Chuba Hubbard Picked in Fourth Round by Carolina

STILLWATER – Chuba Hubbard was a little bit of a wildcard heading into day three of the 2021 NFL Draft but he came off the board fairly early with the 126^th selection in the fourth round by the Carolina Panthers where he will play for a coach that once watched him go for 171-yards and two touchdowns against the team he was coaching then in the Baylor Bears. Hubbard will play for former Baylor head coach and now the Panthers head coach in Matt Rhule. Interesting selection in Rhule knows Hubbard well as an opposing coach and has to be considered a compliment.

The Panthers website said after the pick that the team was looking for a solid back-up to Christian McCaffrey after Mike Davis left this spring in free agency. It looks like the way is paved for Hubbard to have a solid opportunity for that role.

Carolina Panthers

Matt Rhule in the Carolina Panthers draft room.

“You know I couldn’t sit there all those years at Baylor and run wild on me and not take you.” Rhule told Hubbard over the phone after he drafted him.

“Thank you for the opportunity,” replied Hubbard.

Hubbard was in Orange County, Calf. to watch the draft with his agent as his family couldn’t make it from Canada.

Hubbard is by far the most honored of the Cowboys 2021 NFL draftees as he was a unanimous All-American after his 2019 season and a finalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award. Hubbard was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. He finished that season with 2,094-yards rushing and 21 touchdowns. He averaged 6.4-yards per carry and had a monster number of 15 explosive runs over 30-yards, including a 90-yard touchdown.

“I feel like I have a different running style. I feel  like I’m a playmaker and I can score from anywhere on the field,” Hubbard told the Carolina media in also discussing his dropoff in production his final season at OSU. “I had a lot of surgeries and I was bouncing back and I know this year will be my best year yet.” 

He came back to school even though he could have opted for the NFL and between injuries and other issues he finished with a hard trying 625-yards and five touchdowns. His average per carry was 4.7-yards.

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Hubbard at Kansas his senior season.

Hubbard leaves Oklahoma State as a very popular player that also involved himself in many off the field projects. Hubbard blamed injuries and some distractions for his reduced production as a senior. He was still named second-team All-Big 12 by the league’s coaches primarily out of respect.

The Canadian native saw his recruiting blow up coming out of Sherwood Park, a suburb of Edmonton. He was the fourth rated sprinter in the junior ranks in Canada in track, but on the football field had 6,880-yards and 82 touchdowns in his prep career including a feat only a Canadian running back could enjoy with a 105-yard touchdown run from scrimmage. He red-shirted his first year at Oklahoma State before emerging in his first season to play.

Oklahoma State Athletics

Hubbard running his 40 on Pro Day.

After starter Justice Hill (Baltimore Ravens) went down with an injury in Bedlam at Oklahoma, Hubbard rushed for 104-yards and three touchdowns the final three quarters. He would go on to finish that season with 740-yards and seven touchdowns to set the stage for his 2019 campaign.

At his Pro Day, Hubbard ran a 4.5 in the forty, had a vertical of 36-inches, and did the bench press rep test 20 times. He is a combination of speed, agility, and strength with excellent vision. At his best, Hubbard is a combination of everything you want in a running back. The question will be his dedication to maxing out those talents in the NFL.