Entering the season, Donovan Edwards was expected to shoulder the load as Michigan’s top running back. His strong finish to the 2023 season, running all over Washington in the national championship game, had draft analysts buzzing about what Edwards could do in 2024 in Ann Arbor.
Yet after four weeks, Edwards has taken a definitive back seat to heretofore unheralded Kalel Mullings. Listed and used as a fullback after converting from linebacker following the 2021 season, the 233-pound Mullings carried the ball just 50 times in his first two seasons on offense–nearly all of that in garbage time.
Now, the senior has 32 carries in the last two weeks, netting 312 yards and four touchdowns. Edwards gained 156 on 31 carries in those same two games. It’s been Mullings who gets the call early, with his sledgehammer style and great balance through contact helping Michigan establish the power game. It’s also put Mullings firmly on the draft radar as a runner.
Edwards is still finding success in the more limited role. He scored touchdowns against both USC and Minnesota, showing some great balance and burst into the open against the Golden Gophers. His initial burst in the backfield and decisiveness in attacking the hole has held him back, and that won’t help Edwards in the eyes of NFL evaluators. A couple of really bad reps in pass protection against Fresno State won’t help Edwards see more action, either.
Edwards still shows enough promise to keep evaluating, but the visions of No. 7 emerging as a top-100 talent seem long gone.
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