Fansided
Fansided

Iowa RB Jordan Canzeri running into NFL Draft relevance

By Sayre Bedinger

facebooktwitterreddit

Iowa Hawkeyes running back Jordan Canzeri got off to a rather shaky start to his collegiate career. Recruited out of high school in the state of New York, Canzeri brought a level of excitement to the Hawkeyes’ backfield with his ability to break off big runs thanks to outstanding speed.

He came to Iowa probably around 180 pounds, so it was a major change of pace from the bruising backs Iowa fans had grown accustomed to. He saw action in seven games as a freshman in 2011, but had a major knee injury in 2012 that kept him out the whole year.

In 2013, he came back with the best year of his college career so far, racking up 481 yards rushing with two touchdowns in 12 games as one of the Hawkeyes’ top backups. The following year, he played in 11 games and wound up with 494 yards rushing with his 2nd career 100 yard rushing game coming in a bowl loss to Tennessee, an otherwise really forgettable game for the Hawkeyes.

It was a sign of things to come for Canzeri, who has been the Hawkeyes’ leading rusher in 2015, and looks like one of the best backs in the Big Ten this season. He’s the reigning Big Ten offensive player of the week with his stellar performance against Illinois this past Saturday, and he might just be running his way into NFL relevance this season.

You can see the kind of burst and open-field speed Canzeri has on this huge run vs. the Illini:

"How great was @HawkeyeFootball RB Jordan Canzeri (271 total yds, 2 TD) on Saturday? So great, he is #B1G OPOW! http://t.co/wcyJYJNKe0— Iowa on BTN (@IowaOnBTN) October 12, 2015"

His performance against Illinois was truly one of the single best performances the Hawkeyes program has ever seen from a running back, not just for his 43-carries and 256 yards on the ground, but also his ability to catch the ball and make plays after the catch.

It’s been a whale of a season for the senior out of Troy, NY, who has grown to a solid 192 pounds in his 5-foot-9 frame. Canzeri looks as healthy as he ever has, and he’s proving to the Hawkeye faithful and NFL scouts that he’s more than just a change of pace back. This is a featured back in any offense with the ability to grind out tough yards as well as hit home runs on big plays both on the perimeter running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield.

It’ll be interesting to see if Canzeri can keep this up over the course of the rest of the season as the college year is nearly halfway finished, but as of right now, he’s running into our hearts and into NFL Draft relevance.

More from NFL Mocks

Home/NFL Draft