Top 10 running backs in the 2021 NFL Draft

#8 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Chuba Hubbard (Oklahoma State)

[6’ 0”, 210 pounds; RS JR]

Chuba Hubbard

This kid came to Stillwater as a three-star recruit, weighing in at just 190 pounds. Chuba Hubbard has since put a ton of work at the weight room and become one of the more solidly-built backs in the country, who really put it on the field in 2019.

As a redshirt sophomore, he led the nation with 2094 rushing yards and scored 21 touchdowns on 6.4 yards per carry, which earned him First-Team All-American honors. He decided to return to school for his junior year, which really damaged his draft stock, as his rushing average dropped to 4.7 yards, and he put up less than 700 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in seven games. However, he was fighting through a banged up ankle and still has plenty of talent to offer.

Hubbard shows excellent vision and bursting ability through the hole. He has that ability to stay patient and does a nice job of spotting and avoiding penetration in the backfield with his short-area quickness. He heavily utilizes jump-stops without too much wasted movement or time to allow pursuit defenders to take him down from behind.

I also like how he really attacks the edges of defenders on more outside-oriented runs, whether it’s setting his teammates up with easy blocks or going underneath them with a side-step. What makes Hubbard very intriguing as a one-cut zone-type runner is not just his burst to get around the edge but also the momentum he can build up as he continues to work front-side.

Even if defenders work over the top of blocks to get a hand on the running back, he can run through those arm-tackles as if they were turnstiles. At the same time, he consistently punishes poor backside discipline and linebackers that overrun their fits.

What made Hubbard a home-run threat at the collegiate level was his explosiveness and the track speed he presented, as he was more than capable of ripping off 70-yard touchdowns consistently. As a sophomore, you saw him erase angles towards the sideline and gain ground on some of the fastest athletes in the Big XII time and time again.

While Hubbard was more of a change-of-pace guy in his freshman year, he has been a workhorse for Oklahoma State, carrying the ball 19+ times in all but one game in 2019 and all but the final two games last season, when he was really only out there trying to tough it out at times.

The two games where Hubbard really stood out in his breakout sophomore campaign were against TCU, when he averaged over 11 yards on 20 carries, while they only attempted 15 passes as a team. Against a ranked Kansas State team, on a day when the Cowboys’ quarterback struggled a bit, Hubbard got several chunk plays to put the game away and amassed almost 300 yards on the ground.

This guy can also create big plays when you throw him the ball underneath, especially on flat routes. Hubbard can deal with different ball-placements and is quick to turn upfield as well as detect defenders in his way. And he is sneaky with the way he slips out on screen passes and is very dangerous with a convoy out in front.

Unfortunately, Hubbard did not nearly look as explosive in 2020. Because of his lack of success, you saw him too eager and run himself into trouble, while his teammate LD Brown looked like the more dynamic option out of the backfield at times, as they had another back go for over 500 scrimmage yards.

Moreover, Hubbard really only ran zones, draws and screens to go along with a few power plays in 2020. As far as his work in the receiving game goes, other than running guys off for his teammates on wheel routes, there was nothing happening downfield or any option routes over the middle, as he had only eight catches last season.

In protection, he kind of ambles around and often wasn’t even asked to pick anybody up on those half-hearted run fakes OSUs used, but when he did have to, he didn’t really engage with those rushers either.

One thing I don’t like about Hubbard working through contact is that he doesn’t really pull those knees up, and when he breaks tackles, it’s more about defenders bouncing off his thick thighs. You also see him get tripped up quite a bit because he doesn’t get those feet out of the trash. Maybe, most importantly, he doesn’t always protect the ball well enough when he makes his cuts, as he uses that carrying arm to swing through. That resulted in 11 career fumbles in 33 games and 585 carries.

I’m very much on the side of believing that the 2020 version of Hubbard was limited because of his ankle injury, and his explosiveness simply disappeared.

I like the way he can operate through traffic, and if he is utilized in a Kyle Shanahan-type offense, he has the potential to become a superstar. However, the lack of value on third downs, his inability to break through open space as regularly at the next level and the ball-security raises question marks.

So I think, in the right system, he could be very effective, but he needs to take better care of the rock and be paired with more of a passing-down back.