Denver Broncos: 10 players to avoid in the 2021 NFL Draft

5. Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State

The Denver Broncos will almost certainly be using at least one of their picks in the 2021 NFL Draft on the running back position.

When that happens remains a mystery.

At some point, they will likely be faced with the opportunity to draft Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard, and there are a variety of reasons he would be a fun selection.

In 2019, Hubbard ran for over 2,000 yards at Oklahoma State. To go along with that impressive 2,000 yard total, Hubbard had 21 rushing touchdowns and averaged 6.4 yards per carry.

However, coming off of a down year in 2020, Hubbard has been put under the microscope, and there are some glaring concerns.

For starters, he missed the final chunk of the 2020 season due to a high ankle sprain and his explosive plays all year were way down compared to the year prior.

Over the course of his time at Oklahoma State, Hubbard had 11 fumbles. While the ball protection of Phillip Lindsay is certainly abnormal (Lindsay’s next fumble will be his first in the NFL, and first since his early days at Colorado), 11 fumbles on roughly 630 touches is a bit of an uncomfortable number.

Hubbard is also not as dynamic as some other players in the 2021 NFL Draft class as a receiver, and he’s not effective as a pass protector.

With his long speed, Hubbard excels at breaking away from defenders but he’s most effective in a straight line and doesn’t break a lot of tackles.

Overall, Hubbard may just not be a great fit for what the Denver Broncos are looking for given his lack of ability as a receiver and pass protector and fumble issues.