NFL Draft Profile: Mohamed Ibrahim, Running Back, Minnesota Golden Gophers
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Mohamed Ibrahim
Minnesota Golden Gophers
#24
Pos: RB
Ht: 5080
Wt: 203
Hand: 0900
Arm: 2858
Wing: 6958
40: 4.60
DOB: 9/8/1999
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
High School: Our Lady of Good Counsel
Eligibility: 2023
One-Liners
A smooth, one-cut Zone back who has astute processing+vision combined with short-area acceleration, nimble feet, agile hips, good contact balance and is an excellent pass protector but struggles making reads in Gap/Power schemes and is not a refined route runner out of the backfield.
Evaluation:
Don’t call it a comeback. Ibrahim, who enters his sixth year in the marron and gold, is coming off a torn ACL injury sustained in last season’s opener. A stout runner who can move the chains, Ibrahim wastes little time gaining momentum and demonstrates keen vision and patience. He would be best-suited in a zone run scheme at the next level, in order to take advantage of his one-cut and go style. Once he hits the second level, Ibrahim has enough shiftiness to make a defender miss in the open filed when needed and his low center of gravity makes it tough to stop his momentum. Ibrahim is considered to be one of the top running back prospects in pass protection, as he is quick to pick up oncoming pass-rushers, squares his body up well and initiates contact. Obviously, durability will be the determining factor as to how early he will hear his name called this April but Ibrahim enters 2022 within striking distance of the school’s all-time rushing mark.
Background:
Mohamed Ibrahim, the son of Latoya and Mohamad Ibrahim, has two sisters, Khadijah and Fatima, was raised in Olney, MD. He attended Good Counsel High School where he rushed for 1,314 yards on 206 carries, earning 15 TDs in just 10 games. After high school, 247Sports ranked him as a 3-Star recruit, the 1125th-best recruit nationally, the 62nd-ranked running back recruit in the country and the 19th recruit in the state of Texas. At Minnesota, Ibrahim redshirted his freshman season in 2017 but was working to prove himself, earning Offensive Scout Team Player of the Year. In 2018, he played in ten games (missed three with an undisclosed lower-body injury) and started in nine, rushing 202 times for 1,160 yards (second most for a Gopher freshman in team history) and adding nine TDs. His talents were recognized with an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and the Bruce Smith Award for most Outstanding Offensive Player. In 2019, he played in eleven games, rushing 114 times for 604 yards and seven touchdowns. He was awarded for his efforts off the field with the Paul Giel Award for Unselfishness and Most Concern About Minnesota. In 2020, he played in seven games and led the Big Ten in: rushing attempts (201), rushing yards (1,076), rushing yards per game (153.7), rushing touchdowns (15), scoring (90), points per game (12.9) and all-purpose yards per game (168.4). Ibrahim’s productive season was rewarded with being named the Big Ten Running Back of the Year, All Big Ten First Team and AP Third-Team All America. Ibrahim is as impressive off the field as he is on, putting in countless extra hours to rise up a crowded depth chart of running backs at Minnesota, and he knows it too, stating, “without the work, I wouldn’t even be here, you wouldn’t even know who I am.” That determination to be great is admired by his peers, Minnesota head coach, PJ Fleck says of Ibrahim, “If you guys ever come to practice, he’s one of the hardest workers I have ever seen at any level of college football, high school football or professional level. There’s not many like him.” Ibrahim is a team captain for the Gophers and prides himself in leading the younger running backs, teaching them the valuable lessons he gained when in their very position, “Leadership is more than just on the field, it’s about off the field and just making sure these guys are developing in the right way.” Fleck takes notice of Ibrahim’s efforts, “You’re not gonna outwork that guy, because he outworks himself from the day before, and he’s taught that to all the backs.” Don’t call it a comeback. Ibrahim, who enters his sixth year in the marron and gold, is coming off a torn ACL injury sustained in last season’s opener. A stout runner who can move the chains, Ibrahim wastes little time gaining momentum and demonstrates keen vision and patience. He would be best-suited in a zone run scheme at the next level, in order to take advantage of his one-cut and go style. Once he hits the second level, Ibrahim has enough shiftiness to make a defender miss in the open field when needed and his low center of gravity makes it tough to stop his momentum. Ibrahim is considered to be one of the top running back prospects in pass protection, as he is quick to pick up oncoming pass-rushers, squares his body up well and initiates contact. Obviously, durability will be the determining factor as to how early he will hear his name called this April but Ibrahim enters 2022 within striking distance of the school’s all-time rushing mark.
Grades
5th Round
Quotes:
"Mohamed is part of that encore four they're kind of calling themselves. I'm not sure if that's NIL or not or some copyright infringement that I just threw out there for them. But you've got Mo, you've got Tanner, John Michael Schmitz and Crab. Talk about Mo, he could have went to the National Football League. After tearing his Achilles, I think we all saw it, he had 170 yards in the first half against Ohio State, and he was primed for a huge season. Decided to come back, not only for himself, but for his teammates. That spread through our entire team. John Michael Schmitz coming back, Tanner coming back, Crab coming back, Chris Autman-Bell. They made decisions on what Mo was going to do. Mo could have gone to the National Football League. As he would say, 5'8" is 5'8". He's not getting any taller. But he did it for the team and he did it to put a different ending to what happened. I think he's one of the best backs in the country but more importantly, he's one of the best people you will ever meet in your entire life. His leadership has become really infectious based on real-world experiences. Here's a guy who had a lot of NIL and he ran for 170 yards in the first half, got all this stuff and boom, it all ends. He can share a lot of those experiences with our team and those life experiences. So it means the world to us that he's coming back. He's at full strength. He's ready to roll. And we're excited about having him have a really, really positive 2022." -- Minnesota HC PJ Fleck on RB Mohamed Ibrahim
