Just before the NFL Draft in many years, reports will come out about such and such talented player slipping due to medical concerns. Sometimes the reports are likely true, and sometimes they might be circulated by unscrupulous agents or teams in order to get their guy drafted higher (or the slipping player available later). There's one out about Georgia running back Sony Michel.
Michael Lombardi of The Ringer reported this one in a podcast yesterday. "His medical grade is a little iffy," he said. No word on what the supposed medical issue is. Michel played all season and averaged 7.0 yards per carry in Georgia's national championship game loss to Alabama, so it doesn't appear to be an in-season thing.
Michel is arguably the 2nd-most talented back in the draft class behind Saquon Barkley; either him or Louisiana State's Derrius Guice. Those are the backs whose names are most likely to be called in the first round -- unless there is some concern with Michel's health. We'll see.
If he's OK, there's a lot to be excited about with Michel. In a tandem with another of the draft's top running backs, Nick Chubb, Michel had a lot of big games last year, including rushing for 181 yards in the semifinal game against Oklahoma. That was one of three games where he had at least 137 rushing yards, despite limited carries: he averaged just 11 attempts per game.
But with those attempts, he averaged 7.9 yards per carry. That's the 3rd-best number of any running back drafted in the first three rounds over the past decade. (Table includes this year's top running back prospects.)
| RUNNING BACKS FINAL YEAR OF COLLEGE, 2008-PRESENT (RDS 1-3) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Rd | Pk | Player | School | YPC | Att | Yds | TD |
| 2008 | 1 | 22 | Felix Jones | Arkansas | 8.7 | 133 | 1162 | 11 |
| 2011 | 3 | 96 | Alex Green | Hawaii | 8.2 | 146 | 1199 | 19 |
| 2018 | ? | ? | Sony Michel | Georgia | 7.9 | 156 | 1227 | 17 |
| 2014 | 3 | 97 | Dri Archer | Kent State | 7.8 | 68 | 527 | 11 |
| 2015 | 1 | 15 | Melvin Gordon | Wisconsin | 7.5 | 343 | 2587 | 32 |
| 2015 | 3 | 73 | Tevin Coleman | Indiana | 7.5 | 270 | 2036 | 15 |
| 2015 | 1 | 10 | Todd Gurley | Georgia | 7.4 | 123 | 911 | 9 |
| 2014 | 2 | 57 | Carlos Hyde | Ohio State | 7.3 | 208 | 1521 | 18 |
| 2012 | 2 | 61 | LaMichael James | Oregon | 7.3 | 247 | 1805 | 19 |
| 2014 | 2 | 55 | Jeremy Hill | Louisiana State | 6.9 | 203 | 1401 | 16 |
| 2015 | 3 | 77 | Duke Johnson | Miami | 6.8 | 242 | 1652 | 13 |
| 2017 | 2 | 48 | Joe Mixon | Oklahoma | 6.8 | 187 | 1274 | 16 |
| 2013 | 2 | 37 | Giovani Bernard | North Carolina | 6.7 | 184 | 1228 | 17 |
| 2016 | 3 | 90 | C.J. Prosise | Notre Dame | 6.6 | 157 | 1029 | 12 |
| 2010 | 1 | 12 | Ryan Mathews | Fresno State | 6.6 | 276 | 1808 | 19 |
| 2017 | 1 | 4 | Leonard Fournette | Louisiana State | 6.5 | 129 | 843 | 8 |
| 2014 | 3 | 96 | Jerick McKinnon | Georgia Southern | 6.5 | 161 | 1050 | 12 |
| 2013 | 2 | 61 | Eddie Lacy | Alabama | 6.5 | 204 | 1322 | 19 |
| 2008 | 1 | 23 | Rashard Mendenhall | Illinois | 6.4 | 262 | 1681 | 19 |
| 2017 | 1 | 8 | Christian McCaffrey | Stanford | 6.3 | 253 | 1603 | 16 |
| 2016 | 1 | 4 | Ezekiel Elliott | Ohio State | 6.3 | 289 | 1821 | 23 |
| 2017 | 3 | 89 | D'Onta Foreman | Texas | 6.3 | 323 | 2028 | 15 |
| 2008 | 3 | 73 | Jamaal Charles | Texas | 6.3 | 258 | 1619 | 18 |
| 2008 | 1 | 13 | Jonathan Stewart | Oregon | 6.2 | 280 | 1722 | 13 |
| 2010 | 1 | 30 | Jahvid Best | California | 6.1 | 141 | 867 | 16 |
| 2017 | 2 | 41 | Dalvin Cook | Florida State | 6.1 | 288 | 1765 | 20 |
| 2015 | 2 | 54 | Ameer Abdullah | Nebraska | 6.1 | 264 | 1611 | 22 |
| 2014 | 3 | 94 | Terrance West | Towson | 6.1 | 413 | 2519 | 42 |
| 2011 | 2 | 57 | Mikel Leshoure | Illinois | 6.0 | 281 | 1697 | 20 |
