Rodney Anderson, RB, Oklahoma #24

6003, 224, 4.59

Notes: From Katy, TX. Younger brother, Ryder Anderson, is a 6-7, 230-pound freshman defensive end at Arkansas. Saw action in 2 games as a freshman in 2015, with 1 carry for 5 yards, and made 1 tackle on special teams, but suffered a broken left leg injury on kickoff coverage and missed the rest of the season. Suffered a neck injury in fall practice, MRI revealed two fractures in his C5 vertebrae, and he missed the entire 2016 campaign. No surgery, but he had to wear a neck brace for three months. Fully recovered, and with Samaje Perine (Redskins) and Joe Mixon (Bengals) departing for the NFL, Anderson played in all 14 games, started 7, rushed 188-1,161-13 (6.2 avg.) and caught 17-281-5 in 2017. Tore his right ACL in the second game of the 2018 season, finishing with 11-119-3 rushing. According to the OU strength staff, Anderson’s top marks are 355 pounds on the bench press, 475 squat and 315 power clean.

Positives: Very nice size, power and breakaway speed. When healthy, has been extremely productive and a consistent impact player. Good vision and instincts. Reads blocks well. Runs with good pad level. Decisive. Strong legs. Breaks tackles. Picks up his feet nicely through traffic. Excellent cutback ability, balance and determination. Makes defenders miss. Rarely tackled one-on-one in space. Fights for yards and is very difficult to knock off his feet. Always lunging forward. Consistently gets what’s there and more. Good quickness, burst, acceleration and speed to the edge. Field fast and often pulls away from pursuit. Effective between the tackles or outside. Good hands as a receiver. Gets downfield and is more than just a check-down and screen back. Very effective in the passing game. Can adjust to the ball and make difficult catch. Capable blocker.

Negatives: Like all young backs coming out of college, needs some refinement on his blitz pickups and pass protection. Doesn’t have elite stopwatch speed. Injury history. Will need medical clearance from team doctors.

Summary: Injury history will likely affect his draft status. If he gets a clean bill of health from your medical staff, Anderson is a very complete, all-purpose running back who can make an impact. But his durability will be a major question mark.