DFF Draft Coverage: Chuba Hubbard to the Panthers

Chuba Hubbard | Oklahoma State   6’0” 210 lbs.   6/11/1999 (Age 21)

Chuba Hubbard was drafted with the 21st pick in the 4th round by the Carolina Panthers, becoming the 126th overall player in the 2021 NFL Draft.

College Production

Hubbard burst onto the scene in 2019 with an incredible rushing performance. Coming into the 2020 season he was in the conversation for top back in the class. A lackluster 2020 season and the decision to ultimately opt out the remainder of it, contributed to a significant drop in draft stock. During his time at Oklahoma State, Hubbard was primarily a runner only catching 53 balls his entire career (about 1.6/game). 

Hubbard is a straight line runner that doesn’t have much in terms of pass-catching ability. He’s a one cut and accelerates type of guy that thrived in a college system that was extremely wide open. He’s best at using angles and making quick cuts to get through traffic, a quality that has contributed to 1632 yards after contact since 2019.

Athletic Testing

Hubbard has decent size at 6’0” 210 lbs., but he is still a little smaller than you’d like to see from a prototypical workhorse. Chuba Hubbard ran a 4.5 on his pro day, however, some watches had him as quick as 4.36.

Hubbard profiles as an extremely average prospect. He is fast enough, strong enough, and quick enough. His burst and speed scores hover around the 50th percentile (65th, 49th). With measurements and attributes that don’t wow anybody, it’s going to come down to what he can do when given an opportunity. 

Draft Analysis

Hubbard was selected with the 126th overall pick by the Panthers. Day three draft capital isn’t ideal for RBs, but even worse for Hubbard is landing behind Christian McCaffrey. He should serve to spell the workhorse in a limited capacity, and, based on what Mike Davis achieved in 2020, he could be a high-level handcuff should CMC miss time. Barring Carolina inexplicably moving on from McCaffrey, high hopes for Hubbard seem out of reach.

Fantasy Insights

Chuba Hubbard profiles as more of a committee back because he seems to lack pass-catching ability. With this deficiency, his upside is capped a bit. If given the opportunity, he could jump into a 1st and 2nd down role and could be a consistent producer in a zone scheme. He has great patience, uses his blockers well, and has enough finishing speed to score long TDs.

Hubbard is in the RB4 conversation in rookie drafts. I’d typically look for someone with more pass-catching upside at that point in the draft. For that reason, he’s at the back of that tier for me behind Kenneth Gainwell, Trey Sermon, and Michael Carter. Workload will be the key factor to Hubbard’s success. If he gets enough volume, he could definitely be a worthy fantasy asset, but as most non-workhorse RBs, his longevity is probably limited. 

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