Seth McGowan, RB, Kentucky Wildcats: 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report plus pro comp
A productive SEC back is headed to the NFL after back-to-back impressive seasons
Ian Harper
Kentucky Wildcats running back Seth McGowan / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
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.
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
Ian Harper
Ian is a Contributor to FanSided’s NFL Draft site, NFL Mocks, and a Sports Communication and Media Major at Rowan University. He covers all aspects of the NFL Draft, including player profiles, positional breakdowns, overall news, and more. He has been scouting and covering the NFL Draft independently for 3 years, with an Instagram profile (@UnderTheRadarScouting) amassing over 5k followers and hundreds of connections to CFB/NFL players, scouts, coaches, agents, and player personnel. He has also spent time with LastWordOnSports and OnSI, covering the NFL Draft and College Football. x
