PRO 2026 Rookie Spotlight: Seth McGowan, RB Kentucky
Height: 5-11 5/8 – official
Weight: 215 – official
2026 Age: N/A
Hands: 9″ – official
Arm: 31 7/8″ – official
Projected 40: 4.64 (projection)
Breakout Age: RS JR
NFL Play-Style Comparison: Chris Rodriguez, Isiah Pacheco
Draft Grade: 5.36 (UDFA)
1,000+ Rushing Seasons: 0
Offensive Market Share Metrics (Final Season)
Carries: 167
Receptions: 28
Scrimmage Yards: 851
Scrimmage TDs: 12
Total Production Percentage: 25.7%
High School: Poteet (Mesquite, TX)
As a high school prospect: Class of 2021; 4-star (5.8)
College Attended: Oklahoma (1), Texas College NAIA (1), Butler JUCO (1), New Mexico State (1), Kentucky (1)
Pros
– Attended Five Colleges. Junior College, NAIA, and FBS levels.
– High-knees and edge-bending speed are great traits for his running style when evading tacklers between the tackles and getting to the edge and north and south
– 6 of 9 career games with 18+ touches came in 2025 for Kentucky.
Cons
– 118th Graded Pass Protecting Running Back in Power 4, per PFF (137 eligible)
– Turns 26 Years old during October of Rookie Season.
– Most form tacklers don’t have trouble knocking him backwards instantaneously
– Less than 4.3 yards per carry in 8 of 11 games in 2025.
– 5 Fumbles in last 2 seasons.
– Off-Field Red Flag in 2021 that caused him to leave Oklahoma and go to Junior College before bouncing back in 2024.
Highlight/Film – (Seth McGowan – #3)
Scouting Notes:
McGowan has played in 31 career games (8 at Oklahoma, 12 at New Mexico State, and 11 at UK) with 21 starts (11 at New Mexico State and 10 at UK). Coming out of high school, he was a consensus four-star recruit coming out of Poteet High School in Texas and a Top 200 player.
Within seconds of watching Seth McGowan, I got an Isiah Pacheco feel almost instantaneously from his short choppy steps and herky-jerky aggressive style. McGowan shows good patience with requisite vision in between the tackles. McGowan does really well in short areas when he is given a crease, his high-knees and edge-bending speed are great traits for his running style when evading tacklers between the tackles and getting to the edge and north and south. One of the downfalls of his style is the amount of surface area he exposes to the defense; most form tacklers don’t have trouble knocking him backwards instantly. Your classic 4th-5th round dynasty rookie draft pick, McGowan will be on a roster during fall camp with an opportunity to make waves like Pacheco, Philip Lindsay, Elijah Mitchell, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt have over the last 10 years. And I am content using a 5th round pick on him.
