2014 NFL Draft: Ohio State RB Carlos Hyde’s Stock Way Up
Nov 16, 2013; Champaign, IL, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Carlos Hyde (34) runs for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-USA TODAY Sports
It was a strange start to the 2013 season for Carlos Hyde, who was suspended three games by the Buckeyes for some decisions he made off the field. Those decisions will be over-analyzed, looked into thoroughly by teams, and might even cost Hyde some draft positioning come next May.
That being said, this was a guy who was absolutely dominant in a victory over Illinois on Saturday, running for 246 yards and four touchdowns and drastically improving his draft stock. So what did he do that was so bad he got suspended? Here’s what Urban Meyer said back when the situation was unfolding.
“Carlos Hyde will be suspended for at least the first three games of the 2013 season for conduct not representative of this football program or this university,” Meyer said.
Well, Meyer left out that Hyde had assault charges dropped, but putting himself in a poor situation cost him three games this year and could potentially cost him some money on draft weekend.
Right now, NFLDraftScout.com has Hyde ranked fourth among all running backs, projecting him as a third or fourth round pick, but I don’t think there’s a chance he lasts that long after seeing what he’s been able to do the last couple of months coming off of that suspension. This is a guy that just looks like a big time NFL running back.
Hyde is 6’0″ 242 pounds but he’s not a fat plodding running back. This is an incredibly explosive big man out of the backfield who runs with speed, power, quickness, vision, balance–he is the total package. There are obviously some issues with his game because he’s young but I think as he continues to develop, he could wind up being one of the best running backs coming out in his class, if not THE best back.
Hyde’s lowest rushing total since September is 111 yards in an eight carry day against Purdue, and he’s rushed for over 145 yards in the four other games besides the contest against the Boilermakers.
I haven’t seen a lot of Hyde as a pass catcher but that’s not really a knock on him so much as the offense he plays in is not really favorable for receiving backs. Still, despite that fact, Hyde added a receiving touchdown to his stellar day against Illinois and is proving to NFL scouts that he deserves some second round hype.