One of the more notable participants at the Colts’ local Pro Day was Louisville running back Isaac Guerendo, who put together a highly impressive NFL Combine performance.
As part of the pre-draft process, each NFL team is able to hold a local Pro Day, where teams invite players who have a “local” tie to the area, whether that be attending college or from a nearby hometown that is within the league-defined parameters that meet the distance criteria.
Guerendo measured in at 6-0 – 221 pounds at the combine. He recorded a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.90–the highest among all running backs at this year’s combine. Contributing to Guerendo’s impressive RAS was a 4.33-second 40-time, along with a 41.5-inch vertical.
Guerendo spent his first four seasons at Wisconsin. He was used sparingly, totaling 97 carries between the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but averaged 6.5 yards per carry with six touchdowns.
This past season at Louisville, Guerendo carried the ball 132 times and averaged 6.1 yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns. Guerendo ranked 20th among all running backs in yards after contact and 25th in breakaway rate, with 22 rushes of 10 or more yards and 14 rushes of 15-plus yards.
Relatively speaking, when being compared to other running backs in this class, Guerendo was used sparingly, with just 231 career attempts over five seasons and 48 targets in the passing game.
For a closer look at Guerendo’s game, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote this about him in his pre-draft report:
“Guerendo is built like a prototypical Badger runner, with a thick, well-proportioned frame. He was a much more decisive runner in 2023, but his cut-and-go burst is fairly average. He’s not sudden but runs with appropriate elusiveness, using subtle side-steps to continue the run’s downhill momentum. He can catch it out of the backfield and protect his quarterback, making him a suitable three-down backup. Guerendo’s size, skill set and demeanor are built for an NFL workload, and he could sneak into a bigger role in the future if he continues to progress.”
As I wrote about recently, running back is far from a pressing need for the Colts with Jonathan Taylor under contract for the next few seasons, along with Trey Sermon, Evan Hull, and Tyler Goodson all vying for the backup running back role.
However, the overall inexperience of Sermon, Goodson, and Hull does create some uncertainty, which could lead to GM Chris Ballard spending a Day 3 pick on the position.
In what is considered a so-so running back draft class, Guerendo is PFF’s 12th-rated back and the 139th prospect overall.
