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2017 NFL Draft: North Carolina Tar Heels best fits

By Brandon Griffin

Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive tackle Nazair Jones (90) pumping his team up before facing the Stanford Cardinal at Sun Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2016; El Paso, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels defensive tackle Nazair Jones (90) pumping his team up before facing the Stanford Cardinal at Sun Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ivan Pierre Aguirre-USA TODAY Sports /
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Thunder and Lightning

Position: Running back

Measurements: 5-foot-11 and 3/8, 232 lbs

Last Season: Rushed 145 times for 858 yards and eight touchdowns. Also had 25 receptions for 142 yards.

What is needed: Hood is a power back with speed. A good offensive line and a clear need for a power back to join a smaller speedier back would be ideal.

Best Fits: New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers

New England Patriots: Honestly, the Patriots could be the ideal fit for any player. Playing with a quarterback like Tom Brady and a Coach like Bill Belichick makes players successful. It’s one of the reasons former Patriots don’t usually succeed elsewhere.

The Patriots are also an ideal fit as they still have not found their bell cow for the season.  LeGarrett Blount is still unsigned and Adrian Peterson did make a visit, though Hood could be seen as a better option than either.

He is younger than both; Blount is 30 and Peterson is 32. He also doesn’t have a ton of mileage on him, as he didn’t carry the ball 20 times in a game once last season (Blount had 299 carries last season, while Peterson had 327 in 2015).

New England also has a strong offensive line, something Hood played behind at UNC. New England holds the 200th pick in the sixth round and the 239th pick in the seventh. Either might be the right landing spot for Hood and the Patriots.

Oakland Raiders: Like the Patriots, the Raiders also are without a big running back. Though also like the Patriots, they are considering a back who didn’t play last season in Marshawn Lynch, a player Hood compares favorably too.

Even if the Raiders got Lynch, Hood could provide depth and be an eventual replacement in upcoming seasons, while learning how to be Lynch from the man himself. The Raiders also have an excellent line as Latavius Murray averaged 4.0 yards per carry last season.

Hood has also shown that he can catch the ball out of the backfield and that would present another option for Derek Carr. Oakland would probably look to take Hood with the 208th overall pick late.

Tennesee holds the 164th pick in the draft. That pick, or trading up from the 214th pick, might be a good time for the Titans to grab Hood.

Green Bay Packers: Green Bay also recently let go of their big back in Eddie Lacy. One of the reasons they were fine letting Lacy walk was the emergence of Ty Montgomery.

Montgomery is a former wide receiver and a different type of back than either Hood or Lacy. Therefore Hood would be a great compliment to Montgomery and help establish a run game in Green Bay that hasn’t been seen in quite some time.

The Packers currently hold the 212th overall pick. That is probably a great spot for Green Bay to pull the trigger and draft Hood.

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