2019 NFL Draft: Oklahoma RB Rodney Anderson is declaring

Oklahoma Sooners star running back Rodney Anderson has declared for the 2019 NFL Draft. This is a surprising decision, so what is the fallout?

Most NFL Draft analysts put together preliminary lists and rankings in the summer for prospects who can declare after the coming season. For most who put together rankings, Oklahoma Sooners running back Rodney Anderson was at or near the top heading into the 2018 season.

The hype was strong, and many assumed another year in Lincoln Riley’s offense would cement Anderson’s status as a potential first round selection come April.

However, it was not meant to be. In the second game of the season against UCLA, Anderson went down with a knee injury and didn’t return. It was later revealed that the injury was serious and would cost Anderson the rest of the season.

This isn’t the first major injury that has knocked Anderson out for the year. In 2015, he suffered a season-ending leg injury during the second game of the season. In August of 2016, he had a season-ending neck injury. With three major injuries on record, there is plenty of speculation when it comes to Anderson’s NFL future.

Despite the opportunity to return for his senior season, Anderson went ahead and declared for the NFL Draft in April.

When he’s healthy, there’s little debate that he’s the most talented running back in the class. Anderson is a silky smooth runner with great vision and quickness to make defenders miss. He does a great job making one cut and getting up the field to maximize every carry. Anderson also possesses plenty of burst once he gets going, and is a home run threat when he’s on the field.

He also is a big factor in the passing game. Down the stretch in 2017 Oklahoma started getting Anderson the ball as a receiver, and that proved to be a great decision. In one game against TCU, Anderson caught five passes for 139 yards and two scores. His electric playmaking ability screams ‘three down back’ in the NFL.

Even with all of that upside, Anderson will be answering plenty of questions about his health throughout the entire draft process. It is unclear at this point if he will be ready to work out at the combine (it seems unlikely at this point), but somehow getting there would prove to be a major win for his draft stock.

Teams will want to make sure everything with his knee is progressing well, and that he can be a top contributor on Sundays and not always be nursing injury.

At this point, with the past history of injuries, it is unlikely that Anderson will be viewed as a first round prospect. However, teams will certainly take a chance on his playmaking ability. In a year where the title of RB1 seems very open, Anderson still has the upside to take that title. He will be one player to watch very closely throughout the winter.