Jonathan Stewart RB 5'10 235 Oregon Jr. 4.48

Stewart was one of the elite recruits in the country when he chose Oregon, but he had to wait a year to make a real impact in the offense. As a sophomore last season, he ran for 981 yards and ten touchdowns, while adding 144 yards on 20 catches and a touchdown. Stewart finally put up the standout numbers everyone expected this season, as he became the feature back with Jeremiah Johnson going down with a knee injury. He ran for 1,469 yards and ten touchdowns, adding 116 yards and a TD on 20 receptions.

Stewart is the complete package at running back. He has excellent size, and is very difficult to bring down. He is built thick, low to the ground, and has the strength to break arm tackles, and push the pile at the end of runs. He is not just a back that can break tackles though. He has the speed and cutback ability to make the first defender miss and break off big runs consistently. Once he is in the open field, Stewart can run away from most defensive backs. He also has developed into a solid receiver, and has experience returning kicks for the Ducks.

It is hard to find a knock in Stewart’s game. He has the size, speed, athleticism, and all around skills to be a star in the NFL. One knock on him was that he had not proven to be a workhorse, but he was a star this season in the backfield. He did get dinged up a bit near the end of the season.

Stewart is a legitimate star, and has the potential to become a Top 10 pick. He has fantastic size and power, but the speed to turn the corner. He had surgery on a toe injury that could keep him sideline for four months but he should be ready to go come training camp. The injury should not hinder his stock too much, and he should hear his name called in the first round at some point.