It’s an yearly mission to scour the nation for potential players who can bring to the table the kind of major play that College Football is looking for. Although such players are sparse when looking at the overall college football scene, we still have an eminent amount of athletes who can shake the house down at any given time.
Excluding all quarterbacks, here is a compilation of qualified running backs and receivers that have power and are the most promising.
KD Cannon, showed the capacity to make a major play routinely in a Baylor quick paced, frantic offense. As a school senior, he ran 10.32 seconds in the 100 meter dash. Is rookie season was simply spectacular catching 58 passes for 1,030 yards. This young Texas native collected 67, 74, 81 and 89 yards just last year not to mention is massive value as a kick returner and with the inclination that Baylor has to throwing the ball we are sure looking at an other tremendous year for Cannon.
Nick Chubb, just a year ago this freshman was an absolute rarity at best. This phenomenon ran a 7.1 yards per carry average, he consecutively listed big runs with totals of 47, 55, 65 and 83 yards and on the overall season he ran 1,547 yards yet, at only 5’10”, he doesn’t resemble your typical back but this ball of muscle can show you a thing or two, just let his play do the talking.
Pharoh Cooper, a genuine threat at any position on the field, leading the Gamecocks season with 69 receptions for 1,136 yards and 9 touchdowns. He has an uncanny capacity of discovering wrinkles and utilizing pockets of space for big gain. Just las year, Cooper had receptions of 51, 73, 78 and 85 yards.
Now that Cooper is a junior, is accepting the role of premier pass catcher.
Josh Doctson, emerging as an elite competitor, his ball abilities are unprecedented, at 6’3″ he snatches the ball in the air with such ease, there is no limit to how high he can fly. Also a great receiver yet he has incredible speed in the open field, we can compare his strut to that of a horse galloping is way out of defense. Combining his ability to catch the jump ball and the ability to separate from coverage it makes him an exceptional prospect.
Ezekiel Elliot, no list would be complete without this top competitor heading right into this year’s season. Elliot is a walking risk to score a touchdown each time he touches the football, not only subtle and dynamic, his solid lower half empowers him to break tackles and get into the second level regularly. In the national elimination round versus Alabama, we witnessed his huge play capacity rumbling 85 yards for a touchdown and with seven yards per carry last year, he gathered 1,878 yards on the ground.
Rashard Higgins, is the unspoken best receiver. Just last year he led the nation in receiving yards, 1,750, and 17 touchdowns last season. At 6’2″, he exceeds expectations against smaller corners. This athlete is sly and speedy enough to gain separation making down field plays. His last year average is of 18.2 yards-per-carry on his 96 receptions. He’s looking right at national post season honors and awards.
Artavis Scott is as hazardous as any player on this list, he was extraordinary as a freshman first year recruit a year ago, finishing with 965 receiving yards and eight touchdown reception. Quite a bit of Scott’s viability originated from his adaptability. He was lined up at numerous spots inside offense. His capacity to score in such a multitude of ways makes him exceptional. Not just would he be able to catch deep passes down but he’s also an adept at taking a five-yard pass and transforming it into a colossal play with his slipperiness in the open field.
Sterling Shepard, one of the top receivers in the country is returning this year. He was tormented by the injury bug a year ago, but be aware, when healthy this athlete is a nuisance. Last year he averaged 19 yards per reception and 862 of his 970 receiving yards happened in just 6 games, and let’s not forget a 215 yard effort versus TCU accompanied by a 197 occurrence vs Kansas State.
Mike Williams is Clemson’s unchallenged profound threat’s choice with his 6’4″ edge to viably avoid defense not to mention his overall speed confirm by an 18.1 yards-per-catch average last year. His impressive way to make any difficult catch look easy is quite eye-catching.
Nick Wilson, a true revelation, as a genuine first year recruit, the Fresno native sprinted for 1,375 yards and 16 touchdowns making him consistent all throughout the season, quite a revelation for such a young athlete. He ran an 85 yards for a touchdown in his first college game and gained momentum with 75 and 72 throughout the season. He’s a dynamic player who rumbled for 218 yards versus a devoted Utah defense, and ran for 178 more the following week vs Arizona State.