2021 NFL Draft: Gorman’s RB rankings led by Travis Etienne, Najee Harris

7. Kenneth Gainwell – Memphis

The Memphis Tigers have been a skill position factory and feeder program to the NFL in recent years. With standout prospects such as Antonio Gibson, Darrell Henderson, and Tony Pollard the past couple of seasons, the Tigers’ prospects are making waves in the NFL Draft process. The next in line is the talented 2020 opt-out Kenneth Gainwell.

Gainwell came into 2020 as a player with RB1 overall upside. However, he opted to skip the year and focus on his health. Gainwell’s production and tape certainly show an elite prospect in the 2021 NFL Draft. He has good size, vision, and pass-catching ability. In a class full of great receiving ability, Gainwell may be the cream of the crop. He should find his way onto an NFL roster by the start of the third day.

8. Rhamondre Stevenson – Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Sooners faced an extremely uncertain reality at the RB position in 2020. This after the opt-out of Kennedy Brooks and the transfer of Trey Sermon. Despite the loss of talent, the cupboard remained full of the ability of young players like Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson is a big back and effective downhill runner with surprising speed and burst for a runner over 240 pounds.

He has some long touchdown runs with the Sooners the past two seasons and maintained at least a 6.6 yards-per-carry average. He wasn’t asked to contribute in the passing game but isn’t completely inept in that aspect. With a decent Pro Day showing, I could see Stevenson rising up the boards quickly before this coming April.