"Unpacking Chuba Hubbard: A Closer Look at the College Football Star's Impact on the NFL Draft"

Credit Brett Rojo/USA Today Sports

Our perspective on 2021 rookie Chuba Hubbard.

Chuba Hubbard, running back from Oklahoma State, six-foot, 208 pounds, and finished college with a 40.4 percent college dominator. A 40 plus percent college dominator is considered excellent for a running back. In 2019, Hubbard had only one game under 104 yards and finished with 2,094 yards and 21 total touchdowns. For a running back his size, a BMI of 28.2 is very underwhelming, 13th percentile. Chuba is tall and pretty thin for a six-foot running back. Last year was a lousy year in part due to O-line injuries, and opt-outs and an ankle injury didn't help either. Chuba Hubbard ran a disappointing 4.51 forty-yard dash on his pro day.

"Hubbard is known for his top-end speed."

Chuba looks way faster on the field, and that's where you really need to make your determination, especially in a year with no combine. He is known for having great top-end speed and acceleration while maintaining his full speed throughout a play. Keeping your speed is a huge deal, especially in NFL, where these guys are just made to catch you. Hubbard gets skinny when he navigates tight spaces, which is dangerous when considering he is a home run hitter at the second level with his speed.

There was some terrible blocking. In one game, Chuba was completely flat-footed, two defensive ends get past their blocker, and he's just standing there, and the defensive end almost gets to the quarterback. The quarterback probably should have gotten sacked because of Hubbard. He just had a hard time staying in front of rushers and didn't really look like he knew what he was doing. Chuba was not used much in the passing game but can be a serviceable option as his hands didn't look too bad. At some points, it looked like he would get taken down by arm tackles or feet swipes. He definitely powered through contact, but he didn't take many big hits either. Hubbard got north and south with fewer runs to the outside.

Scouting Report

A positive for fantasy, especially dynasty, his lousy season last year drove his stock down. Chuba Hubbard can be taken as the last pick in the 12th round in startup drafts. Hubbard could be one hell steal. After 2019 he was being talked about in the same breath as Najee Harris and Travis Etienne. Now he's projected as a mid-second round in dynasty rookie drafts, so he should fall.