2020 NFL Draft: 3 running back prospects coming off injury-plagued seasons
By Seth Steere
Running back is one of the more brutal positions in football and injuries at the position are nothing new. These 3 running backs are looking to bounce back from their injuries in 2018, hopefully catapulting their names into 2020 NFL draft consideration.
Football is a sport of injuries. Often at the end of the season, the team who is the healthiest is often the team who wins.
One of the more frequently injured positions is running back. In the past, we have seen running backs listed as undraftable due to injuries. And in some instances, prospects get unexpected opportunities because of injured veterans. Take the Rams, for example, who drafted Darrell Henderson in the third round because Todd Gurley, who is widely known as one of the premier starters in the NFL, has had issues with arthritis in his knee.
Last season, several big-name college running back succumbed to injuries: Stephen Carr (USC), Zack Moss (Utah), and Rodney Smith (Minnesota). All three players were well on their way to making a name for themselves as NFL draft prospects and if they want to return to the heights they once reached, they need to have good production while proving they can stay healthy.
Stephen Carr, USC
Coming out of high school Carr was a five-star recruit from Fontana, California. Carr received offers from big schools all around the country: Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Miami, Georgia (RB-U), and many others, but ultimately chose to stay in his home state of California, joining the USC Trojans.
Carr has spent most of his college career riddled with injuries. He has had foot and ankle issues and most recently, surgery on a herniated disc in 2018.
Carr has yet to provide the production we would like to see out of someone as highly recruited as he was. Aside from injuries, he’s had to share carries. Last year he split carries senior Aca’Cedric Woods and Vavea Malepeai, a redshirt sophomore.
If Carr isn’t healthy in 2019, it’s likely Vavea will carry the offense and Carr will never live up to the hype he once had coming out of high school.