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Potential RB Draft Options?
Saw this on Kirwan's NFL.com column.
So, where is the 2003 version of these diamonds in the rough? Well, I decided to spend a few days looking in some places and I discovered four young men who are prime candidates to be future Rhodes and Shipp types.
While half the NFL was watching top receiving draft pick Charles Rogers dazzle scouts, coaches and GMs with his sub-4.3 40-yard dash at Michigan State, there was another Pro Day going on attended by just eight area scouts at Hofstra University. Lo and behold, there were three prime candidates in the most unlikely spot of all. None of the young men played for Hofstra this past season, and all three excelled on the field during the workout.
Arlen Harris may surprise people after playing at Virginia and sitting out at Hofstra.
Arlen Harris tried to become eligible at Hofstra this past season after transferring from Virginia in the spring. He was unsuccessful and never got on the field, but he did get invited to the Paradise Bowl, a small bowl game in Utah. In his only game of the year, he was named the Midwest team's MVP. But for the few scouts looking for Harris as a diamond in the rough, he ran under 4.4 twice, had 26 reps on the bench, and weighed in at 214 pounds.
I talked with Harris after the workout and told him the story of Chris Warren. Warren transferred to little Division III Ferrum College from Virginia and then went on to play for the Seattle Seahawks from 1990-97. All Warren did was become the Seahawks' all-time leading rusher with 6,706 yards.
Harris appreciated the story and just said he hoped someone will give him his chance.
Next up on the Hofstra turf was Darrin Davis from Southern Connecticut. I ran into Davis two weeks ago in Philadelphia. He was trying to get into a Pro Day, but lived too far away to qualify for participation. It was too bad because there were about 15 teams in attendance that day. The 6-foot, 200-pound kid, who grew up very close to Shipp in New Jersey and gained almost 3,500 yards and scored 36 times in college, looked tremendous. He ran under 4.4 twice, benched 24 times, and had a 37-inch vertical leap.
The third candidate to surface was 5-foot-7, 190-pound Ian Smart from little-known CW Post College in Long Island, N.Y. He reminded me of Brian Westbrook, who was taken in the third round last year by the Eagles. Smart ran under 4.4, had excellent change-of-direction skills, and caught the ball really well. His high school track coach was at the workout and told me he was a nationally ranked hurdler in high school. Smart sure looked it during the agility work. A kid from CW Post can only hope someone contacts him after the draft, but for the teams who saw the workout, a club will make the call.
At the University of Maryland, a fourth player surfaced as a candidate to be taken seriously. Chris Downs played at a big-time school, but he wasn't invited to the Combine and was starting to slip into obscurity. But now he's worked out for a few teams and there is more than a little interest in the 5-foot-8 speedster, who rushed for over 1,000 yards this past season. Two teams have already decided to bring him in for a physical. I have watched him play on tape and there's no reason to think he can't move from a possible to a probable draft-pick candidate.
Davis and Downs both seemed so hungry to me when I spoke with them that any team looking for that hidden gem has to consider these guys.
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