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 NCAA Scouting – Player Profile:
Matt Forté, RB
by Sam Monson
20/3/2008
Matt Fort is another member of the strong running back class of 2008. The star from Tulane won’t be mentioned by many alongside the top names like Mendenhall, McFadden and Stewart, but he is going to land and be productive for whatever team drafts him. Fort follows his predecessor at Tulane, Mewelde Moore, into the NFL as a player able to do everything at the position, but who isn’t likely to be drafted very highly because of the school he played at.
 Fort is a weapon in the backfield, and is capable of getting tough yards up the middle, breaking a long one, as well as catching passes in routes. In 2007 he rushed 361 times for 2,127 yards and a school season-record 23 touchdowns. He added 32 receptions for 282 yards. Fort is just the 11th player in NCAA Div 1 history to rush for over 2,000 yards, and the first to do so since 2004.
In his college career, Fort has had outstanding production, and he only improved his stock since the season finished, excelling during the Senior Bowl week, as well as working out well during the Combine. He is one of the Diner’s recommended under the radar guys who may be every bit as good as the 1st round running back prospects.
What we like about Fort
Everything. Seriously, there is nothing not to like. Fort has ideal size, at 6’2 and 222lbs he has prototype NFL size which allows him to break tackles and run through traffic with ease. He has excellent hands, and shows a great short range burst, the kind of player Mike Mayock terms ‘quick rather than fast’. He shows excellent vision to cutback against the grain, and the burst required to make the cut into a positive gain. Showed the kind of speed at the combine that scouts were hoping to see (4.46) from a player his size. Runs hard and always finishes falling forward for additional yardage it took more than one defender to bring him down on 99 of his 314 non-TD runs in 2007.
Fort had excellent production against small schools in his college career, but it was the game against LSU that’ll impress scouts the most. He rushed 16 times for 73 yards and punished an elite defense with very little help around him.
Question marks about Fort
There aren’t many. His level of competition was an issue, but the LSU game and the Senior Bowl shows how he can raise his game when challenged. His speed was seen by some as an issue, but he timed better than people thought, and his burst is more than enough to make up for any lack of home-run ability.
Highlight of high college career
 In week 3 against Southeast Louisiana Fort rushed 40 times for 303 yards and 5 TDs in a 35-27 win. In a 2-game stretch in 2007, he gained 620 yards, 829 yards over 3 games, and 1,031 yards over 4 games.
Other snippets
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Fort’s favourite player growing up was Emmitt Smith, someone who he resembles in his play.
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He doesn’t feature in any pundit’s top 5 RB list, the Diner is betting he’ll be in the top 5 in rookie rushing yardage
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Fort broke the Tulane single-game rushing record, twice.
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He could be closely compared to Edgerrin James
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Potential good fits include: Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots.
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