Sankey has rushed 616 times over the last two seasons, including 327 attempts this past season, emerging as one of the steadiest volume runners in college football. Add in his 61 receptions, his blitz pickup, and those carries wiped out by penalties, Sankey has been kept plenty busy since claiming the starting job.
One of three finalists for the Doak Walker Award, presented to the top running back in the nation, Sankey rushed for a school-record 1,870 yards and 20 touchdowns, capping his career with 95 yards and two touchdowns in a win over BYU in the Fight Hunger Bowl.
That production saw Sankey receive a third-round grade from the draft advisory board, which seems about right for one of the most complete backs that will be on the board, alongside Charles Sims of West Virginia and Marion Grice of Arizona State.
Sankey's finest performance came in a 31-28 loss at Stanford, gashing the fearsome Cardinal front seven for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries and adding five receptions for 21 yards.
The optimist would compare Sankey (5-foot-10, 203 pounds) to the similarly busy Matt Forte coming out of Tulane, albeit with less pop as a runner. It will be a question of how much athleticism Sankey can show in pre-draft workouts that will determine how high he might go and how much tread is left on those tires.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
