Dynasty Prospect Profile: Wayne Gallman
Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson
Height: 6’
Weight: 215
Age: 22.5
Combine Results
(percentile rank among all RBs at the Combine since 1999, courtesy of mockdraftable.com):
40-yard dash: 4.60 seconds (33rd)
Vertical: 30.5 inches
Broad: 120 inches (65th)
3-cone: 7.17 seconds (26th)
20-yard shuttle: 4.28 seconds (42nd)
College Career
It’s a little tough to snatch some spotlight when you share the backfield with Deshaun Watson, but Gallman certainly didn’t go unnoticed across 3 years at Clemson.
The RB earned offensive co-MVP honors in 2015 after setting a school record for rushing yards. Gallman eclipsed the 100-yard mark 8 times in 14 games and reached 90 in 2 others. Two of the remaining 4 contests came against Alabama in the title-game loss and a Boston College D that led the nation in yards per carry allowed.
Gallman saw his carries dip last season, though he still dominated the position in workload. After garnering 68.6% of the Tigers’ RB carries as a redshirt sophomore, Gallman drew a 60.7% share in 2016. That number, at least, would have been higher had he not left the N.C. State victory with a concussion after just 2 rushes.
Film Review
(Courtesy of DraftBreakdown.com)
Games watched: Louisville, Alabama, Florida State (2015), Boston College (2015)
There are other RBs worth watching tape or even just highlights of. That’s not so much the case with Gallman.
It’s not that he’s bad. He isn’t. You’ve just seen him plenty of times before, in different jerseys with different names on the back—including many runners who have been drafted.
Gallman’s a fine back who runs hard and gets what’s there. He’ll charge through a hole and bounce of tacklers en route to the end zone, and at times he’ll simply refuse to go down.
He had blockers who didn't even realize the play was still going.
But Gallman will also sometimes just charge into the back of a lineman rather than display any patience.
To be fair, I did come across 1 occasion where Gallman’s patience earned some yardage (although better athleticism might have netted him a bit more).
And sometimes charging immediately ahead is what you need from your back.
But I also watched a runner that seemed to match up with his mediocre NFL Scouting Combine measurements. There are certainly flashes of agility …
But Gallman’s not going to create a bunch of yards that aren’t there. His NFL success – or otherwise – will depend (probably heavily) on where he lands.
It will also likely depend on what his pro team thinks of his passing-game potential. Gallman fared OK in catching 66 passes across 3 Tigers seasons, and Clemson might have evolved his receiving role slightly in 2016. I did notice several occasions when Gallman lined up in WR spots against Alabama in 2016 but didn’t see such samples in the pair of 2015 games.
That, of course, marks a very small sample for each season. The book on Gallman overall seems to agree, however, that he looks OK but not outstanding catching the ball. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein also called Gallman “not ready for NFL pass protection duties yet,” which will hurt his chances of playing on 3rd downs.
Fantasy Potential
Remember how I said you’ve seen this RB before? Well, here are some names you should recognize from his Mockdraftable “comparisons” list—all 83.2% or better matches:
- Daniel Thomas
- Stevan Ridley
- Joseph Randle
- T.J. Yeldon
- Devontae Booker
- Jordan Howard
- Ryan Torain
Then there’s Zierlein’s player comp: Khiry Robinson.
So far, Jordan Howard’s the only real standout among that group—and we only have 1 NFL season to go on with him. It’s also worth noting that he went in Round 5 last year, after 9 other RBs left the board.
Gallman could fare just fine in the right spot, but he’s not likely to deliver surprising production in a negative environment. He’s just not that big a talent. That’s what his 16th percentile SPARQ score suggests.
Gallman seemed to even disappoint himself with his speed this spring. He reportedly said before the national championship game that he hoped to run “at least” a 4.4. Instead, he followed the 4.6 in Indy with a 4.56 and a 4.57 at Clemson’s Pro Day.
The former Tiger brings solid size, but he’s not quite big enough or fast enough to truly stand out in either direction.