As a unanimous All-American and the winner of the Doak Walker Award in 2023, Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II was one of the biggest names in college football during his three years in school.
With 40 total touchdowns at the collegiate level, Gordon brings a pretty impressive resume with him into the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ollie Gordon II Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 225 pounds
- Position: Running Back
- School: Oklahoma State
- Current Year: Junior
Scouting Report
Gordon grew up in Fort Worth, Texas and excelled at Trinity High School in Euless, a town in the Mid-Cities area between Dallas and Fort Worth. A four-star recruit coming out of high school, he committed to Oklahoma State in February of 2022.
The 2022 season was a quiet one for Gordon, as he started in just one game as a true freshman with just 62 total carries. However, he scored four touchdowns on 74 total touches and exploded for 136 yards against West Virginia in the final game of Oklahoma State’s season, giving him some additional momentum as he headed into his sophomore year.
After a modest freshman year, it was 2023 when Gordon truly came into his own. He ended up leading the FBS with 1,732 rushing yards, as well as with 2,062 total yards from scrimmage and 324 total touches.
He averaged 6.1 yards per carry – even with his massive workload – and he scored 22 total touchdowns, with 21 of them coming on the ground. Gordon also caught 39 passes for 330 yards. For his performance, he was an unanimous All-American and the 2023 Doak Walker Award as the best running back in college football.
Heading into 2024, the expectations for Gordon were tremendous. After all, being named the top running back in college football is a pretty tough bar to reach. His numbers as a junior weren’t quite as good, as his yards-per-carry average fell from 6.1 the year before down to 4.6.
Nonetheless, he still ended the year with 880 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, also recording a receiving score. He subsequently chose to forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2025 NFL Draft.
Strengths
- Will be only 21 years old in his rookie season.
- Accomplished running back with an impressive collegiate resume.
- Long-striding runner with good straight-line speed for his size.
- Massive running back with a tall, muscular frame that should translate well to an increased level of physicality in the NFL.
- Intelligent outside-zone processor who makes smart cuts upfield as he lets the play develop in front of him.
- Large frame naturally makes it difficult for opposing defenders to bring him down if they don’t wrap up and tackle with proper form.
- Didn’t drop a single one of his 38 targets in 2024.
- Has plenty of experience catching passes out of the backfield, and he does a good job of making secure catches away from his frame.
- Tough runner with very good contact balance that allows him to accelerate through arm tackles.
Weaknesses
- Production and efficiency decreased in 2024.
- Not as good of a pass protector as one would hope for his size, as his pads are too high and his hand placement too inconsistent.
- Arrested in June 2024 for DUI suspicion.
- Has a limited athletic ceiling due to mediocre speed for his position and a lack of agility.
- High-hipped runner who doesn’t change direction very well, limiting how well he can make defenders miss in space.
- Won’t wow you with his ability to sink his hips into his cuts and accelerate well laterally out of his breaks as a receiving back.
- Doesn’t cover a significant amount of ground with his cuts.
- Size-adjusted explosiveness is solid, but teams in need of a speed infusion in their backfield will likely look elsewhere.
- Delivers punishment because of his size, but his high center of gravity and improper pad level could see him get brought down more by stronger NFL tacklers with better form.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Gordon enters the 2025 NFL Draft as one of its bigger names, but fans might have to wait a while to hear his name called.
There’s no denying how good Gordon was in 2023. He’s a massive running back who runs hard and possesses the toughness and raw power needed to bowl over defenders at the collegiate level. He also has plenty of experience and value as a pass catcher, giving him more dimensions in his game than the stereotypical “power back” archetype.
That said, Gordon’s athletic limitations could affect how big of a role he plays for his team at the NFL level. He feels like a consistent bet to pick up three to five yards regularly in between the tackles, but he doesn’t have the breakaway speed or the crafty agility needed to project as a dynamic threat in the open field. He’ll have to run with better pad level in NFL if he is to maintain how well he shed tackles at Oklahoma State, too.
Gordon comes from an Oklahoma State offense that leans heavier in gap than zone-run concepts, and I believe that’s the best fit for him at the NFL level. He should be a valuable short-yardage back in the league, but where do you draft a player who feels like that is his most likely outcome? Round 4 feels like a fair range to start heavily considering him.
