Latest / Scouting the League / 2027 Draft Scouting - Ahmad Hardy - RB Missouri
Transcript
- Rodrik David: It's Tuesday, June 23rd. Welcome to Scouting the League and our Tuesday draft scouting series for 2027. Today we look at another underclassman running back who has been great in his first two years in college football. But is a third great year gonna be enough for him to declare? We will find out. Ahmad Hardy, running back from Missouri, is the subject at hand today. But before we jump in on Ahmad, Make sure you head over, like, subscribe, and share wherever you are listening, and hopefully watching the video portion of these draft profiles. That will certainly help shed some light on why I slot players where I do, so that YouTube is the spot to get it. Give me a follow over there. Scouting the League is where you can find us. Give me a follow on Twitter as well, at right stepadv. That is where all my stuff is at. Head over to my website, rsafootball.com, for all that you need to know and to reach out and find me. If you're an aspiring scout, make sure you head over to thescoutingcommunity.com for resources, information. Let's get together and talk about your scouting journey. And if you're a current NFL Scout, make sure you go check out the resources we have where we are actively pushing every NFL franchise to do better with evaluation and development, not of just the players on the field, but the scouts, the men behind the scenes that are doing and making the rosters ⁓ right and getting everything put together so the scouting community.com is the spot for both of you if you're a scout or an aspiring scout and while you're there make sure you check out our partners over at blue maca.com code scouting20 at checkout will let them know we sent you as well as give you a little discount on that order the insole so we'll upgrade every pair of shoes you have non-slip maybe that ⁓ turf toe whether it's art support whatever it is get those insoles stick them in your shoes you will not regret it blue maca dot com code scouting20. Yesterday we talked supplemental NFL draft and Brendan Soresby. Some highlights from Brendan on there. Let me know where you think he goes. I left my opinion out there. We'll see where it all plays out. We'll talk about factors of what team is going to draft him. Yeah, go back and listen to that one. Of course when you get done with today's, but today We are talking about a 5'10, 210 running back out of Missouri. Ahmad, a freshman All-American at Louisiana Monroe in 2024. Nearly six yards a carry there over 12 games, led him to the portal where he went up the road to Columbia for the Tigers in 2025. Ahmad played 452 offensive snaps, too, had 256 carries, certainly a workhorse number, 6.4 yards per carry with 16 total touchdowns. A big question as we get into the film on a mod, which let's go ahead and get that rolling is going to be the pass game. Yes, for a mod, that pass game will have to get better. Just six receptions total this last year, limited snaps, pass blocking. So those are gonna be the questions. Those are gonna be big things scouts are talking about, thinking about as they think about his NFL future. But with running backs, we always talk about our major factors for the position vision. Inside run, outside run, elusiveness, pass catching, pass blocking, and ball security. Again, for a mod, we've got a running back who certainly right now is a starting level first and second down running back. Again, I think he's got sufficient levels of vision, ⁓ good in the gap scheme. He really likes the cutback, really needs to stay patient and press the hole on the outside. Some of his outside zone reps, he really wants to cut it back. It leads to some explosives. But I certainly think C leaves some yards on the field at time pressing front side really likes to kick it backside. But again, has the vision to do it, has the vision to bring it from front side to backside. Again, so we talk about that vision. I think it's sufficient right now. I think it can be good. I think patience may be part of that vision. Hey, just trust what you see and press it front side a little bit longer. When you start talking about inside run, outside run, I think this guy can do both. I think he's got good levels. I think he's got. Good level speed as far as working it outside. He's got good power, really good elusiveness on the out inside, which is where that elusiveness and the inside run kind of comes together. This guy's not a big back at 210 pounds. He's gonna kind of fall in that, you know, good size, not special size, not undersized, just good size. But again, for his size, when he runs inside, he's got a very good stop start and he is very. Slippery and he is hard to square up. You rarely see a guy make a big hit on him. You see him breaking tackles. Guys just kind of seem off balance when they come to the point of attack on him. Again, that kind of goes to he knows how to avoid angles, avoid tackles. He knows how to break through, slip things. Again, not a real clean, fluid