Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah is the highest-rated running back at the Reese's Senior Bowl, but his height is a concern to some teams.
Abdullah measured in at 5-foot-8 1/4 and 198 pounds, but NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah said his size shouldn't be an issue.
"He's short, but he's not small," Jeremiah said Tuesday during NFL Network's telecast of Senior Bowl practice.
Jeremiah said Abdullah -- who ran for a combined 3,301 yards and 28 TDs in his final two seasons with the Huskers -- "runs with power," and also is an effective receiver. He had 72 receptions in his final three seasons at Nebraska. His receiving ability has led some to label him as a potential third-down back, but he carried a heavy workload at Nebraska and was the Huskers' feature back for the final 2½ seasons of his career.
"He's a very well-rounded back," said Jeremiah, who noted that Abdullah also has return ability.
Abdullah has had fumbling issues, losing 17 in his four seasons, and that hurts.
While Georgia's Todd Gurley and Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon -- both of whom were granted draft eligibility after their junior seasons -- are the consensus top two backs, Abdullah could end up as the third back selected. He likely will go further down the line than that, but he still is seen as a likely second-day (Rounds 2-3) draft pick.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
