Gerald Riggs Jr’s father was a three-time pro bowl running back who played for both the Redskins and Falcons over the course of his ten years in the NFL. Gerald Jr. began playing football when he was nine years old. In high school Riggs was a two-time all-state running back and was also named “Mr. Football” those seasons as he ran for 4,162 yards and scored 66 rushing touchdowns in that time. As a junior he led his high school team to victory in the 5A state championship game and was named Most Valuable Player for the finals. By the time his senior year was over, he owned school records for points (550), touchdowns (90), rushing yards (6,046), and longest run (98 yards), just to name a few. In addition to being an excellent football player, Riggs was also a track star who ran the 100 meters in 10.6 seconds. After his senior season, he played in the Army All-American game which is comprised of the best high school players in the country. Coming out of high school he was considered to be the best football prospect in the state of Tennessee and he chose to accept a scholarship to the University of Tennessee. As a freshman he received a few carries but was primarily a special teams player for the Volunteers. As a sophomore he received more playing time but was forced to miss three games due to an ankle injury. His junior season was a breakout year for Riggs. Despite splitting time with current New York Jets running back Cedric Houston, Riggs ran for over 1,100 yards, making him and Houston the only running back tandem in Tennessee history to each rush for 1,000 yards in the same year. He finished his junior year on a high note, rushing for over 100 yards in each of his final three games, including 182 yards in the SEC championship game. Riggs entered his senior season as the unquestioned #1 running back for the Volunteers and one of the top prospects at the position in the 2006 NFL draft.

Gerald Riggs has a good combination of size and speed for a running back. He has good vision, excellent balance, and does a good job of setting his blockers up. He can run with power or speed to the outside or between the tackles. When he gets going, he is difficult to bring down and he will run through most arm tackles. His size and speed combination allows him to outrun larger defenders and run over smaller defenders. He has excellent football knowledge and has proven to be a true “student of the game”. He doesn’t always hit the hole very quickly and he needs to improve his pass protection to be a three down back at the professional level. He is only an average receiver and he didn’t have many passes thrown his way at. Durability could be a cause for concern to some NFL teams. He had some minor injuries that slowed him down and kept him out of some games in college. Since he split carries the majority of his career, he hasn’t proven that he can carry the load on his own over the course of an entire season. The good part about him splitting carries is the fact that he has less wear and tear on his body than most top running backs coming out of college. He did have some problems when it came to taking care of business in the classroom, which caused him to be academically ineligible for the Peach Bowl his freshman year. Riggs is an extremely tough player and he proved that when he took a hard shot to the ribs against Alabama. The hit made it difficult for him to stand up and breathe and it caused him to spit up blood the rest of the game. Despite all of that Riggs played the entire game. Gerald Riggs has had his share of problems at Tennessee, but he seemed to get his head on straight as a junior and you have to love the way he plays big in big games. Riggs missed a good portion of his senior season to injury. He was a likely first or second round pick prior to the injury but may fall on draft day as a result.