runner. Again, can be a little bit herky-jerky, but part of that's by design. Part of that is what makes his game good. Again, he's got the speed, he's got good burst to get to. Full speed. So again, from an elusiveness standpoint, he certainly is at a good level. He finishes, he sets up defenders, he knows how to do that. As we get into pass game stuff, man, big question marks on both these, but you'd have to put him at average right now. Again, just six catches. His pass blocking certainly leaves something to be desired. Doesn't back down. Again, his vision, his patience, his instinct. Certainly he needs a chance to do it. Again, Missouri rolled through a couple different running backs last year. He was not. primary pass game guy. And again, it's going to be a question that scouts may not be able to answer even after the 2026 season, which we've certainly seen with running backs in years past. Lump limited, limited run game. Again, what can they ultimately do? We won't know. But again, he has to show in the limited chances he gets, he needs to show good hands. He needs to show a good feel for running routes. He needs to show a good ability to be patient in the screen game. And then for protection, again, I want to see this guy step up and stick somebody in the hole. There were some times he had a chance to protect and he kind of absorbed some blows. Yeah, he got in the way. He did just enough to protect the quarterback. But I want to see this guy be an aggressive, stick my face right in it, pass blocker that is going to give himself a chance to get on the field in third down. And then ball security, this guy does have a good ⁓ way he carries it, carries it tied. I believe it was just three fumbles this last year, more than you want. But again, I think this is a guy who protects the ball well, who's going to run behind his pads and is not going to be consistently putting the rock in ⁓ in jeopardy. So overall, this is a good running back. Again, I think there is upside. I think there's more to this guy. Again, high carry ratio. Again, that is why I think this guy could end up being a 2027 draft player as running backs. They want to come out early. They want to go get in the NFL why they can. While they are still as fresh as possible. Again, the Derrick Henries of the world who keep on rocking year in, year out, are more of a rarity than the norm. So again, I think this guy could end up in 2027 class. If not, again, hopefully Missouri's got some NIL money lined up for him. Ultimately, I think this guy comes out, he's a fifth-round pick. And he reminds me a lot of a fifth-round pick I was with in Atlanta, Brian Hill out of Wyoming. Brian, who We thought he was a 220 guy. He weighed in at one point at 220, ended up being about a 210, 215 pound back. Pass game was a major limitation, but he was a good stop start guy, ran really hard, high motor, high efficiency, outside zone runner that r had a similar style here to a mod. And again, I think this is the type of guy that makes a roster, is a good special teams player, plays on first and second down and increases his role as he continues to grow. Still a young player, I believe just about 21 years. Old right now. So again, this is an NFL back that's going to have a good bright future out there, but again, is going to have to continue to take the steps. He's going to have to continue to be productive. As NFL scouts start looking at the profile, you always think about that six yards per carry average when it comes to these players. ⁓ so again, as we pull up our beautiful ⁓ stack board here. As we ⁓ as we pull up the stack board, where are we gonna put him again? I'm gonna go ahead and go to his profile, put some notes in there, hop in here. This is going to be a fifth round quality depth role player. He's gonna drop into our board here. We're going to put him there as our top running back that we have graded as we go through. We're gonna look at Mark Fletcher at Miami at some point. So again, beautiful board here. Brought to you by Kyle Morgan. Reach out to me if you want to get in touch with Kyle. Again, beautiful board here that we are continuing to do some work on. But again, fifth round pick for Ahmad Party. That's where I think he is. I think that's where he goes again if he comes out in this year. But again, want to see more. Want to see this player shoot up the boards because there is some fun snaps for him. ⁓ again. the ⁓ a guy that I think highly of. So I think it's up to the fourth round, fifth round. We're gonna put that fifth round grade on him for now and see where it ends up. But again, not always what I think. What do you think? What are his strengths, weaknesses, what do you think about Ahmad Hardy? Where do you think he goes? Let me know over at right step A D V. That is a spot for it. Anything you want boards, players, let me know. You can let me know on Twitter right there as well. Drop him in the comments. Hit me the DMs, whatever you need as we continue our twenty twenty seven draft scouting series. You know I'm going to keep scouting.