Rodney Anderson is part of the next offensive group of prospects to come out of Oklahoma. In 2018, it was Baker Mayfield, Mark Andrews, and Orlando Brown Jr. This year’s draft, it’s Kyler Murray, Marquise Brown, and Rodney Anderson. However, Anderson isn’t getting the hype everyone else has received.
While Anderson did rush for 1,161 yards (6.2 avg) and 13 touchdowns in 2017, he only played in two games this past year due to an ACL tear. Obviously, this will affect when he will be drafted.
But until then, let’s take a look at the Sooners former #1 running back.
Anderson stands at 6’1” 220 lbs. He’s three inches taller than the average NFL running back but weighs in at the league average. And he didn’t participate in any combine drills other than bench press, in which he had 25 reps.
Now that we got the pointless numbers out of the way, let’s dive into Anderson’s pros, cons, and which teams seem to be the best fit.
Pros:
- Great balance. Anderson has a great stiff arm and is able to maintain balance when breaking tackles. Notice in the first tape that Anderson turns what should be a loss of yards into a touchdown with great balance and his amazing stiff arm. In the second tape, you’ll see Anderson maintain his balance along the sidelines while breaking two tackles.
- Good acceleration and speed. Despite being a bigger running back, Anderson definitely has explosiveness capabilities. He doesn’t slow down when he makes cuts and becomes a freight train once he picks up speed.
Cons:
- Injury prone. Not only did Anderson miss the 2018 season with an ACL tear, but he also broke his leg in 2015 and missed the entire 2016 season due to a fractured vertebra.
- Pass Blocking. Anderson isn’t the greatest when it comes to pass blocking. Just look for yourself at the film below.
If it wasn’t for his past injuries, Anderson could possibly be a second-round pick. But, he has been injured a lot. That will land him in the day three range of the Draft. And being compared to NFL running back Stevan Ridley probably isn’t a comparison he would want to hear.
A few teams that would be a seemingly good fit for Anderson would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and Kansas City Chiefs. While these three teams have their starting running backs, Anderson can provide a good third-down back option who also excelled in the passing game at Oklahoma.
All in all, Anderson would be someone to get excited about if it wasn’t for his injuries, but at this point, we just need to sit back and see what he can bring at an NFL level.