http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1113490 


Dimitri Nance is tough inside runner who is rarely tackled for a loss. He possesses a thick, compact build perfect for his playing style, and has nice vision and balance. He also displays good patience when waiting for blocks to set up and is a threat to catch the ball out of the backfield.



Nance was a highly decorated running back at Trinity High School, a prep football powerhouse in Euless, Texas. As a senior, he joined current Bengals running back Cedric Benson as the only two players in Texas 5A football history to rush for over 3,000 yards in a single season, as he carried 341 times for 3,173 yards and 41 touchdowns.



His performance made him a unanimous choice for District 6-5A Offensive Player of the Year honors. The prep standout received scholarship offers from Arizona State, Houston, Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State and UTEP, but ultimately chose to sign with the Sun Devils.



Nance enrolled at Arizona State in 2006 and immediately began contributing as one of the top freshman backs in the Pac-10 Conference. He saw action in all but two games, despite playing behind current Washington Redskins Ryan Torain. The first-year freshman rushed for 229 yards and three touchdowns on 56 carries.


Nance again served as a backup to Torain during his sophomore season, but made his first career start against Texas in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl after Torain went down with a foot injury. He carried 18 times for 48 yards in a losing effort. Nance would finish the year gaining 500 yards and seven touchdowns on 133 carries.



Nance saw his starting duties from 2007 carry over into his junior season. He started the first six contests of the season before giving way to Keegan Herring and Shawn DeWitty. He played in 11 games and carried 105 times for 410 yards and three touchdowns while splitting time.



After patiently waiting his turn, Nance emerged as the fulltime starting running back as a senior. He played in every game of the season for the first time in his career and led the team with 795 yards and six touchdowns on 188 carries. Nance also showed his value as a receiving threat, catching 28 passes for 216 yards and one touchdown. The conference coaches awarded his performance with All-Pac-10 Conference honorable mention accolades.

"longtimefan" wrote:

http://nfldraft.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=64530&PT=7&PR=2&type=scoutingreport&type=scouting#scouting 


Nance is a thick, well-built back who runs with good leverage and knows how to push the pile on contact. He isn't explosive when attacking the line of scrimmage and possesses an average first step, but he gets up to speed quickly.

He takes short, compact steps and displays impressive balance between the tackles. He's sudden and slippery in tight areas and has the wiggle to make a man miss and can create on his own at the line. He's patient at the line of scrimmage and showcases good vision and instincts when setting up blocks and attacking the second level.

Nance doesn't have the type of second gear to consistently run away from defenders in space and isn't quite as shifty once he reaches full speed, but he does a nice job of lowering his head and finishing runs. He's a natural cutback runner with impressive lateral quickness and range.

He catches the ball well out of the backfield and showcases good coordination and hands in the pass game. He plays with the strength and overall natural leverage to hold his own as a blocker.

He isn't a big play threat who can take it the distance, but he definitely is one of the more dynamic runners in tight area in this year's draft.