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Wisconsin vs. Minnesota: 5 2020 NFL Draft prospects to watch

By Seth Steere

MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 24: Members of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrate with fans after beating Wisconsin Badgers 37-15 at Camp Randall Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 24: Members of the Minnesota Golden Gophers celebrate with fans after beating Wisconsin Badgers 37-15 at Camp Randall Stadium on November 24, 2018 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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PISCATAWAY, NJ – OCTOBER 19: 2020 NFL Draft prospectRodney Smith #1 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers rushes for yards against Tyshon Fogg #8 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the third quarter at SHI Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Minnesota defeated Rutgers 42-7. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ – OCTOBER 19: 2020 NFL Draft prospectRodney Smith #1 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers rushes for yards against Tyshon Fogg #8 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the third quarter at SHI Stadium on October 19, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey. Minnesota defeated Rutgers 42-7. (Photo by Corey Perrine/Getty Images) /

College Gameday will be in Minnesota for the match-up with Wisconsin. The battle for the axe got even more interesting; 2020 NFL Draft prospects aplenty!

Coming off a win in last year’s battle for Paul Bunyan’s axe, the Minnesota Golden Gophers look to continue the trend to keep their BIG-10 championship hopes alive. Here we’ll take a look at some of the prospects who will not only have a large impact on the outcome of the game but potential 2020 NFL Draft prospects as well.

Rodney Smith. Pick Analysis. 1. 852. Scouting Report. RB. 1. player

The 2020 running back class is absolutely loaded and because of it, there are several backs who are flying under the radar, but Rodney Smith may be the most underrated of them all. Currently, a redshirt senior, Smith has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, injuries ranging from a torn ACL to concussions have kept him sidelined more than he’d probably like

Smith started the year as more of a feature back that would come in on 3rd downs because of his pass-catching — at times he’ll even drop down into the slot position. At the beginning of the year, alike Minnesota, Smith had some issues getting back into the groove, but it didn’t take long for him to get acclimated.

In the first 3 games of the season, Smith averaged 4.1 yards per carry. In the games following, Smith has become more comfortable and started to settle in; in the latter part of the season, Smith is up to 5.6 yards per carry and has amassed over 1,000 yards on the ground for the first time in his career, surpassing that mark in Minnesota’ last game against Northwestern. Due to his injury history, Smith is likely to fall in the draft, but if he can stay healthy throughout his career, he could be a great value pick.

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