Every single year we run into the inevitable conversation of where to take running backs. Top 40? We can talk about it. Middle of day one? You got some questions to answer. TOP TEN? Well, you better be right.

For Tulane running back Tyjae Spears, the conversation on where his name comes off the board has kicked into fifth gear. He won’t go higher than Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs, and his projection to the NFL game still has question marks, but turning on the tape of the former Green Wave standout showcases a player that could, quickly, become an elite offensive chess piece on Sundays.

Tyjae Spears is flat out electric. pic.twitter.com/rviWEjgQlx

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) February 2, 2023

One of the nation’s most productive ball-carriers, it’s been a meteoric rise of rapid succession since the start of the fall campaign. The leader on offense for a Tulane unit that finished within the AP Top 10 for the first time since 1998, Spears was the hefty straw that stirred one of the country’s most electric offenses. With 1,586 yards on a gaudy seven yards per carry and 19 touchdowns, he was nothing short of spectacular. It didn’t matter what defense he faced, or how many bodies were in the box.

While the Ponchatoula, LA native won’t blow anyone anyway from a measurables perspective at 5-foot-9 and 204 pounds (verified), the projectability of his game has offensive coordinators foaming at the mouth at the electricity he could provide into an offensive gameplan.

Pass pro isn’t passive. Excellent reps from Tyjae Spears v Aubrey Miller.

pic.twitter.com/K3RueVH2LT

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) February 2, 2023

And while film holds weight, passing the ol’ eye test is often the last bridge for prospects to cross in swaying teams to turn in their draft card come April. At the Senior Bowl, Spears arguably won the week of any prospect in attendance. In full team drills, pass pro, and one-on-ones against linebackers in space, seemingly every time you took your eyes off the future NFLer you missed something special. It’s what these showcase events are for despite concerns of injury, agents pulling players, or prospects flat out just not wanting to compete—rising on boards is the motto of the week, and Spears more than made himself some money.

Where he ultimately comes off the board when we get to Kansas City remains to be seen—we live in a unique day in age in how the league evaluates the running back position. But in such a deep class of talent and given how his game could translate as a potential three-down weapon, the hype on Tyjae Spears has only just begun.