a clean 6.96 three-cone — adequate agility but no long-speed separator. Consensus boards had him as a Day 3 committee back with special-teams upside; NFL.com's Lance Zierlein slotted him in Round 6 as a "downhill grinder with limited ceiling."
NFL fit — Los Angeles Chargers. Tom Telesco used pick #198 to add insurance behind Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson, with the theory that Rountree's contact balance and pass-pro willingness would let him steal short-yardage carries in Joe Lombardi's West Coast run game. He also fit a special-teams need — the Chargers needed core-four bodies on kickoff coverage and Rountree's tackling background as a former high-school linebacker was a selling point.
Retrospective. Rountree stuck as a rookie backup, playing 12 games with 44 carries for 105 yards and two touchdowns, but never carved out a rotational role behind Ekeler. He was waived by the Chargers in August 2022, bounced through the Bengals' and Chargers' practice squads, and was out of the league by 2023 after off-field issues (a 2023 DUI arrest) further complicated his path. His NFL career finished at 12 games, no starts — a textbook R6 outcome where the low athletic ceiling limited him to short-yardage cameos before the roster churn caught up. Grading against the pick slot, he was a marginal contributor; against the class, a miss.