STRENGTHS - Sofele has good lower body strength which helps him fight through tackles and the balance needed to stay on his feet when running through traffic. He shows good ball security by keeping the ball in good position with quality technique. His speed allows him to be a threat in the open field. He shows a nice burst when he turns the corner and can outrun defenders to the sideline. He shows good short area footwork to find and hit open holes. He likes to leap over tacklers when they put their head down.
WEAKNESSES - Like all small running backs, size is the biggest concern as he will struggle to pick up short yardage. It will also give him fits when asked to block in pass protection. He has not been effective as a receiver out of the backfield. He looks unnatural catching the ball and was not a weapon on third down for Cal. He struggles to get north and south immediately and likes to bounce everything outside. Sofele lacks a second gear to run away from defenders and doesn't show elite speed on tape.
SUMMARY - Sofele split time as a starter as a senior but was a quality back up throughout his career at Cal. He has thick legs which helps offset his lack of height, but realistically he is a role player at the next level. He does a very nice job of being patient and allowing holes to open and then hits the hole quickly and aggressively. He lacks the explosiveness and elite playing speed to be a big play threat or runaway from defenders, but he does run with excellent competitiveness and intensity. To be most effective he will need to improve his receiving skills and become a better pass protector to eventually work his way to becoming a third down back at the NFL level, but at this point it is not a strength of his game. It will be difficult for him to make an impact in the league because of his size and limited skills on third down, but he would be worth signing as a free agent with the intention of putting him on the practice squad to see if he can develop into a quality third down back. He warrants priority seventh-round or priority free agent status at this time.