Ahmad Hardy — 2027 NFL Mock Draft Roundup 1.0

With all due respect to the backs in this article and even those selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft, Hardy was the most impressive runner in the country over the past two seasons. He collected an eye-popping 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns on the ground over that time, while starring at both Louisiana Monroe and Missouri. Hardy led the Sun Belt in rushing as a true freshman in 2024 and then the mighty SEC this past season with a career-high 1,649 yards (on 6.4 yards per carry). He isn't the biggest back, but he has excellent vision and acceleration to leave defenders in the dust.

Hardy is built low to the ground, runs with a low center of gravity, is incredibly difficult to get on the ground as a result, and has home run ability once he gets to the second level. He excels in outside/wide zone schemes that allow him to one-cut-and-go once he sees daylight. He didn't give Mizzou much in the pass game last season -- he was targeted just seven times and had six catches.

Derrick Henry has been an extremely productive and durable running back, but he'll be 33 years old in January. This would be a great spot for the Ravens to bring in his heir apparent, and the 5-foot-10, 206-pound Hardy was one of the FBS' best running backs last season. He finished with 1,649 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns but was especially devastating after contact, with his 1,208 such yards ranking first in the FBS. He's a no-nonsense, powerful downhill runner who can run through or around defenses. Kind of sounds like Henry, no?

With his physical run style, Hardy rushed for exactly 3,000 combined yards over his first two seasons in college (2024 at Louisiana-Monroe, 2025 at Missouri), and he averaged 6.4 yards per carry last season for the Tigers.

The 2027 RB class has a few candidates to be the top dog, but I'm throwing my support behind the well-fortified workhorse Hardy. He consistently drags would-be tacklers for 3-5 extra yards and is well balanced through traffic allowing him to blast through arm tackles. Hardy and current RB David Montgomery would make a formidable duo to wear down opposing defenses and keep the pass rush off beleaguered QB CJ Stroud.