A Deeper Look at DJ Giddens Ahead of the NFL Draft

DJ Giddens (31) prepares to try and evade Sean Brown (0) in the 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Dec. 28, 2023. | K-State Athletics

The NFL Draft is right around the corner for former Kansas State running back DJ Giddens.

The redshirt junior from Junction City, Kansas spent three years in the Wildcats' backfield, playing 39 games. He gained 3,087 yards on 517 carries, had 679 yards on 58 receptions and 27 total touchdowns.

Giddens' highlights from last season show he is a patient runner, allowing holes to develop before bursting into open field.

"He's a long-strider with wiggle between the tackles," NFL analyst Lance Zierlein said. "He's patient behind his blocks and quickly processes run lane development."

An example of his patience came in Kansas State's game against Colorado. On a second down in the second quarter, Giddens took the hand off from Avery Johnson, split the left guard and the tight end before following the block of Easton Kilty and bursting into the open field for a 20-yard gain.

Another example came against Cincinnati. Giddens once again followed the block of Kilty, spun out of a tackle for a 32-yard touchdown run.

Giddens also showed skill in the passing game. In the game against West Virginia, Giddens picked up 45 yards on an angle route.

This year's running back class is loaded with talent. Maurice Jones-Drew, former NFL running back and current NFL.com analyst ranked Giddens as the fifth-best.

"I've never seen a player make people miss the way the Kansas State star does, moving out of the way of tacklers in the drop of a dime," said Jones-Drew in his rankings of this years running backs. "He's a long strider, yet his start-stop quickness is second to none."

Seth Kunz is a contributor to Kansas State Wildcats On SI. He can be reached at sethkunz988@gmail.com

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