Elijah Hood: Declares for NFL draft

Hood, a running back from North Carolina, will enter the 2017 NFL Draft.

Hood initially wanted to return to school in 2017, but he changed his mind in recent days. Even in a deep running back class, we figure it's the right move -- he's made clear his NFL credentials at this point, and he's of a standout talent level capable of earning prominent placement in the draft despite facing plenty of competition. Listed at 6-foot, 220 pounds, Hood was one of the top running back recruits of 2014 and possesses obviously standout athleticism for a big runner. His combination of build, lean and athleticism is reminiscent of Jonathan Stewart, though Hood is more likely to be drafted in the third round than the first. Nagging injuries are probably the biggest concern with Hood -- he hobbled his way through nine games as a freshman to average just 3.9 yards per carry on 67 carries, and in 2016 he missed two games with undisclosed issues. When healthy, though, Hood shows surprising short-area burst and balance to go with safety-splitting deep speed, and he has the anchor strength to hold ground against linebackers in traffic. Hood generally ran like a head-down, north-south runner in the peculiar North Carolina offense, but he occasionally flashed a good eye for the cutback lane, and he has plenty of experience running laterally on toss plays. He ran for 2,321 yards (6.4 YPC) and 25 touchdowns in his final 25 games. He appears to be a candidate to go as early as the second round and as late as the fourth, pending Combine results.