Positives: Has a well-built frame with thick thighs and calves, V-shaped upper torso with muscular arms, tight abdomen and broad shoulders...Shows good initial quickness and adequate elusiveness for a rare sized halfback...Has the ability to take a hit and keep his feet to break arm tackles...His catching ability is above average, as he is sudden out of his breaks and shows good hand extension to catch outside his frame...Has an adequate burst of speed, but is precise in his cuts and hits the holes aggressively, squaring his shoulders to execute through trash...Shows good vision and field awareness, as he is developing into an efficient cut blocker...Does a good job being patient and waiting for blocks to develop and has the vision to easily locate the cutback lanes...Is very decisive through the holes, picking his feet well while displaying the body lean to fall forward and gain additional yardage after the initial hit...Is very alert to stunts and blitzes, doing a nice job of facing up to the defender in pass protection...His effort and drive is good taking the ball up the middle and also demonstrates the second gear to elude along the perimeter...Runs hard and ends most of his carries going forward...Is an adequate in-line blocker, but shows good effort to sustain and control, keeping his hands active and with proper placement...Hard worker on and off the field and is the type who plays until the whistle...Not a real vocal guy, but is very good leader by example...Can be relied upon to get his workouts done without being watched and usually does extra work in the training and film rooms...Shows good ability to hit the hole hard and getting up to full speed in a hurry once he clears the line...Runs with good balance and does a fine job of setting up his blocks...Does a good job of seeing the field and locating coverages to settle underneath in passing situations...Has good strength and power and has become more of a bruiser when running the ball during his senior year...Consistently finishes his runs going forward and shows the ability to consistently break tackles, even when he has to power through the pile...Has vision and quickness to make first person miss and builds his acceleration nicely, reaching full speed when turning the corner...His body control and balance are evident by his ability to make hard cuts and get defenders off balance...Had some fumble issues in 2007, but generally does a good job of protecting the ball in traffic...Used mostly on controlled routes and screens, but has the moves and route running ability to go up the seam for the long throws...Doesn't shy away from contact and is very good at squaring up to mirror defenders or make cut...Has steadily improved his ability to create separation between him and the defender as a senior, keeping his pads low and showing very fluid cutback agility, showing no ill effects from 2006 knee surgery...Comes out of his stance with good hip snap, doing a nice job of locating the cutback lanes...Is a load to bring down in isolated coverage (had to be brought down by multiple defenders on 99-of-314 non-touchdown runs in 2007 and on 53-of-155 carries in 2006)...Has also become an efficient in-line blocker, keeping his hands within his framework to latch on and sustain...Drives hard with his legs in limited attempts as a lead blocker, squaring his shoulders well to widen the rush lanes.
Negatives: Does a good job hitting the hole and reading his blocks, but isn't the type of player who can suddenly explode past the smaller defenders (better moving the pile than trying to elude. Does have the hip swerve to quickly redirect to the cutback lanes)...Lacks the sudden burst to hit the corner, but builds his acceleration nicely, using his power rather than a second gear to break long runs...Has very good hands as a receiver, but the system does not call for him to be split out, nor is he expected to run wide-out routes, but you can see on film that he has the vision and hand extension to catch outside his frame.
Compares To: EDGERRIN JAMES-Arizona...Like James, Forte' might lack explosive speed, but his lower body strength, balance and body control allow him to shift his weight, sink his pads and drive through arm tackles. He is an efficient receiver out of the backfield and adds to his resume as a gunner on special teams. Like James, he quietly goes about his job and is slowly developing into a solid cut blocker. He seems to get stronger as the game wears on and has made steady progress recovering from late 2006 knee problems.
besides, what if Texans don't draft a RB in the 1st/3rd rd's?