Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard to enter 2021 NFL Draft

One of the top draft-eligible running backs will officially submit his name in the 2021 prospect pool. Oklahoma State’s Chuba Hubbard is declaring for the draft, to as Cowboys coach Mike Gundy announced on a pregame radio show, via Marshall Scott of Pistols Firing.

Hubbard missed Oklahoma State’s past two games due to an ankle injury and is not returning for its regular-season finale Saturday, opting to wrap his college career early and prepare for the draft.

A 2,000-yard rusher in 2019, Hubbard is expected to fall in near the top of next year’s running back class. Scouts Inc. slots the junior back third among draft-eligible runners — behind Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Alabama’s Najee Harris — despite a down third season in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

After finishing eighth in the 2019 Heisman Trophy voting, Hubbard rushed for just 625 yards and saw his yards-per-carry figure drop from 6.4 to 4.7. That said, the 6-foot ball-carrier still compiled four straight 100-plus-yard outings during this COVID-19-altered college football season. He figures to be a Day 2 prospect for running back-needy teams come April.