2. Josh Ferguson, RB Illinois
The 5’9″, 198 pound senior running back rushed for 708 total rushing yards on 129 carries (5.5 ypc avg) and 3 touchdowns in 9 games. However, he was also an asset for the Illini out of the backfield, as he caught 37 receptions for 280 receiving yards and 2 touchdown receptions.
The Colts rewarded him for his exceptional play by providing him with a $10K signing bonus and guaranteeing $25K of his base salary for this season.
Ferguson lacks the ideal size to be an every down “bell cow” running back for a team, but he definitely has the talent and skill-set to become an effective 3rd down or change-of-pace back:
Thought there was some Dion Lewis in #Colts UDFA RB Josh Ferguson's game. Gore/Turbin/Todman/Varga ahead of him: https://t.co/cIUTeOxsMs
— Evan Silva (@evansilva) May 1, 2016
He may not have the size, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t plenty effective for Illinois this past season:
COLTS UDFA Josh Ferguson forced 1 missed tackle for every 4.4 touches on offense, the 9th-best rate in this RB class (min. 100 touches)
— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 1, 2016
Behind starter Frank Gore, there’s the likes of veteran Robert Turbin and returning running back Tyler Varga, as well as Jordan Todman and Trey Williams. No disrespect to any of those running backs, but there’s a great opportunity for Ferguson to make the Colts roster right now.
In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least if Ferguson opens this season as the primary backup behind Gore, as he has the receiving skills to complement him as a 3rd down running back from the get-go.