Florida football: Gators RB tandem declares for 2022 NFL draft
![Florida Gators running back Dameon Pierce (27) and Florida Gators running back Malik Davis (20) grab a photo as the Florida Gators arrived for Gator Walk Saturday November 27, 2021 as they enter Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner]2021Flgai 112721 Ufvsfsu Fb](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F8e355a7959784c2906ec810e45ff6053c9ed7d73d40f9d9aa8a44f367e268513.jpg "Florida Gators running back Dameon Pierce (27) and Florida Gators running back Malik Davis (20) grab a photo as the Florida Gators arrived for Gator Walk Saturday November 27, 2021 as they enter Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. [Doug Engle/Ocala Star-Banner]2021Flgai 112721 Ufvsfsu Fb")
Florida Football RB: Dameon Pierce
Projection: Mid 4th Round – Early 5th Round
First, in this duo, we have Dameon Pierce, at 5’10” 215. Dameon is the more north-to-south runner of this duo and has a ton of raw physical traits which give him quite a bit of value come draft time. Pierce does a strong job keeping himself square to tacklers and breaking through tackles by doing so. His footwork is solid, and he will always keep his legs churning even if it only nets him a minimal gain. His motor is extremely high, which makes up for a lack of natural speed and explosiveness off the line. He has good stamina however and is able to sustain his speed for a long period of time, despite not having the highest acceleration of the 2022 running backs.
The sustainable speed is seen here, as he is able to not lose any momentum throughout a 75-yard rush.
Dameon Pierce responds with a 75 yard run to tie this one back up! 17-17 pic.twitter.com/iSmS5kbYtE
— libgator (@lib_gator) October 19, 2019
In terms of production, Pierce essentially split his statistics with Malik Davis in 2021. Dameon would end 2021 with the following stat line for Florida football:
- 100 rushing attempts for 574 yards (5.74 per rush) and 13 rushing touchdowns
- 19 receptions for 216 receiving yards (11.4 per reception) and 3 receiving touchdowns
- 0 fumbles in 2021, as well as 0 in his collegiate career
Some information to consider with this statline is his high RedZone productivity, his 13 touchdowns in 2021 on the ground ranked #3 in the SEC for the season. His 16 touchdowns from scrimmage would rank #2 in the SEC for the season, and he would be in the top 10 in the SEC in points (96 points – #9 in 2021) and rushing yards per attempt (5.7 YPC – #9 in 2021).
Overall, Pierce is a very solid back and should be drafted by a team looking for raw talent to develop at the position. Due to a lack of true production, it is hard to gauge how he would be as a workhorse back in the NFL, however, we know he can fit well into a committee, which some NFL teams will like to see.