NFL Analysis
10/29/24
6 min read
Ollie Gordon II 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Oklahoma State Cowboys RB
Height: 6020 (unofficial)
Weight: 225 lbs (unofficial)
Year: Junior
Pro Comparison: Najee Harris
Scouting Overview
Gordon II is a supersized running back who can punish defenders with a full head of steam. He is a violent runner in all ways, from how he presses gaps to how he attacks defenders on the second level to how he handles his duties in pass protection.
This is not a one-size-fits-all running back, but there should be little doubt that this is a viable NFL contributor. He was given a ton of clear runways in 2023 en route to some monster production and a high number of explosive runs. He will be offensive line dependent at the next level, as well.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Size and running style put second-level defenders in an ultimate bind, and he’s athletic enough to capitalize on hesitancy in space
- Very good body of work in pass protection. He’s physical, assertive, and does well to strike and deliver blows as compared to passively catching them
- Fumble metrics are impressive. He offers good ball security and is unlikely to beat himself
Negatives
- Lateral mobility and agility are modest. He doesn’t appear to adjust his tracks well if the point of attack is clogged
- Modest open-field speed that has led to a number of chase downs from behind when afforded clean runways into secondary
- High hips and center of gravity yield irregular results when absorbing body blows and maintaining forward balance
Background
Gordon II hails from Forth Worth, TX, and played his high school football at Trinity HS in Euless, TX. As a prep prospect, Gordon II was ranked as a 4-star recruit (247 Sports) while posting monster numbers out of the backfield.
Gordon was First-Team All-State as a junior with 2,083 rushing yards and 28 scores before an encore season as a senior that totaled more than 2,500 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns. He received offers from programs like Texas, Arkansas, Michigan, USC, Utah, and others in addition to his choice, Oklahoma State.
Gordon played in every game as a true freshman in 2022, starting in the Cowboys’ bowl game at the end of the season for his first career start. His coming out part was as a sophomore when Gordon II rushed for 1,732 yards en route to unanimous All-American honors and winning the Doak Walker Award for the country’s best running back.
Gordon II is the fourth sophomore to win the award, joining Jonathan Taylor, LaMichael James, and Darren McFadden.
Tale Of The Tape
Gordon is an impressive runner in the open field. He’s got long strides to eat up turf, good initial acceleration, and an active free hand to combat and challenge would-be tacklers who try to box him in. The Cowboys gave him a ton of open runways in 2023, helping him to lead the country in just about every measure of explosive runs that you could imagine.
Gordon did his part by leaning into his strength as a runner to explode onto the second level, where his vision could be used to adjust his track and angle to work up the field and maximize his runs.
If you try to tackle Gordonhigh or if you’re swooping in from the side, be ready. He’s an absolute load when carrying momentum in space, oftentimes stiff-arming or hand-fighting a defender into the ground. Much of his yardage after contact is rolled up in these types of scenarios when challenging tacklers.
He is a bit of an open-air runner, however. When Gordon has to press the line of scrimmage with patience and lean on his vision to pick open lanes, he does not appear to have the same appeal. That’s been compounded by less clear lanes to hit by his offensive line in 2024 but serves as a cautionary tale about his landing spot nonetheless.
Gordon lacks the short-area start-and-stop ability to pick his way through crowded gaps. If he’s charged with cutting steeply in the backfield to break to the daylight, he lacks the bounce in his cuts and the initial acceleration to run out of contain angles from second-level players crashing down into the fit.
Gordon’s contact balance and ability to play through contact are mitigated in these situations as well, thanks to his high-cut frame. As a result, he will struggle to garner the momentum needed to run through contact in those instances as a result. Gordon II doesn’t have the quickest or lightest feet, either — so trash through his track will bog him down and leave him at risk of having to gear all the way down in order to get himself redirected.
All of this has the makings of a runner who should ideally not spend much time in the backfield pressing the line of scrimmage. He’s not a great fit for the outside zone-heavy schemes due to his limited ability to plant and drive to attack gaps. The vertical run game is where he’s most likely to apply some of his dominant open-air abilities.
In the passing game, Gordon is an impressive pass protector. His frame, physicality, and willingness to attack rushers give him a firm punch and ample room to set the pocket for his quarterback. He is not a dynamic or creative player in the receiving game but shows competent hands, and there’s little reason to believe he could not be a sufficient option on all three downs, particularly when considering what he brings as a blocker.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Gordon is ideally a gap-scheme-heavy runner who can rely on his offensive line to create displacement in the run game.
He is routinely at his best when carrying momentum through shallow cuts behind the line of scrimmage, so having trust in his blockers is essential to getting the best version of him on Sundays. He can be a volume ball carrier but should be complemented by more dynamic players in his running back room.
Grade: 72.00/100.00, Fourth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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