Donovan Edwards was a running back many expected to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft after splitting duties with Rams third-rounder Blake Corum in the Michigan backfield. A tour de force performance in the CFP Championship led many to believe Edwards would strike while the iron was hot.
Instead, the talented Edwards returns to Ann Arbor for one more season and presumptive feature back status, if such a thing still exists. Edwards offers enough all-around skills to pull it off and improve his draft stock for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Edwards is a big-framed runner at 6-foot-1 and 210 listed pounds who arrived at Michigan as a top national recruit even though he’s from nearby Detroit. He uses his height and bulk effectively between the tackles, dropping his shoulders and accelerating through contact impressively. Even though he’s a big target, linebackers and safeties rarely get big wallops on Edwards because of his subtle hip/shoulder flexibility and really nice anticipation and vision.
That vision was on full display in Michigan’s 2022 win over Ohio State. Edwards’ ability to set up a block and quickly react off how the defender and the pursuit responds to the block is very reminiscent of Kareem Hunt — who makes for a pretty solid NFL comparison for Edwards.
Like Hunt, balance through contact is probably Edwards’ best trait. But he’s also got very nice hands and is capable of doing more than just being a rudimentary outlet receiver. The ability to transition from receiver to runner looks good, though Edwards will sometimes have a pregnant pause after he catches that allows the defense to catch up.
Also like Hunt, the breakaway speed isn’t great even when he gets a long runway in the open field. Edwards does hit top speed quickly and can sustain it through traffic pretty well. He also understands that he’s not going to win with speed, an important subtlety that gets lost on a lot of RBs as they try to transition from college to the NFL.
It will be interesting to see what Edwards can do without Corum, and also inexperience at QB with J.J. McCarthy’s departure. He could be poised to be the focal point of Michigan’s offense, though that remains to be seen after the radical changes all over the offense as well as the head coach. A strong season could put Edwards in line for a Day 2 selection in 2025 after being generally regarded as a 4th/5th round prospect in 2024 before he opted to return to the Wolverines.