Looking ahead: Huskers’ Lucky should be first-round pick

By Marc Hudgens  |   Wednesday, August 06, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
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The reigning Big XII rushing leader has had a bit of the spotlight taken from him in Lincoln, Neb., as Huskers senior running back Marlon Lucky will share reps with rising sophomore Roy Helu Jr. this season. But the fact that Lucky is poised to split time and is being somewhat overshadowed doesn’t mean he'll fly under NFL scouts' radar.

Lucky is widely known to possess good hands, which helped him rack up 75 catches for 705 yards and three scores last year. His 60 receiving yards a game put the North Hollywood, Calif., native as the Big XII’s leading pass catcher among running backs. To give you an idea of how productive he is, the conference’s second-leading receiver among backs was Baylor’s Brandon Whitaker, who amassed 35.4 aerial yards a game. That's a huge difference, obviously.

What's more, Lucky added 1,000-plus yards and nine TDs as a runner in 2007; with those numbers, he's also the conference's best returning ball carrier.

If that's not enough, Lucky's terrific blocking skills make him even more versatile. And versatility has a knack for catching the eyes of NFL scouts, because pro teams love running backs who can catch and block. In today’s NFL, it’s a necessity to have such traits if you’re going to be a Pro Bowl-caliber back.

With Helu and sophomore Quentin Castille fighting for touches, Lucky’s impact as a back who piles up big numbers ought to lessen this season; still, that probably won't affect his NFL draft stock come next April. Ultimately, it'll be shocking if Lucky's not a first-round pick.

And if the Lucky-led Huskers happen to make it to the Big XII title game, Round 1 status is a lock.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He ...
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