| 2008 | 1 | 24 | Chris Johnson | East Carolina | 6.0 | 236 | 1423 | 23 |
| 2009 | 3 | 65 | Shonn Greene | Iowa | 6.0 | 307 | 1850 | 20 |
| 2009 | 3 | 74 | Glen Coffee | Alabama | 5.9 | 233 | 1383 | 11 |
| 2012 | 1 | 3 | Trent Richardson | Alabama | 5.9 | 283 | 1679 | 24 |
| 2012 | 1 | 32 | David Wilson | Virginia Tech | 5.9 | 290 | 1709 | 10 |
| 2008 | 2 | 44 | Matt Forte | Tulane | 5.9 | 361 | 2127 | 23 |
| 2018 | ? | ? | Saquon Barkley | Penn State | 5.9 | 217 | 1271 | 21 |
| 2017 | 3 | 67 | Alvin Kamara | Tennessee | 5.8 | 103 | 596 | 13 |
| 2009 | 1 | 31 | Beanie Wells | Ohio State | 5.8 | 207 | 1197 | 8 |
| 2014 | 3 | 75 | Tre Mason | Auburn | 5.7 | 317 | 1816 | 24 |
| 2014 | 2 | 54 | Bishop Sankey | Washington | 5.7 | 327 | 1870 | 21 |
| 2008 | 3 | 64 | Kevin Smith | Central Florida | 5.7 | 450 | 2567 | 30 |
| 2009 | 1 | 27 | Donald Brown | Connecticut | 5.7 | 367 | 2083 | 18 |
| 2008 | 1 | 4 | Darren McFadden | Arkansas | 5.6 | 325 | 1830 | 17 |
| 2017 | 3 | 86 | Kareem Hunt | Toledo | 5.6 | 262 | 1475 | 11 |
| 2016 | 2 | 45 | Derrick Henry | Alabama | 5.6 | 395 | 2219 | 28 |
| 2010 | 1 | 9 | C.J. Spiller | Clemson | 5.6 | 216 | 1212 | 16 |
| 2009 | 1 | 12 | Knowshon Moreno | Georgia | 5.6 | 250 | 1400 | 18 |
| 2011 | 1 | 28 | Mark Ingram | Alabama | 5.5 | 158 | 875 | 14 |
| 2012 | 3 | 67 | Ronnie Hillman | San Diego State | 5.5 | 311 | 1711 | 20 |
| 2010 | 2 | 51 | Toby Gerhart | Stanford | 5.5 | 343 | 1871 | 28 |
| 2012 | 3 | 84 | Bernard Pierce | Temple | 5.4 | 273 | 1481 | 27 |
| 2015 | 3 | 86 | David Johnson | Northern Iowa | 5.4 | 287 | 1553 | 19 |
| 2011 | 2 | 62 | Daniel Thomas | Kansas State | 5.3 | 298 | 1585 | 19 |
| 2012 | 2 | 50 | Isaiah Pead | Cincinnati | 5.3 | 237 | 1259 | 15 |
| 2016 | 3 | 73 | Kenyan Drake | Alabama | 5.3 | 77 | 408 | 2 |
| 2008 | 2 | 55 | Ray Rice | Rutgers | 5.3 | 380 | 2012 | 25 |
| 2018 | ? | ? | Derrius Guice | Louisiana State | 5.3 | 237 | 1251 | 13 |
| 2014 | 3 | 69 | Charles Sims | West Virginia | 5.3 | 208 | 1095 | 14 |
| 2010 | 2 | 58 | Ben Tate | Auburn | 5.2 | 263 | 1362 | 10 |
| 2013 | 2 | 58 | Montee Ball | Wisconsin | 5.1 | 356 | 1830 | 22 |
| 2017 | 3 | 105 | James Conner | Pittsburgh | 5.1 | 216 | 1092 | 20 |
| 2011 | 2 | 56 | Shane Vereen | California | 5.1 | 231 | 1167 | 16 |
| 2015 | 2 | 36 | T.J. Yeldon | Alabama | 5.0 | 194 | 979 | 12 |
| 2008 | 3 | 89 | Steve Slaton | West Virginia | 5.0 | 211 | 1051 | 18 |
| 2012 | 1 | 31 | Doug Martin | Boise State | 4.9 | 263 | 1299 | 18 |
| 2015 | 3 | 95 | Matt Jones | Florida | 4.9 | 166 | 817 | 7 |
| 2008 | 3 | 69 | Jacob Hester | Louisiana State | 4.9 | 225 | 1103 | 13 |
| 2009 | 2 | 53 | LeSean McCoy | Pittsburgh | 4.8 | 308 | 1488 | 21 |
| 2010 | 2 | 59 | Montario Hardesty | Tennessee | 4.8 | 282 | 1345 | 14 |
| 2013 | 2 | 62 | Christine Michael | Texas A&M | 4.7 | 88 | 417 | 12 |
| 2013 | 2 | 48 | LeVeon Bell | Michigan State | 4.7 | 382 | 1793 | 13 |
| 2011 | 3 | 73 | Stevan Ridley | Louisiana State | 4.6 | 249 | 1147 | 15 |
| 2011 | 2 | 38 | Ryan Williams | Virginia Tech | 4.3 | 110 | 477 | 10 |
| 2011 | 3 | 71 | DeMarco Murray | Oklahoma | 4.3 | 282 | 1214 | 20 |
| 2013 | 3 | 96 | Knile Davis | Arkansas | 3.4 | 112 | 377 | 3 |
Yards per carry isn't everything; sometimes it has a lot to do with the team around him. Couple of guys at the bottom of the above list (LeVeon Bell, DeMarco Murray) went on to have nice careers. The guys better than Michel in that regard (Felix Jones, Alex Green) were either disappointments, or in Green's case you might not even remember him.
So we'll see if Michel's name gets called either Thursday or Friday. On talent alone, it should be. If it isn't, we should soon find out what the supposed medical issue was.
--Andy Richardson