Fullback/H-Back

FB HB

Position Analysis: OWEN RIESE

01 BEN MASON, Michigan

02 TORY CARTER, LSU

03 KYLEN GRANSON, Southern Methodist

04 MASON STOKKE, Wisconsin

05 JOHN RAINE, Northwestern

06 CARL TUCKER, Alabama

1

Height: 6’3” Weight: 246 lbs.

PRO DAY:

Vertical: 37.5” Broad: 117” 20-yd: 4.44 3-cone: 6.89 Bench: 29 reps

2020 STATS: (6 GAMES)

2 rec 17 yards 1 TD

IN A NUTSHELL:

Mason came to Michigan from Newton High School in Connecticut, where he was first team All-State as a junior and senior and ranked as a top-five recruit in the state. Whatever your favorite football cliche is, that’s Ben Mason. A fixture in the Michigan program over the past four seasons, Mason has worn many hats for the Wolverines. He’s played fullback, goal-line running back, defensive tackle, and special teams. As a true freshman, he scored a touchdown against Wisconsin on his first career carry and was the recipient of the team’s Toughest Player award after the season.

First and foremost, Mason is a devastating blocker as a fullback. He plays with overwhelming physicality and displaces defenders from their spot against their will. Whether on isolation blocks or on the move in the run game, Mason puts people on the ground. He can also line up in-line as a tight end if needed. Mason has shown the ability to be an effective goal-line back during his time in Ann Arbor as well, as he rushed for seven touchdowns in 2018.

While he wasn’t asked to be involved in the pass game often in college, Mason has shown the ability to catch the ball when asked to. He’ll never be asked to make his money receiving as a fullback, but he won’t be a liability in that area.

NFL COMPARISON: NIKITA WHITLOCK

Whitlock was an undersized defensive tackle at Wake Forest who transitioned to fullback in the NFL for the New York Giants. While Mason has more actual experience at fullback, he could be valued as a Patrick Ricard-esque type of chess piece who teams could see as a full-time fullback with the potential to play a snap or two in a pinch on the defensive line, as well as play on special teams.

FIT WITH THE PACKERS:

Mason likely won’t be a target of the Packers due to his limited scope as a fullback. He is much more of a direct scheme fit in an offense like Baltimore or Las Vegas runs, where his overt physicality can be of more use than it would be in Green Bay. While Mason would be an ideal fit from a blocking perspective, he’s lacking in the receiving and finesse departments that Green Bay looks for.

2

Height: 6’0 3/8” Weight: 229 lbs. 40 Time:

PRO DAY:

Vertical: 35 1/2” Broad: 112” Bench: 24 reps 40-yard: 4.75 20-Yard: 4.29 3-Cone: 7.46

2020 STATS: (4 GAMES)

4 rec 42 yards

IN A NUTSHELL:

Carter came to the Tigers from Lee County High School in Leesburg, Georgia, as a three-star recruit and a top-three ranked fullback in the country. He saw action with LSU as a true freshman at both fullback and tight end. In this draft class, Carter is likely the best combination of true fullback who can also catch and be used in multiple ways in today’s modern NFL game. Carter, who dropped 15 pounds during his time at LSU to better fit into what the Tigers were becoming offensively, has shown his skills as a physical lead blocker who can also contribute in the passing game.

Carter shouldn’t be punished for his lack of stats, as LSU hasn’t done much to feature its fullbacks in its offense, especially over the past two seasons. With only two career carries during his time at LSU, Carter was primarily tasked with lead blocking for Derrius Guice and Clyde Edwards-Helaire.

Carter was more involved in the passing game, with 16 career receptions and two touchdowns. While it was far from his primary responsibility at Baton Rouge, he showed to be capable enough to be considered a “safety valve” in the passing game.

AREA OF CONCERN:

Carter only played in 20 games during his four years at LSU, so durability is certainly a concern. This is of special concern for Green Bay, who lost its third-round pick Josiah Deguara to a torn ACL last season as well as its first option for a replacement in John Lovett. Fullback also isn’t necessarily a position associated with durability or a lack of opportunity to get injured.

FIT AS A PACKER:

Tory Carter is probably the best bet for a true fullback to fit with Green Bay since Alec Ingold came out in 2019. He’s more of a traditional thumper than the Packers prefer, but he’s shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and would give them a lot more legitimacy in the run game from their fullbacks than Deguara or Jace Sternberger did last season.

3

Height: 6’2” Weight: 241 lbs.

PRO DAY:

Vertical: 36.5” Broad: 120” 20-yd: 4.40 3-cone: 6.93 Bench: 16 reps

2020 STATS: (10 GAMES)

35 rec 536 yards 5 TDs

IN A NUTSHELL:

Granson is the prototype for the current-day NFL’s Swiss Army knife at the H-back position. A former receiver at Rice before transferring to SMU, Granson’s athletic ability and passcatching prowess allow him to line up in multiple places and give defenses fits.

The exact career path that Jace Sternberger took from Kansas to Juco to Texas A&M and from receiver to tight end closely parallels Granson’s undergraduate experience. Wherever he’s been, he’s been a red-zone threat and a touchdown scorer. Granson was invited to and performed well at the Senior Bowl, where he showed the ability to feast on linebackers and safeties. His ability to line up in the slot and force the defense to play with a lighter box will make him a soughtafter commodity.

Granson will never be a dominant blocker, but if he is willing to continue to develop those skills and learn how to lose blocks slowly, as opposed to whiffing or immediately getting blown up, he’ll be able to make up for it with his receiving ability. If you will ask him to block linebackers, that will be a struggle. If his main job is to try to block safeties in space, he has a better chance of success there.

