Updated: October 17, 2006, 2:51 PM ET

Peterson may have run last time in college

The big news coming out of the weekend was the season-ending injury to Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson. Mel Kiper explains what Peterson might do.

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Kiper By Mel Kiper
Special to ESPN Insider
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While there were a number of memorable, exciting games on Saturday, the big news was the unfortunate injury (broken collarbone) to Oklahoma's gifted junior RB Adrian Peterson. Now, all the talk becomes whether he will return to Norman for his final season of collegiate eligibility or opt to move on to the NFL.

My feeling is that he likely has played his last regular-season game with the Sooners, but there is a chance he could be available for their bowl game. Considering his talent and high NFL grade, as well as the fact that he has missed time with injury before in his college career, I would be surprised if Peterson isn't part of the 2007 NFL draft in April.

He missed all or more than half of four games last year with an ankle injury. Now he'll miss the second half of this season with the broken collarbone. So while durability is a concern, there is no questioning his skills when carrying the football. Yes, he's an upright runner who absorbs some direct hits, but he's a true game breaker with the overall skill level necessary to rank right up there with the elite players in the draft. For the year, Peterson had already rushed for 935 yards through the first six games, averaging 5.6 yards a carry and scoring on 10 rushing TDs.

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