Isaac Guerendo went through several injuries, transferred from Wisconsin to Louisville, and had a rather rocky road during his college career before an extremely impressive 2023 campaign put him on the radar for the NFL Draft. Although he had a background as a multiple state champion in track in the long jump and 100 meters, per The Athletic‘s Dane Brugler, it’s a whole other deal to be among the most athletic players entering the NFL.
Guerendo proved on Saturday at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that his athleticism is quite literally almost off the charts. Measuring at six feet tall and 221 pounds, he proceeded to show off absurd explosive strength as a sprinter and a leaper to record a composite athletic profile for the ages.
How about hitting 24 mph on the GPS!? Lord have mercy. Bless anyone at the second level of any defense who has the misfortune of encountering Guerendo in the open field. Per PFF’s data, he averaged 4.1 yards after contact this past season en route to 810 yards rushing, 11 TDs, and 22 receptions on 24 targets for 234 yards.
Here are some useful highlights to showcase how Guerendo’s speed in the Underwear Olympics actually does translate to the gridiron:
A little more context on that 24 mph mark, too: The only other backs to do it, as you can see, were Miami Dolphins rookie sensation De’Von Achane and Baltimore Ravens burner Keaton Mitchell. Achane tipped the scales at 188 pounds at the Combine, while Mitchell weighed just 179. It’s ridiculous that Guerendo is every bit as explosive despite being so much taller and bulkier.
This 2024 class is loaded at the most valuable positions. Not so much at running back. Guerendo may very well have vaulted himself into the second or third round of the draft with his Combine performance, which will only have NFL talent evaluators hustling back to watch his film. All these metrics suggest those personnel guys will like what they find when they dive in on Guerendo’s game tape.
Any NFL team looking for an enviable blend of speed, power and pass-catching out of the backfield could do far worse than Guerendo. His medical red flags include hamstring problems and an ankle injury. Nothing like a torn ACL. Plus, Guerendo has kickoff return experience and very little tread on his tires, with only 273 touches from scrimmage at the collegiate level. To put that in perspective a little bit, San Francisco 49ers superstar Christian McCaffrey had 339 last regular season alone.
Running backs are viewed as the most replaceable position in modern football. While that’s often true, Isaac Guerendo has irreplaceable skills that set him apart from your standard ball-carrier. Some team is going to be ecstatic to get him. Can’t wait to see Guerendo do his thing at the next level, where he’ll likely achieve far more than he managed to in college.
