Countdown to College Football Kickoff: Top NFL prospects at Oklahoma State
College football is scheduled to return Saturday, August 29. Each day until then, NFLDraftScout.com will be evaluating the rosters of the best teams in college football, including all 64 within the Power Five conferences.
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Head Coach: Mike Gundy (16th season)
2019 Record: 8-5
2020 NFL Draft Picks: None
Overview: Say what you will about his choice in apparel, news outlets and hairstyles, Mike Gundy can flat out coach football, guiding the Cowboys to their 14 consecutive bowl game under his watch after finishing just 4-7 way back in 2005, when he took over for Les Miles as head coach.
Put in another way, the Cowboys are one of just 10 teams in all of the FBS to have a winning record each season over the past decade, joining Alabama, Boise State, LSU, Oklahoma, Penn State, San Diego State, Texas A&M, Washington and Wisconsin.
Rallying around true freshman quarterback Spencer Sanders, the Cowboys 8-5 campaign a year ago should be viewed as a success, even if the team fell at home to rival Oklahoma to cap their regular season, as well as to former Big XII opponent Texas A&M in the Texas Bowl, breaking a three bowl game-winning streak for Gundy.
Gundy’s outspoken personality has made him a lightning rod, at times, but his explosive offenses guarantee even more fireworks on the field than off of it. Since 2010, his teams have averaged 39.9 points per game, featuring some of the most productive skill position players in the country. Consider that just since 2017, Gundy has coached the nation’s leading passer (Mason Rudolph, in 2017), receiver (James Washington, 2017) and running back (Chuba Hubbard, 2019) with Hubbard today named the Big 12’s Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
The Cowboys have won 77 games in the Big XII under Gundy’s watch. Only legends like Bob Stoops, Mack Brown and Bill Snyder have more.
The NFL has benefited from Gundy’s success, as well. Since taking over as head coach, 27 Cowboys have been drafted into the NFL, including six first rounders.
Perhaps most exciting for Cowboys fans is that none of those draft picks came last year, meaning that this year’s squad returns loaded.
Hubbard ranked second on NFLDraftScout.com’s initial RB rankings for the 2020 college football season, projecting as a potential first round pick. Don’t be surprised if wideout Tylan Wallace joins him as a top 50 pick with safety Kolby Harvell-Peel and offensive tackle Teven Jenkins potential top 100 candidates, as well, if they can build upon last year’s success.
Featured 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Chuba Hubbard, RB, 6-0, 207, 4.45, rJR
At a time when the world feels smaller than it used to as we all face the Covid-19 pandemic, it is perhaps appropriate that Hubbard, a native of Alberta, Canada, earned unanimous All-American accolades last season and returns to the Cowboys among the betting favorites to win the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back and perhaps even the Heisman Trophy.
It is difficult not to gush when describing Hubbard’s breakout 2019 campaign.
Demonstrating the combination of vision, power and straight-line speed which earned him scholarships from virtually every program in the country, Hubbard simply led the country with 2,094 rushing yards with his 21 rushing touchdowns leading all FBS runners. To put into perspective just how much better Hubbard was then the rest of the Big XII’s rushers, consider that he averaged 161.1 yards per game in 2019 – 64.6 yards more than any other running back in the conference.
Hubbard had the single biggest rushing game of any Power Five back last year, gashing a quality Kansas State defense for 296 yards and he was the first back to ever go for 200+ against TCU during Gary Patterson’s 19 years in Forth Worth.
For his efforts Hubbard was named the Big XII’s Offensive Player of the Year for 2019 (both by the media and the coaches), which is quite an accomplishment considering that it was his first season as Oklahoma State’s fulltime starter, only emerging as a redshirt freshman after incumbent starter (and current Baltimore Raven) Justice Hill went down with an injury. Hubbard responded with double-digit carries each of the final five games of the season, averaging 95.2 yards and a score per contest over that stretch to serve notice of his potential.
Hubbard turned heads in the spring, calling out Gundy and voicing his frustration as part of the Black Lives Matter movement. His threat to no longer play for the Cowboys led to a joint statement by Hubbard and his head coach, hopefully sparking lasting change at Oklahoma State, as well as a return to the field for arguably the best amateur running back on the continent.
Strengths: Slashing speedster with true breakaway ability, as well as the bulk to be a bell cow. Quick to and through the line of scrimmage, showing impressive burst and steady acceleration for a back of his size. Has legitimate track speed. Competed at the 2015 IAAF World Youth Championships in Cali, Colombia, placing fourth overall in the 100-meter sprint with personal-best finish of 10.55 seconds in the semifinal…. Is not reliant upon his quickness, showing impressive vision and patience in selecting his lanes before hitting the jets, almost immediately throwing off pursuit angles.
Has a nice stutter-step to freeze linebackers in the hole. Effortless, gliding athlete who strings together moves in the open field to leave safeties grasping at air. Effective stiff-arm and flexibility in his lower half to fend off arm tackles, showing light feet and leaping ability to skip and soar, as needed.
Isn’t a true thumper but will lower his shoulder when necessary, showing good leg drive and excellent pad level when fighting for the tough yards. Improved receiver out of the backfield, showing greater concentration in this area as the season went on.
Experienced competing on a global stage, offering unique perspective and maturity. Voted game captain vs. Baylor, Iowa State in 2019.
Weaknesses: Must do a better job of wrapping both arms around the football, as well as switching it over to his outside arm. Fumbled nine times over the past two seasons, including five in 2019… Fumbles against Oklahoma and Texas (both in 2019) were each quick hand slaps by the defender rather than Hubbard absorbing massive blindside hits…
Too passive in pass protection, resorting to cut blocks or playing pattycake rather than initiating contact. Could do a better job of making himself available to his quarterback when the play breaks down, doing too much standing around and watching… Slightly top-heavy frame with relatively narrow hips, raising questions for some as to whether Hubbard truly has the body armor to withstand bell-cow duties… Suffered a broken fibula as a senior in high school, an injury NFL doctors may want to get a closer look at during medical evaluations at the Combine…
NFL Player Comparison: Tevin Coleman, San Francisco 49ers – Hubbard is a more complete back than Coleman was when leaving Indiana, showing greater vision and elusiveness but like the 6-1, 210 pound 49ers’ standout, Hubbard’s most impressive attribute is his combination of size and straight-line speed. Relatively slim frames raise questions about durability for both backs, however, with each currently more effective as rushers than in the passing game.
Current NFL Draft Projection: First-Second Round
The Top 10 NFL Prospects at Oklahoma State:
1. Chuba Hubbard, RB, 6-0, 207, 4.45, rJR
2. Tylan Wallace, WR, 6-0, 185, 4.45, SR
3. Kolby Harvell-Peel, S, 6-0, 210, 4.60, JR
4. Teven Jenkins, OT, 6-5, 310, 5.20, rSR
5. Calvin Bundage, OLB/S, 6-1, 215, 4.65, SR
6. Amen Ogbongbemiga, ILB, 6-0, 225, 4.75, rSR
7. Rodarius Williams, CB, 6-0, 187, 4.55, SR
8. Dillon Stoner, WR, 6-0, 198, 4.50, rSR
9. Tre Sterling, S, 6-0, 202, 4.55, rJR
10. Malcolm Rodriguez, S, 6-0, 205, 4.55, SR
*All 40-yard dash times are estimates
