247 Sports names Braylen Russell as a top-100 first-year impact player

Excluding last season, Arkansas football has been known for its explosive and dominating rushing attack. Yet, Raheim "Rocket" Sanders, AJ Green — both instrumental pieces in the backfield those years — and rising star Isaiah Augustave are no longer Razorbacks. Thankfully, Arkansas landed a few newcomers to pick up the slack, including true freshman Braylen Russell.

Chris Hummer of 247 Sports believes the Benton, Ark. native will be one of the most influential first-year players in college football this upcoming season. Here's what he had to say about Russell:

"Russell is a tankish 6-foot-1, 252 pounds. The college-ready size is obvious. Russell will have to continue to pick up the Razorback offense and there are some talented players in front of him, but Russell is exactly the type of player who can help early. New offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino lauded Russell's size, physicality and pass-catching skills during spring ball."

The Hogs were blessed to land transfer Ja'Quinden Johnson and keep Rashod Dubinion, but Arkansas has typically had a third back that could give the starting two a breather or in a more significant role as a "change of pace" type of back. With no one else really to compete against, Russell is in a prime position to gain early and meaningful snaps.

And as Hummer stated, Russell already has the size and strength to compete at the college level. The grind of an SEC schedule will take some getting used to, but he should withstand it, even as a freshman.