NFL Mock Draft 2018: Complete first round after Week 13
36. . RB. Stanford. Bryce Love. 24. player
Honestly, the range of potential landing spot for Bryce Love has been from 15th overall to mid-second round. The Stanford running back could be one of those guys who slips to late in the first or early second round because teams just don’t know if he’s capable of being effective at the pro level.
What do I mean by this? Love has put together a Heisman-caliber junior season with Stanford just one year after Christian McCaffrey dominated the Pac-12 for the Cardinal. He has 1,848 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2017, his first full season as the starter, averaging 8.6 yards per touch.
Those are incredible numbers for a guy who spent his first two years with Stanford as the backup and averaged over 7.0 yards per touch in limited action. However, the biggest knock on Love is his size. He stands just 5-foot-10 and weighs only 196 pounds. The NFL is not kind to smaller running backs, but he could break that mold.
Usually backs come out of college and succeed in the NFL with big bodies, but Love has the talent to break stereotypes and become a shifty runner with 5.0-plus yards per carry average ability. The Seahawks could use an elite back and Love is just that.