From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll be profiling Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II.

#0 OLLIE GORDON II/RB OKLAHOMA STATE – 6-2, 225 lbs. (Junior)

Senior Bowl Invite

MEASUREMENTS

THE GOOD

— Great size and sturdy frame to be a three-down running back
— Very good vision to find cutback lanes in between the tackles and out in space
— Solid change of direction, able to plant his foot and burst upfield
— Top end speed is solid when he gets a full head of steam
— Finishes runs with power, solid contact balance
— Solid play strength
— Soft Hands as a receiver
— Good job manipulating his profile to get skinny through holes
— Good competitive toughness
— Solid mental processing

THE BAD

— Tendency to dance or waste movement while approaching the hole
— His patience sometimes looks more like hesitation than intentional
— Doesn’t consistently use his off hand as a weapon to fend off tacklers
— Dives at ankles too often in pass protection
— Big drop off in production behind a very bad offensive line in 2024
— Acceleration is just adequate
— Six fumbles in three seasons, lost four of them
— Tends to run a little high, limiting his power at times

BIO

— Originally a unanimous four-star prospect out of Euless Trinity in Euless, Texas
— Earned his first start as a true freshman
— Young, just turned 21 years old
— Started 27 games
— Received votes for the Heisman in 2023
— Unanimous All-American in 2023
— Had 285 attempts for 1,732 yards, 39 receptions for 330 yards, and 22 total TDs in 2023
— Won Doak Walker Award (NCAA’s Best RB) in 2023
— Won Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award in 2023
— Big drop off in production to 2024 as OSU went from No. 20 in the nation to last place in the Big 12
— Finished career with 537 attempts, 2,920 yards, 80 receptions, 585 yards, 40 total TDs
— Majored in public health
— Suffered a couple of minor lower-body injuries but nothing major enough to hold him out of play
— Among preseason favorites for 2024 Heisman

TAPE BREAKDOWN

At his size, you wouldn’t expect Gordon to be able to hit home runs with speed, but he can definitely get going and has deceptive long speed. Here are a couple of snaps where he found a hole and won in a foot race. The first clip shows his stiff arm, which is less common for him than it probably should be.

Between the tackles, he is good at finding cutback lanes and bursting through holes. He can make people miss or plow right over them at the second level. This clip shows several runs between the tackles. In the first play, he showed off his vision and ability to cut back into holes. He did a great job cutting right off the blocker’s back hip to squeeze through for a few yards. On the second play, he kept his feet churning and drove through multiple tacklers into the end zone. He looks better in zone-blocking schemes where he can use his vision.

Speaking of making people miss, this first play shows Gordon out in space and making the first tackler whiff with a nice cut. His vision and ability to weave through was on display in the second play.

For Steelers fans, Gordon’s patience can sometimes look like Le’Veon Bell behind the line of scrimmage. His patience can become a real weapon if he refines that skill, but it also sometimes works against him. He will approach slowly and commit a bit early before the blocks fully develop. This play is a great example of that. He bounced outside instead of letting that hole open up between his guard and tackle. His patience can sometimes look more like hesitation.

This isn’t always an issue, and it sometimes works out for him, but Gordon can get caught dancing around a little too much. Instead of getting up the field, he will attempt one too many moves and waste movement and time.

I came away very impressed with Gordon’s receiving abilities. He was active in running routes when plays broke down, showed soft hands, and was able to catch in traffic. Oklahoma State sometimes lined him up out wide to get him in space on slants or screen plays.

One major thing that must change if he wants to be an every-down back is his pass protection. He is plenty big and strong enough to handle blitz pickup, but he often takes the cheap way out and dives at ankles. Better players will see that on tape and either go over the top of him or easily step around him. Out of the six or seven plays I saw of him picking up the blitz, he dove at ankles over half of the time.

CONCLUSION

Gordon was expected to be one of the top running backs of 2024, but his production took a nose dive. He put enough great stuff on tape in 2023 and still showed flashes of it in 2024 with a very bad OSU team to show a lot of promise in the NFL. He can be an every-down, bell-cow running back, and I think his big-play ability will surprise some people at the next level. While not elite, he can really get up to a good speed if he finds room to run. The two biggest things I want to see improve in the NFL are his use of his hands as a weapon with stiff arms and his ability to pick up the blitz in pass protection. If he can do that, he should be one of the top few backs off the board in April. If he runs a strong 40 time, he will get a lot of buzz in the pre-draft process.

My pro comparison for him is Zach Charbonnet, who came out just a few years ago.

Projection: Mid Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: 2024 vs. Arkansas, 2023 vs. Kansas, 2023 at Houston