South Dakota State running back Pierre Strong Jr. poised to be first Jackrabbit drafted since 2019

BROOKINGS, S.D. — With the NFL Draft set to happen April 28-30 in Las Vegas, South Dakota State working again Pierre Sturdy Jr. has hopes of changing into the primary Jackrabbit to listen to their identify known as since 2019 and simply the third since 2010.

Throughout his 4 seasons in Brookings, the Little Rock, Arkansas, native developed into the newest gem in a proud lineage of SDSU rushers. Alongside the way in which, he established himself not solely as one of many prime ball carriers within the Soccer Championship Subdivision, however the whole school soccer panorama.

Within the fall 2021 season, the 5-foot-11, 207-pound Sturdy turned 240 carries into an FCS-best 1,686 yards, discovering the endzone 18 instances. For his profession, the two-time AP All-American rolled to 4,527 dashing yards and accounted for 49 touchdowns (40 dashing, six passing and three receiving).

All that manufacturing is anticipated to culminate in Las Vegas, with Sturdy, who ran a 4.37-second 40-yard sprint on the NFL Mix in early March, garnering curiosity from draft specialists and groups alike.

In an look on NFL cornerback Richard Sherman’s podcast, USA Right now NFL editor Doug Farrar gave Sturdy a praise with a comparability to LeSean McCoy. McCoy was a six-time Professional Bowler who amassed 15,000 profession yards from scrimmage between 2009 and 2020, most notably for the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Payments.

So perhaps a extra apt comparability at this stage is one supplied by Bleacher Report, which affords 2021 rookie Elijah Mitchell — almost a 1,000-yard rusher for the San Francisco 49ers final season in simply 11 video games — as a peer to Sturdy, who the outlet tasks as a fourth-round decide. Professional Soccer Focus additionally charges Sturdy as a fourth-rounder, inserting him one hundred and thirty fifth on the service’s draft board.

Even nonetheless, maybe Sturdy’s most glowing overview among the many prime draft gurus comes from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. In an April 18 column, Kiper recognized his “favourite prospects” at each place, which recognized gamers the longtime analyst “likes greater than most.”

Kiper picked out Sturdy among the many working backs, lauding him for an early-season efficiency towards Colorado State (13 carries, 138 yards and two touchdowns) that helped begin Sturdy’s rise via the ranks as an “under-the-radar” prospect.

Wrote Kiper: “Sturdy is basically good at most every little thing. He has nice steadiness via the opening, can maintain his personal in move safety and was sturdy for the Jackrabbits.”

As for Kiper’s projection, it falls consistent with different specialists and providers.

“Sturdy goes to be drafted late on Day 2 (rounds 2-3) or early on Day 3 (rounds 4-7), and I actually suppose he could possibly be a steal,” Kiper wrote. “He has an opportunity to be a starter within the NFL in the correct state of affairs and given slightly time to regulate.”

Cornerback Jordan Brown was the final SDSU participant to be drafted, making stops with the Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Soccer Staff and Jacksonville Jaguars after being chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals within the seventh spherical, 223rd general. He’s at the moment a free agent.

However the 12 months earlier than Brown, tight finish and Britton, South Dakota, native Dallas Goedert was picked within the second spherical, forty ninth general, by the then-defending champion Philadephia Eagles.

Goedert has since established himself as one of many NFL’s greatest tight ends placing up a career-high 830 yards receiving and 4 scores on 56 catches in 2021. The 27-year-old’s efforts earned a four-year, $57 million contract extension in November 2021, which makes Goedert the third-highest paid at his place when it comes to annual worth ($14.25 million), solely behind perennial all-pro abilities George Kittle and Travis Kelce.

The primary spherical of the 2022 NFL Draft will get underway at 7 p.m. Thursday, with the second and third rounds beginning at 6 p.m. Friday and the fourth via seventh rounds starting at 11 a.m. Saturday. Dwell tv protection of the whole draft will be discovered on ESPN.