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Any love for Love?

Big college producer could be a factor

Derrius Guice was released recently, and so we spent some time here debating whether old man Adrian Peterson or rookie Antonio Gibson will be the key player in Washington's backfield. But there's yet another possibility (two if you want to count Peyton Barber) in second-year back Bryce Love.

Washington drafted Love in the fourth round a year ago. He'd have been selected earlier but for an ACL injury in college; that recovery and a second surgery ended up costing him all of his rookie season. Understandable that he's kind of a forgotten man in this backfield.

But Love is apparently healthy now, and somebody is talking him up to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Love is looking good in practices, feeling healthy and "could be a surprise there."

Not a ton there -- it's the kind of report we hear about a lot of young players. But with Gibson's ADP climbing up into the single-digit rounds and Peterson likely to be drafted not long after that as the favorite to start, Love will come very cheap; a last-round pick if he's drafted at all. It's not out of the question he'll be a factor here, possibly even the No. 2 (with Gibson, a college wide receiver, in more of a passing-down capacity).

Love, in contrast to Gibson, was a big producer in college. In his first three seasons at Stanford he averaged over 7.1 yards per carry, with a huge junior season: 2,118 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns. The injury shortened his final season, but it was still a college career that produced plenty of highlights. Including a couple of the top rushing performances of the last half decade.

Table shows the top 50 college rushing performances since 2015. Love shows up twice on the list. I count about a dozen other players who have gone on to be notable pros, including Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook, Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones, and several others who may. (Granted, Guice also shows up twice.)

TOP COLLEGE RUSHING GAMES, 2015-2019
YearPlayer School Opponent Att Yds Avg TD
2016D'Onta ForemanTexasTexas Tech3334110.33
2016Joe WilliamsUtahUCLA2933211.44
2017Justin CrawfordWest VirginiaOklahoma2433113.80
2017Khalil TateArizonaColorado1432723.44
2018Jonathan TaylorWisconsinPurdue333219.73
2018Eno BenjaminArizona StateOregon State3031210.43
2019Malcolm PerryNavyArmy2930410.52
2018Jordan CronkriteSouth FloridaMassachusetts2330213.13
2016Aaron JonesTexas-El PasoNorth Texas2430112.54
2017Bryce LoveStanfordArizona State2530112.03
2015Tyler ErvinSan Jose StateFresno State423007.13
2015Johnny JeffersonBaylorNorth Carolina2329913.03
2018Anthony McFarlandMarylandOhio State2129814.22
2019Jaret PattersonBuffaloBowling Green State2629811.56
2019Chuba HubbardOklahoma StateKansas State2529611.81
2017Khalil HerbertKansasWest Virginia362918.12
2016Brian HillWyomingNevada2928910.03
2018Joshua KelleyUCLASouthern California402897.22
2016Jamaal WilliamsBrigham YoungToledo302869.55
2016Derrius GuiceLouisiana StateTexas A&M372857.74
2019Lynn Bowden Jr.KentuckyLouisville2228412.94
2016Leonard FournetteLouisiana StateMississippi1628417.83
2016Christian McCaffreyStanfordCalifornia312849.23
2018J.J. TaylorArizonaOregon State2728410.52
2016Jordan JohnsonBuffaloAkron2428211.82
2017Malcolm PerryNavySouthern Methodist332828.54
2016Jarvion FranklinWestern MichiganAkron332818.51
2017Phillip LindsayColoradoArizona412816.93
2016Donnel PumphreySan Diego StateCalifornia292819.73
2017Derrius GuiceLouisiana StateMississippi2227612.51
2015Chris Warren IIITexasTexas Tech2527611.04
2015Ezekiel ElliottOhio StateIndiana2327411.93
2017AJ DillonBoston CollegeLouisville392727.04
2015Derrick HenryAlabamaAuburn462715.91
2016Dalvin CookFlorida StateSouth Florida282679.52
2015Dalvin CookFlorida StateSouth Florida302668.93
2017Ahmad BradshawArmyAir Force2326511.51
2016James GilbertBall StateBuffalo342647.82
2015Tyler ErvinSan Jose StateNew Mexico362637.31
2017Bryce LoveStanfordUCLA302638.81
2016Joe MixonOklahomaTexas Tech312638.52
2017D'Angelo BrewerTulsaLouisiana382626.93
2018Cole FaganAir ForceColorado State342607.61
2015Larry Rose IIINew Mexico StateNew Mexico2126012.43
2019Bryant KobackToledoEastern Michigan322598.12
2016Nick FitzgeraldMississippi StateMississippi1425818.42
2016Jalin MooreAppalachian StateAkron392576.62
2016Devin SingletaryFlorida AtlanticRice2425710.73
2019CJ VerdellOregonWashington State2325711.23
2016Jordan CanzeriIowaIllinois432566.01

I remain on the Adrian Peterson bandwagon, but there are worse last-round picks or dynasty pickups (if available; he was in one of my leagues until recently) than Love.

--Andy Richardson

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