Ahmad Hardy RB Missouri |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #29 ROLE: Work-Horse Back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2027 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.59 seconds (40%*) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #29 | |
| ROLE: Work-Horse Back | |
| Last Updated: 08/03/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2027 | |
| Forty time: 4.59 seconds (40%*) | |
| Overall Rating: |
87.4 / 100
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|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
|
79% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Rushing: |
|
94% |
| Break Tackles: |
|
96% |
| Receiving/Hands: |
|
53% |
| Pass Blocking: |
|
73% |
| Run Blocking: |
|
50% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
1st - Mid
Overall Rank:
#19
Position rank:
#1 (RB)
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| College Games: 25 College Snaps: 897 | ||
247 RATING: 84/100
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| DeWayne McBride - UAB |
|
67% |
| Tyrone Tracy Jr. - Purdue |
|
65% |
| Jaylen Wright - Tennessee |
|
63% |
Draft Profile: Bio
Lightly recruited out of Lawrence County High in Monticello, Mississippi, Hardy wasn't a top-50 prospect in his home state and ended up at Louisiana-Monroe when the Power Five offers never came. A three-star recruit with a .840 composite grade from 247Sports, he carried the ball 237 times for 1,351 yards and 13 scores as a true freshman in 2024, the most rushing yardage among FBS freshmen. That season earned him Freshman All-America honors from the FWAA and On3, Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, and 93 missed tackles forced, third nationally.The transfer portal opened doors that recruiting never did. Missouri won out, and Hardy stepped into Eli Drinkwitz's backfield without missing a beat. His 2025 season at Mizzou rewrote the program record book. Hardy carried 257 times for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns, setting the single-season school rushing record while finishing second nationally in rushing yards and yards per game. He posted eight 100-yard efforts, capped by a 300-yard, three-touchdown outing against Mississippi State that ranked sixth all-time in SEC history. He added 250 yards against Louisiana and forced 97 missed tackles, second nationally. Hardy was a Doak Walker finalist and two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Consensus first-team All-American with the nation's most punishing rushing file.
- Ran for 1,648 yards and 16 scores, nearly 1,200 of those yards after contact.
- Detonated Mississippi State for 298 yards and three touchdowns in one afternoon.
- Back-to-back 1,300-yard seasons at two levels before his junior year.
- Graded the nation's top rusher at the position for the season.
- Forced-missed-tackle machine whose contact balance defies the 206-pound listing.
- Doak Walker finalist production with a willing, graded-out pass-protection profile.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Receiving game is functionally absent: six catches for 22 yards all season.
- Merely average wheels for a profile built on breakaways; angles catch him late.
- Recovering from a gunshot wound suffered in May 2026; availability must be monitored.
Scouting Report: Summary
The most violent runner in college football also turned out to be one of the most productive: 1,648 yards, sixteen touchdowns, consensus first-team All-America, and nearly 1,200 yards after contact, capped by a 298-yard, three-score demolition of Mississippi State that entered the SEC record book. Hardy has now stacked consecutive 1,300-yard seasons at two levels, his rushing tape led the country, and his pass protection, rare for a volume back, is already graded and willing.Two football questions and one human one temper the file. The receiving column is functionally empty, six catches all year, which in the modern league removes a down from his game until proven otherwise, and the timed speed is average for a profile that produced this much breakaway yardage against college angles. The human one is bigger: he suffered a gunshot wound in May 2026 and is rehabbing in Columbia, with his status for the season something every team will monitor with care.
On tape alone he is the class's most complete pure runner and a first-round argument that writes itself. A healthy return that adds even modest receiving usage would close the only football gap he has, and the league's history with contact-balance backs of this grade is short and decorated. He projects as a featured NFL workhorse, health permitting, with three-down upside resting on the passing game.
How other scouting services rate Ahmad Hardy (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
23.4
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
1.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.