Nebraska Football: Dedrick Mills makes right move to enter NFL Draft

The former Nebraska football star announced his intentions on Tuesday.

It is been a wild week for Nebraska football as program has added several players from the transfer portal as well as lost a big-time player. Tuesday, Nebraska football lost a running back to the NFL draft as Dedrick Mills has elected to take that path.

Transferring over from Georgia Tech, Mills recorded 1,912 yards and 25 touchdowns in three seasons. He recorded 227 carries for 1,141 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Nebraska football program.

I really liked watching him play. He ran hard and he ran physically. After struggling with fumbling issues in his first season with Nebraska, he got better at not doing so as the season wore on. That and his game against Wisconsin in 2019 are two things that stand out to me about his tenure with Nebraska. He was always resilient, and he always worked hard.

What better way to cap off his Nebraska football career than to have a strong game against Rutgers in the season finale. He was a huge reason why they won that game, and he was able to help Nebraska football get the job done.

Being a 24-year-old running back, I definitely understand why he would want to enter the draft this year. The shelflife of a running back lasts only so long. Mills is still young enough to where he could provide several good years for a team in the NFL. With the physicality that he plays with, and how hard he runs, he could be a tremendous asset  for a team, particularly in the red zone.

With the latest addition of Markese Stepp to the program, this loss is offset a little bit by his arrival. Nebraska football will certainly have multiple capable running backs heading into the 2021 season.

Nevertheless, I would like to have seen Mills a little bit longer. I really enjoyed watching him play. You always knew you were going to get a good effort from him every single game.

In what has been a week of ups and downs, Mills announcing his intentions is certainly a positive. I’ll miss him in a Nebraska football uniform, but I am happy that he is trying to pursue his dream of playing in the NFL. He could definitely be a serviceable third-down back for a team, and he excels at finding holes and running through them.

With the right coaching and line around him, Mills will be an asset  to whichever team drafts him.