Next Gen Stats again illustrate how Nick Chubb is a freak
Georgia fans don’t typically have a wild reaction when they’re told that Nick Chubb is or has done something special. Reactions to those types of statements include smiles, shrugged shoulders, and facial expressions that convey a “what else is new?” type of statement.
But even the most fervent of Chubb supporters has to marvel at the recent metric released by Next Gen Stats. The analytics-based outlet says that when it comes to expected rush yards, the Cleveland Browns ball carrier is the ultimate over-achiever.
“Nick Chubb has generated +1,312 rushing yards over expected since 2018, the most by a running back over the last five seasons,” Next Gen Stats said in a tweet. “Chubb is the only running back to gain over 250 RYOE in each of the last four seasons, including an RB-leading +284 RYOE in 2022.
To put his numbers in context, he’s almost 300 yards clear of Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry and he has almost twice as many RYOE as Indianpolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor. Saquon Barkley (New York Giants) and Aaron Jones (Green Bay Packers) are even further behind.
Chubb is another UGA legend tracking toward NFL greatness…
The Cedartown, Ga. native is one of just two players in Georgia history to rush for over 1,000 yards three times in his career. Herschel Walker is the only other player to accomplish that feat while donning the red and black.
Walker, in three years but with more carries, has 490 more career rushing yards than Chubb, who missed most of the 2015 season after a gruesome injury at Tennessee. That injury left him with three torn ligaments and cartilage damage.
The rest of that season was lost but Chubb was back for game one of the 2016 season where he carried the football 32 times for 222 yards and two touchdowns in a win over North Carolina in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff.
The Bulldogs got Chubb back for his senior season in 2017 and he was the leading rusher for a team that won its first SEC Championship since 2005. That Georgia rode Chubb and Sony Michel to a 13-2 overall record, its first appearance in the College Football Playoff, a win over Oklahoma in the Rose Bowl, and the National Championship.
Cleveland took Chubb with the No. 35 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and he has rewarded the franchise with 6,341 yards and 45 rushing touchdowns over five seasons. He has averaged 5.2 yards per carry in a Browns’ uniform while scoring four more times as a pass catcher.
After helping lead Cleveland to the playoffs in 2020, Chubb posted 145 total yards and a touchdown on 22 touches to lead the Browns to their first playoff win in 26 years.
