Post-draft film review/breakdown on Cameron Artis-Payne

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Special Skills:

Patience- Payne is a very patient runner. He waits on plays to develop and is not too hasty in just deciding where to go. He made some big plays waiting on his OL to get in to space or finish off a trap block. This should be a real asset for the Panthers.

Vision/Awareness- It was rare to see CAP pick the wrong hole. He was very good at cutting back in to the correct spot or bouncing outside when no holes were opened. He identified blitzers and picking up the assignments quickly.

Effort- Fought through arm tackles and made every effort to block someone, even on running plays where he was not the ball carrier. He needs to chop his feet more in running and blocking but it is not for lack of trying.

Burst- Shows good initial burst through openings. Was able to hit second level quickly on interior runs. CAP showed the ability to outrun pursuit angles when he knew he was being chased. This does not correlate to speed but his burst is NFL level.

Average Skills:

Route running- Average route runner. Far too often was late getting his head around. Did not show much besides just getting to his spot, was not smooth or try to disguise intentions. He seemed to do better when moving laterally than trying to go down the field.

Catching ability- CAP looked to have decent ability to catch the ball. He did struggle coming back to the QB once past the line of scrimmage when the ball was in the air. There were a few outlet passes where he was open but could not adjust to the pass. I only saw 1 real drop in his catching attempts so he may have better at this with more opportunity.

Speed- CAP has average NFL speed for a RB (2nd gear). He can outrun LB's and maybe some SS's but will get caught by CB's and FS's. Nothing to be ashamed of, he just does not have much long speed. CAP normally broke a big run in every game but not for a TD as he would be caught from behind.

Athleticism- Payne displayed good cutting ability in open field and in tight spaces. He has average size at the RB position and probably does not have much room to grow. His speed is average (as outlined above) but his burst keeps it from being a liability. Nothing impressive really.

Blocking- Payne was always a willing blocker. He too often lead with his head in pass blocking attempts. He would also tangle up his feet and not keep a wide base. Needed to chop more as well. With a little technique work this can be a real strength since he already has the awareness to pick up blitzers.

Needs Improvement:

Upside- I think CAP is pretty maxed out as is. He only has a few things to clean up and his athleticism is nothing to be excited about. He does not really have game breaking ability than can be harnessed further.

Learning curve- CAP came from a spread running attack which normally gave him 6 man boxes to run on. His team was also very uptempo which lead to more missed assignments than will happen at the NFL level. I did not see him run with a FB in front of him nor did he run any complex routes. His team had more exotic looks than standard formations.

Final Thoughts:
Overall Payne is just average. He does not have too many impressive abilities. He is a hard working, lunch pail type of guy that will do the dirty work he is asked to. Nothing flashy and will likely have a limited role. He honestly reminds me of Tyler Gaffney with better vision and burst. I wonder who will be cut to keep his roster spot. Panthers currently have a glut of average RB's with Whitaker, Tolbert, Todman with different strengths.

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This is from catscratchreader - a panther website that I read a few times a week.

Just wanted to get everyone's opinion on this review of CAP since we've watched him more than anyone just reviewing a little film. I think this guy got a little caught up in "exotic looks" like a lot of people reviewing our offense. Said he didn't see him behind a FB so I'm guessing he didn't see anything from 2013 when we had Prosch. Not sure what he means by "complex routes?" Talking about as a receiver?