Trestan Ebner

  • RB Bears
  • Graduate
  • #--
  • 5'11"
  • 215lbs
  • Prospect
  • Big 12

Prospect Summary

Trestan Ebner is a senior running back that hails from the state of Texas. Since Ebner’s arrival on campus in 2017, he has been a contributor offensively for the Bears. Throughout all of his career, Ebner has served as the change-of-pace back, providing good value out of the backfield on passing downs. The 2021 season was Ebner’s most productive season as a runner. Ebner finished the season with just under 800 yards rushing. Ebner is a quick-twitch back that can make defenders miss in space. He has the lateral agility to jump-cut in and out of holes and is a wildcard in which hole he will decide to burst through. While Ebner has an electric factor, he is a feast-or-famine runner. For everything good Ebner could bring you, he will occasionally have a lapse in judgment and brings on a significantly negative play—whether that’s loss of yardage or fumbling the football. In the NFL, Ebner’s best opportunity to get on the field will be as a third-down back.

Ideal Role: Change-of-pace back

Scheme Fit: Outside zone

FILM EVALUATION

Written by Keith Sanchez

Games watched: Texas (2021), Kansas State (2021), Oklahoma State (2021), Ole Miss (2021)

Best Game Studied: Kansas State (2021)

Worst Game Studied: Oklahoma State (2021)

Vision: Ebner has a big-play mentality and that is what he looks for when he gets the hand off. He will consistently skip the hole that may bring a 5-10 yard gain in search of the big-time play. On zone stretch plays, Ebner will often stretch the play too far because he’s reluctant to turn the run upfield and eventually runs out of field, forcing him to have to turn the run up at the sideline.

Footwork: Ebner is a quick-twitch athlete that can make quick jump-cuts from hole to hole. He is elusive in the hole and can make defenders miss in short areas. Ebner has quick feet that allow him to have great start-stop ability to evade defenders who have a good tackling angle on him.

Contact Balance: When it comes to contact balance, Ebner showed an average ability to absorb contact and continue to move down the field. Ebner can run through some arm tackles but occasionally loses his balance. Ebner has an elusive running style trying to evade defenders but it throws him off balance and he should elect to lower his shoulder and run through tackles.

Durability: Ebner is a part of a two-man rotation at Baylor where he usually comes second in carries per game. Ebner hasn’t had any significant injuries during his career at Baylor. He is a fairly fresh running back and his running style allows him to evade most big hits.

Explosiveness: After the handoff, Ebner has a surprising explosive burst. In the Baylor zone outside zone scheme, Ebner uses his explosiveness to get to the edge and turn the corner. Ebner also uses his explosiveness to run past defenders on the second level and create a big gain for the offense.

Versatility: At Baylor, Ebner is used as the change of pace back that can provide explosive plays when needed. In his career, Ebner has been heavily utilized in the pass game and has shown the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Even though Ebner serves as the change-of-pace back at Baylor, he also has the ability to play the traditional running back role and run between the tackles.

Elusiveness: With the ball in his hands, Ebner has shown that he can make defenders miss in the open field and in condensed areas. Ebner is a quick-twitch athlete that can trigger jump-cuts when he needs to. He can also make sharp cuts to disrupt defenders’ angles to make them miss making full contact with his body.

Ball Security: This past season, Ebner has struggled to hold onto the football. He put the ball on the ground multiple times and twice in the conference championship game. I believe that this is an issue that Ebner needs to improve immediately because it will affect coaches’ ability to trust that they can put him on the field.

Passing Down Skills: In the pass game, Ebner is best utilized as a receiving option out of the backfield. Ebner can use his quickness to uncover from defenders on underneath routes. He does a good job setting up the defense on option routes, getting them to lean one way and then breaking the other. He also seems to have natural hands catching the ball. The aspect that Ebner needs to improve on is his ability to pass protect, in which he gives little value protecting the quarterback, often missing blitzers.

Discipline: Ebner is not a disciplined runner. In zone stretch plays, he often stretches the run too far and runs out of room to be able to turn the run upfield. He likes to operate off-script which can cost him a significant amount of yardage. Ebner has to understand the flow of the game and settle for the five-yard gain instead of always aiming for the 50-yard gain.

SCOUT GRADES

TDN Consensus: 67.50/100 (Seventh Round Value)

Sanchez Grade: 68.00/100