NFL COMPARISON: JACE STERNBERGER

While this may not be the sexy comparison it would have been two years ago, the aforementioned career arc is undeniable. Sternberger put on some bulk and became a smooth receiving tight end. He lacked the bulk of a true in-line tight end but presented the upside in the modern game as a chess piece who could line up in the slot or in-line for pass catching purposes. Granson will never be known as a dominator as a blocker, but if he can line up as a H-back or a “move” tight end more focused as a defensive mismatch rather than a traditional tight end he’ll find a role in the NFL pretty easily.

FIT WITH THE PACKERS:

Granson should have no lack of attention from the Packers given his similarities to Sternberger, a third-rounder two years ago. However, that exact thought could also provide to be a fairly significant roadblock for the SMU product, as the Packers may not want to double up on a similar prospect before Sternberger has truly gotten his opportunity at tight end. Within Green Bay’s offense, it’s been no secret what the Packers have been able to do with overgrown wide receivers transitioned to tight end such as Tonyan, Dafney, Sternberger, etc.

4 5

MEASURABLES: Height: 6’2” | Weight: 242 lbs. PRO DAY: Vertical: 30.5”, Broad: 112”, 20-yd: 4.34, 3-cone: 7.20, Bench: 22 reps 2020 STATS: (7 Games) 19 carries, 45 yards, 1 TD | 8 rec, 58 yards, 3 TDs

IN A NUTSHELL:

The Menomonie, Wisconsin, product joined his home-state Badgers as a linebacker, where he redshirted his first year and missed his second with an injury. Before his third year at Wisconsin, Stokke made the decision to convert to fullback. He has developed steadily as a blocker during his time at Madison, which isn’t the traditional career arc for Badgers fullbacks. A two-year starter, Stokke’s main duty was paving the way for Jonathan Taylor and the rest of the Badgers backs.

Stokke was an accomplished high school running back, so his switch to fullback was somewhat expedited, but his blocking steadily improved during his time in the backfield. An above-average athlete for the position, Stokke’s rushing ability and receiving prowess earned him plenty of touches in the ball-handling friendly position for the Badgers.

He’s still not a devastating blocker, but he’s become a very efficient and effective position blocker who will from time to time put someone on their back. He bounced off of a lot of blocks early in his career but has improved his engagement ability.

FIT WITH THE PACKERS:

Somewhat similar to Carter, Stokke is nearing the appropriate mix of traditional fullback and receiving H-back to warrant a look from the Green and Gold. More of the finesse-style lead blocker the Packers prefer as opposed to the behemoth lead blockers of the 1990s, Stokke’s athletic ability and experience carrying the ball will pay dividends to his pro prospects in this scheme. Stokke’s willingness to block will go a long way for him at the next level, but he’s a step down in that department from the true fullbacks on this list. Stokke’s best bet is likely in a scheme similar to Green Bay’s, but he’ll have an interesting transition.

MEASURABLES: Height: 6’2” | Weight: 230 lbs. | 40 Time: PRO DAY: DNP

2020 STATS: (6 Games) 24 receptions, 233 yards, 2 TDs

IN A NUTSHELL:

Raine made the most of his graduate transfer opportunity at Northwestern after four years of playing for Lane Kiffin at Florida Atlantic. After playing with 2020 draft pick Harrison Bryant at FAU, Raine then moved to Northwestern, which has done well putting out similar H-back style prospects, including Garrett Dickerson and former Packer Dan Vitale.

Raine will never be thought of as a people mover at the point of attack as a blocker, but as the “super back” in Northwestern’s offense he did enough as a wing or backfield player to be effective. The multitude of alignments he is comfortable lining up in forces defenses to honor his receiving ability. Certainly not the athlete Bryant was at FAU, Raine has some of the “Old Man At the Y” to his game, but it gets the job done.

FIT WITH THE PACKERS:

Raine would be a H-back target for Green Bay, looking to use the 6’2”, 230-pound Raine as a fullback it can move around and manipulate offenses without the true threat of him being a lead blocker. Due to his lack of height, he’s likely limited to only playing fullback or in the backfield in the Packers offense. While this isn’t a death blow to his chances, having players who can or could play both (such as Sternberger has been asked to do) would be optimal for Green Bay. Raine is a try-hard H-back who has maximized his opportunities and should be expected to do the same if given a chance in Green Bay.

6

MEASURABLES: Height: 6’2” | Weight: 245 lbs. PRO DAY: Vertical: 31.5, Broad: 117, 20-yd: 4.57, 3-cone: 7.75 2020 STATS: No stats recorded while at Alabama; played in 6 games.

IN A NUTSHELL:

Tucker is one of the rare sixth-year prospects seen in college football, something that will be much more prevalent in next year’s draft cycle due to Covid-19 and the NCAA’s rules surrounding it.

Tucker was a much more impactful contributor for North Carolina in the first five years of his college career. In 2018, he had 16 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns. In a career that has been ravaged by injuries, he’s participated in only 29 games over his five seasons in which he’s played, including seven this past season at Alabama.

At only 6’2, he’s limited to an H-back/fullback role, and, while he hasn’t had monumental production, he’s shown the ability to do it reliably at North Carolina.

FIT WITH THE PACKERS:

When he’s been on the field, Tucker is a very effective blocker from a wing or backfield position who has shown the ability to catch the football reliably out of the backfield, which should warrant some interest from the Packers. In a draft class without a ton of non-traditional H-backs, Tucker would make a lot of sense.

If he can remain healthy, Tucker should be one of the Packers’ top targets for fullback/H-backs in this smaller draft class. His mix of skills lends itself to an effective transition into the Packers’ offensive scheme, and, due to his lack of tape, he could have a lack of suitors.