The 2018 NFL Draft is less than a week away, as the first round is set for next Thursday. And while former Georgia running back Nick Chubb likely won’t hear his name called next Thursday, he could make some team very happy on Friday in the eyes of NFL draft expert Mike Mayock.
On a conference call ahead of the draft, Mayock gushed about Chubb and how good of an NFL player he could be.
“If you can get him in the second or third round, I think that would be a home run,” Mayock said, per the Charlotte Observer’s Joe Person.
Chubb had a spectacular career at Georgia, as he finished as the school’s and conference’s second all-time leading rusher with 4,769 rushing yards and 44 career touchdowns. Only Herschel Walker, who might be the greatest college running back of all-time, finished with more yards.
Georgia will see two running backs drafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, and many expects are pegging Chubb’s counterpart, Sony Michel, to go picked before Chubb. Michel has drawn some comparisons to former Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara, who had a monster rookie year in the NFL. Michel finished third in school history in rushing yards. Many believe Michel is a better pass-catcher than Chubb, and hence the higher draft stock.
Some teams that could target a running back in the earlier rounds include the Detroit Lions, the New England Patriots, the Carolina Panthers and the San Francisco 49ers.
Chubb also had a significant knee injury during his sophomore season, and while he put up impressive numbers both on the field and at the NFL combine—where he finished in the top 10 of every drill he competed in— there could be some long-term worries about the knee injury.
But Chubb made Georgia fans very happy during his four years in Athens and will have a great chance to do the same in the NFL. The second and third rounds of the NFL draft will take place on Friday, April 27 and will be televised on both Fox and ESPN.