University of Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon has announced that he will throw his name in the 2015 NFL draft after the Outback Bowl this year.

Gordon made his announcement on December 10 during an interview on the syndicated sports radio program, The Dan Patrick Show.

The show’s producer quickly shared the news on Twitter.

Some say that this news is not a big surprise with some mock drafts projecting the player to be a mid- to late-first-round selection. Others, however, are less sure that Gordon will make it in the first round.

NFL draft analyst Matt Miller, for one, says that Gordon is a great pick but that he “doesn’t have any elite qualities to his game” and may not be able to prove himself well enough to get snatched up in the first round. The first round finished in May with all of the running backs remaining on the board. Despite the pass-happy league’s devaluation of the position on draft day, DeMarco Murray, Le’Veon Bell, and Marshawn Lynch play as crucial reasons for the success of their respective teams.

Gordon says that he has yet to contact anyone in the NFL about breaking into the pros but is determined to show he is worthy of a high draft pick.

The running back has had an impressive year, becoming a Heisman Trophy finalist, rushing for 2,336 yards, and scoring 26 touchdowns. He leads the nation in rushing and surpassed Larry Johnson as quickest to 2,000 ground yards in a season.

After breaking Johnson’s record, Gordon claimed that he’d achieved all the goals he set for himself for the 2014 season.

“It’s a good feeling to know that I came out here and I achieved and did the things I wanted to do,” Gordon said. “I wanted to rush for the most yards. I wanted to showcase I was the best running back. I think this year I showed that.”

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com