Jordan Howard: His NFL Scouting Report and Potential

By Kyle Nishida | Apr 6, 2016

Nov 7, 2015; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers running back Jordan Howard (8) attempts to evade a tackle during the second half of the game at Memorial Stadium. The Hawkeyes defeated the Hoosiers 35-27. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /

Jordan Howard is an interesting prospect in this year’s NFL draft. He may not one of the elite running backs in this class, but he should definitely be a Day Two selection.

Howard started his college career at the University of Alabama-Birmingham where he accumulated over 2,300 rushing yard and 15 rushing touchdowns in two seasons with the Blazers. Howard then joined the Indiana University football team in 2015 after the UAB football program shut down. This move turned out to be a positive for him as Howard flourished in his one and only season with the Hoosiers.

Howard played critical role in the Hoosiers’ offensive success last season. In the nine games he played in, he ran for 1,213 yards and scored nine rushing touchdowns. His production at UAB and Indiana certainly proves he has the skills and awareness to be a serviceable running back in the NFL.

Howard has worked hard and has really showcased his skills this offseason. At the combine, he displayed his strength and explosiveness by earning 16 reps on the 225-pound bench press and achieving a 10’2” broad jump. With his numbers and his 6-0, 230-pound frame, Jordan Howard has all the physical tools a successful NFL running back needs.

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Unfortunately, Jordan Howard has seen his draft stock shift between third and fourth round grades. He should have a higher draft grade, but his injury concerns are preventing his draft stock from rising higher.

In college, Howard only missed four games and parts of three others because of knee and ankle injuries. However, recurring knee and ankle injuries are always red flags for NFL teams, especially at the running back position. Even worse, some scouts believe Howard’s big frame works against him because it opens him up to bigger hits, which could injure him.

Jordan Howard could combat this flaw by running with a lower pad level, but that is not his running style. He stands up high when he runs, which is why scouts have concerns about him. As mentioned before, his big stature makes him susceptible to bigger hits, but it also makes it harder for him to make sharp cuts while running.

While some are skeptical about Howard’s potential, other draft analysts have hopes for him. People like NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt wrote about how he thinks Howard is one of the most “underrated” offensive prospects of this 2016 draft class.

"“Howard was a transfer from UAB after the school temporarily gave up football. I love what he did against two really good defenses in back-to-back games last November, rushing for 174 yards vs. Iowa and 238 yards vs. Michigan, with a pair of touchdowns in each game. Howard was a very productive college back who should put up numbers in the NFL.”"

Obviously, one person’s opinion does not mean everyone views him the same way, but this quote illustrates that Jordan Howard possesses traits an NFL team may like.

Combing Howard’s positives and negatives, he should be drafted somewhere in the third round in the upcoming NFL draft. It is possible a team could reach for him late in the second round, but that seems rather unlikely due to most scouts’ injury concerns about him.

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A third round selection is not a bad spot to be taken in the draft. Last year, fellow Hoosier alum Tevin Coleman was drafted in the third round along with running backs Matt Jones, Duke Johnson and David Johnson. Jordan Howard could follow their lead and be a productive third round pick in 2016.

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