Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State
Size:
Height: 6013
Weight: 226
Arm: 32 ¾”
Hand: 9 ½”
Accomplishments:
Doak Walker Award Winner (2023) • Unanimous All-American (2023) • Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year (2023) • Seventh-Place Heisman Trophy Finish (2023) • First Team All-Big 12 (2023)
“Ollie Gordon II’s blend of size and strength showcases an intriguing prospect who should challenge for an RB1 workload within an NFL offense.”
Strengths:
Footwork
Vision
Unique blend of size/speed/strength
Balance
Lateral agility
Concerns:
Short-area acceleration
Occasionally too patient at the mesh point
Inside-out vision/creativity against stacked boxes
Long speed
Film Analysis:
While 2024 (862 yards) wasn’t 2023 (1,794 yards) for Gordon, the skill set remains evident as a potential heavy contributor for an NFL rushing attack. He has a large, powerful frame with footwork, vision, and experience in both gap and zone schemes up front.
His unique blend of size and strength showcases a high-level prospect at the running back position. Works primarily in the hip pocket of the QB in shotgun or directly behind in pistol. His herculean production in 2023 showcased one of the nation’s premier ball-carriers.
At the start of the play, Gordon does an excellent job of balancing patience and desire to attack even the smallest of gaps. At his size, Gordon’s ability to redirect, jump-cut, and make defenders miss inside of tight areas can be classified as an ‘elite’ trait. Can explode through the tightest of alleys and is someone whose speed works up to linebackers quickly. Gordon utilizes long strides after the mesh point to gain ground both to and through the line of scrimmage. His high hips give defenders a large amount of surface to target below the waist. However, Gordon does a nice job of picking up his feet with bodies around his ankles to avoid shoestring tackles. Ball security was tested considering Gordon’s workload the last two seasons (482 carries) and is a trait that is a strength in his game (four fumbles).
Gordon is not an overly explosive athlete to consistently outrun pursuit angles nor does he tout elite short-area burst, but he is still a good athlete in open grass with a build-up type of speed that allows him to pull away from secondary defenders. Has the unique ability to run past, through, over, and around opposing tacklers, presenting a nightmare to tackle at his size in isolated situations. Consistently finishes runs with violence, often lowering his shoulder to gain every inch of grass. As good as Gordon is inside the 20s with open space to his disposal, he is a powerful and nuanced short-yardage back who can drive through tackles to move the chains. Plays with excellent pad level and generates a high amount of force by driving through his lower half.
Gordon has operated with a limited route tree during his time at Oklahoma State but has shown the suddenness and route-running nuance to believe his role could be expanded moving forward. Quick to work north-south with minimal wasted movement. The vision Gordon uses inside the tackles is also showcased on designated touches. He will work behind his blockers on screens as long as possible before accelerating to open turf. When asked to stay inside the pocket in max-protect situations, Gordon showcases high effort in pass pro and can sniff out twists/stunts and delayed rushers.
Concerns arise in his acceleration near the line. While Gordon operates at a high rate of speed when approaching the line of scrimmage, he can be caught by larger defenders if he’s unable to generate the necessary foot turnover to push through creases. His build-up speed works against him in those situations. Gordon’s fundamental patience to allow blocks to develop is a positive in his prospect profile but will on occasion delay his path forward for too long, allowing defenders at depth to close ground. Would also like to see more consistent production against crowded boxes which he faced at higher rates in 2024 compared to his historic season in 2023. Competing against the 3-3-5 stack defense (common in the Big 12) is out of his control, but continued production inside and outside the tackles against varied box counts is warranted. Gordon’s knack for chunk plays is evident, but finding a median against seven or eight-man boxes will truly elevate his potential to another level.
Overall, Gordon will enter the process as a headlining name at the position whose game showcased one of college football’s premier ball-carriers. Teams in need of fresh legs at the position are expected to prioritize Gordon early in the draft process.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written by: Ryan Fowler
Exposures: BYU (2024), Baylor (2024), Arizona State (2024), Oklahoma (2023), Texas (2023), West Virginia (2023)
