"Unpacking Trey Sermon: A Closer Look at the Rookie Running Back"

Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch

Our perspective on 2021 newcomer Trey Sermon.

Trey Sermon, running back Ohio State, six-foot 215 pounds and ran a 4.59 forty. Sermon averaged 7.5 yards per carry in 2020. Trey put up 331 yards against Northwestern in the Big Ten title game. Sermon has been subjected to several injuries over the years. The injuries have pilled up to include a cracked L5 vertebrae; Sermon missed most of his high school junior season. Trey tore the LCL in his left knee in November of 2019. Finally, Sermon dislocated the SC joint in his left shoulder on the first play of the national title game versus Alabama and missed the entire game.

"...probably the best red zone threat in this class"

Sermon displays excellent cutback vision and can find open space. More importantly, Sermon has only two career fumbles and none since 2018. Sermon is sound in everything he does but will not be the guy who stretches the field.

He sometimes runs before securing a catch as his eyes tend to go downfield a little bit when the ball is coming. Looking ahead to make a move after the catch can cause some drops, but it can be fixed to a degree.

Watching Ohio State towards the end of the season made us think he wasn’t the best running back on that team. Master Teague was the running back that passed the eyeball test when we watched them on the field.

Scouting Report

Trey Sermon was at one point supposed to be a top running back and then fell off. Runningbacks that go later in your draft don’t hurt as much when you miss on them, especially in the mid to late second round; at that spot, it's okay to take swings on players.