College football’s Week 9 action led to several standout performances in the early slate of games. While stars like Keon Coleman and Dillon Gabriel were front and center, another emerging star continued to blossom. Kansas State running back DJ Giddens helped lead his Wildcats to a blowout win against Houston.
How well did Giddens play, and what makes him a viable 2024 NFL Draft prospect?
DJ Giddens Enters 2024 NFL Draft Picture
One of the most surprising outcomes of the early slate was Kansas State’s 41-0 win against an explosive Houston team. At the center of their offensive performance was Giddens. With 13 carries for 96 yards, two rushing touchdowns, and two catches for 25 yards, Giddens elevated himself into the 2024 top-10 running back rankings discussion.
Although Giddens was Deuce Vaughn’s backup in 2022, it’s not as if the 6’1″, 212-pound back was an unknown first-year starter to the college football community. As talented as Vaughn was, Giddens’ build and efficiency stood out in his limited touches. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry and 12.3 yards per catch in 2022.
The redshirt sophomore has been even better as the lead back in 2023. Entering Week 9, Giddens had 626 rushing yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, and being the anchor for an offense that has struggled mightily with its passing game.
It’s a situation ripe to produce mediocre numbers, but Giddens has endured and been the constant engine for a unit that has scored at least 27 points in all but one game.
MORE: Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
His best game of the season came in a Week 4 crescendo against UCF. Giddens totaled 38 touches for 293 yards and four touchdowns. Although his whopping 206 rushing yards might indicate he had repeated huge gains, Giddens’ long rush of the day was only 36 yards.
Giddens is a dual-threat option out of the backfield, showing off real route-running ability, soft hands, and the speed to win in the open field. He’s not the fastest player or the most laterally agile cutter, but he’s well-built as a north-south slasher with an array of moves to make defenders miss.
He shows a great understanding of his limitations as a taller, higher-cut back without elite speed. He’ll use a dead-leg stutter that causes defenders to stop in their tracks. Giddens then has the burst to get skinny through rushing lanes and find the best path to maximize his yards.
With his high target share and ability to evade tackles, Giddens fits the profile of someone who can quickly earn a meaningful role at the next level. NFL offenses running a mixture of power and outside zone schemes can easily project Giddens since that’s what Kansas State often deploys.
The 2024 RB class lacks clear stars and defined projections even as the season winds down. Giddens isn’t faultless, lacking that jump-start, first-step explosiveness that has made lead NFL backs star for years. However, he has the balance, vision, coordination, and understanding of what he has to do to produce to be an effective player.
Considering the competition in this class, Giddens is working his way into the early-to-mid Day 3 range. A great NFL Combine could significantly elevate his stock.
