Seth McGowan, RB, Kentucky Wildcats: 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report plus pro comp

The 2026 NFL Draft has plenty of solid running back prospects up and down the board, with many value adds in the later rounds. One player who fits that mold is Kentucky's Seth McGowan, who has some interesting traits for teams to analyze before the draft in April.

McGowan began with the Oklahoma Sooners, picking up almost 400 yards on the ground in a successful freshman campaign. A drug-based arrest and sentence of a year of probation severely derailed his college career, with his next appearance being at Butler Community College for just 6 games in 2023. He was able to work his way back into FBS football with New Mexico State for 2024, and he played extremely well, with almost 900 yards. McGowan transferred to Kentucky for 2025 and assumed the role of the Wildcats' top back throughout the season.

Seth McGowan NFL Draft Profile:

Position: RB

School: Cincinnati Bearcats

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 215 pounds

Hometown: Mesquite, Texas

Statistics:

2025: 165 Carries, 725 Yards, 12 TDs, 19 Receptions, 126 Yards

Career: 375 Carries, 1,918 Yards, 18 TDs, 55 Receptions, 604 Yards, 4 TDs

Four yards into the ENDZONE for @Sjmcg_28 🙌

📺 - SEC Network+ pic.twitter.com/0aYzByTBGe
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) November 15, 2025

Strengths:

Turns his head quickly and makes himself available when leaking out of the backfield

Hard-nosed runner, puts his head down and routinely drives through the chest of defenders

Impressive and quick footwork, can stop and change direction smoothly in traffic to continue moving downfield

Consistently makes the most out of small-space situations and doesn’t hesitate to hit open grass to drive downfield

Good body manipulator to carry his momentum forward and move through arm tackles

Can work his torso around to make compact movements and avoid upper-aimed tackle attempts

Methodical in taking the snap on longer developing runs, can see gaps opening up, and sets himself up to accelerate toward them

Gets himself compact and maximizes his size when being hit with multiple tacklers to squeeze out extra yardage

Keeps his eyes downfield well, even when navigating through jumpcuts and always moves forward

Transitions well as a receiver from the catch to a ballcarrier

Decent lateral mover in short yardage situations to hit holes

Weaknesses:

Occasionally ill-advised stutter steps, will have space to hit a gap and take a bit too long to do so

Very choppy out of the backfield as a route runner, doesn’t glide out much or gain easy ground

Doesn’t have the top-end speed to turn the corner when bouncing outside or breakaway downfield

Takes a too-hesitant approach to LOS pileups at times, needs to force his way in and not allow himself to get caught in the flow

Simply not a route runner, doesn’t flash any higher-end skills, and likely won’t see much advanced receiving upside

On the older side, it will have a shorter overall prime

Doesn’t have a ton of lower-body flexibility and does get caught on too many ankle tackles

Can get himself too “gung-ho” as a forward runner; he needs to work toward the outside more to operate in more space

Doesn’t use his hands much as a blocker, especially following a rushing QB or a WR, and also slows himself down too much to throw any impactful blocks

NFL Outlook:

McGowan should be a decent depth back in the NFL and has the tough-running style to carve out a role. He projects best as a shorter yardage back who can work between the tackles to consistently pick up yards, but doesn’t have much other upside. He’s easily worthy of a Day 3 selection because of his respectable floor, but he will have to find the right system to make his mark, especially with how replaceable the RB position is.

NFL Player Comparison:

McGowan won't be put in the same position with the same hype to begin his NFL career, but could find himself in a role similar to that of Brian Robinson Jr. in San Francisco. Robinson Jr. was playing out of his depth as a bellcow back in Washington, and 2025 saw him settle into a potential long-term role with the 49ers as a change-of-pace back. McGowan's "role player", between-the-tackles player profile could be useful to an NFL offense looking for depth in the ground game, and he could develop into a similar player in the right scheme.

Prospect Grade:

Mid 5th Round