In terms of their NFL draft stock, few players in recent college football history saw their value plummet over the course of one season like Oklahoma State running back Ollie Gordon II did in 2024.
Gordon, the Doak Walker Award winner as the nation’s top running back in 2023, hit a sort holy triumvirate parlay when it came to hurting his NFL future; an ugly off-the-field incident, plummeting stats and playing for a terrible team.
It’s a far cry from just 6 months ago, when every preseason mock draft for 2025 had Gordon going in the first round. Now, you can’t find a mock draft putting Gordon in the first round and, truth be told, he will be lucky if he’s a second day pick.
Bleacher Report’s Dame Parson predicts Gordon will go in the fourth round. That’s the type of value that makes him a perfect fit for a team like the Denver Broncos and saves them from having to use their first round pick on the position.
“Overall, Ollie Gordon III is a strong downhill runner,” Parson wrote. “When given running lanes, he is an effective runner. Gordon projects as a gap scheme offensive fit and backup running back. Under the right circumstances, Gordon offers a potential starter.”
Tracking Gordon’s Fall From First Round
Gordon, 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, was the nation’s elite running back in 2023 after he led the FBS in rushing yards (1,732) and total yards from scrimmage (2,062) while scoring 22 total touchdowns. Gordon not only won the Doak Walker Award but was also named a unanimous All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
Oklahoma State also finished 10-4, won the Texas Bowl and finished No. 16 in the final Associated Press Top 25 Poll. In 2024, the Cowboys brought back 20 out of 22 starters — most notably Gordon — and were ranked No. 17 in the AP preseason Top 25.
Gordon found himself in the wrong kind of spotlight on June 30 after he was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in Moore, Oklahoma, after a state trooper witnessed Gordon swerving while going 82 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone, smelled alcohol on Gordon and found open bottles of tequila and vodka in his vehicle.
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy chose not to suspend Gordon and the Cowboys had their worst season in 25 years, plummeting to 3-9 and an 0-9 record in Big 12 play.
Gordon, who just turned 21 years old on January 15, saw his numbers from 2023 essentially cut in half and finished with 880 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns and saw his yards per carry plummet from 6.1 yards per carry to 4.6 yards per carry.
Gordon declared himself eligible for the NFL draft on December 6.
Broncos in Desperate Need of Running Backs
If you’re looking for the weak link in the Broncos’ offense in 2024, it was at running back, where the Broncos used a rotation of middling talents and still managed to go 10-7 and make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season — and did so with a rookie quarterback at the helm in Bo Nix.
The Broncos have an opening at the starting running back spot, as leading rusher Javonte Williams (513 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns, 3.7 yards per carry), is now a free agent.
The Broncos haven’t had a player rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season since Phillip Lindsay in 2019.
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