UNDRAFTED RUNNING BACK SIGNINGS

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Alfonso Smith-SR-Kentucky

ATLANTA FALCONS

Dimitri Nance-SR-Arizona State

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Curtis Steele-SR-Memphis

BUFFALO BILLS

Joique Bell-SR.-Wayne State *INSIGHT*

One of the most productive college RBs ever to play the game, Bell’s 6,728 yards ranks eighth all-time in NCAA history.  He was truly an unstoppable force in the Division II ranks and was awarded the Harlon Hill Trophy as the division’s top player.  He possesses very good size at 5’11” and 221lbs.  He was easily able to shrug off opposing tacklers and gain additional yardage to his runs.  His vision and instincts still need polishing and are pretty average right now.  Also, he is not a burner by any means (4.68 sec.) and will not be able to outrun defenders like he did at Wayne State.  Bell is a straight-line runner with little wiggle and won’t be used as anything more than a between-the-tackles-type back in the NFL.  Other aspects that most likely turned scouts away from Bell during the draft are his pedestrian receiving skills and weak blocking skills.  To survive in the NFL, Bell will need to prove that he was more than just a productive Division II back and refine his game.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Daniel Porter-SR-Louisiana Tech

CHICAGO BEARS

Brandon Minor-SR-Michigan

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Cordera Eason-SR-Mississippi

Mikell Simpson-SR-Virginia

DALLAS COWBOYS

Lonyae Miller-SR-Fresno State

DENVER BRONCOS

Chris Brown-SR-Oklahoma

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Tory Harrison-SR-Southern Mississippi

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Javarris James-SR-Miami (FL)

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Chad Kackert-SR-New Hampshire

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Pat Paschall-SR-North Dakota State

NEW YORK GIANTS

Daniel Dufrene-SR-Illinois

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Andre Anderson-SR-Tulane *INSIGHT*

This guy is a pure competitor and always comes to play.  Anderson is a very tough runner who initiates contact on his opponents and will not shy away from anything.  He has good balance and can absorb a lot of hits before going down.  Other qualities coaches will love about Anderson are his ability to catch the football consistently and his willingness to block.  While he can bull over defenders, Anderson is not agile or speedy and will have trouble losing tacklers in the pros.  His kind of hard-nosed running will be much harder to sustain in the NFL and could very well get him hurt.  However, Anderson has the traits every coach wants to see in a player- fire, outstanding work ethic, and toughness.   He could easily make a roster as an inside-runner and/or receiving option out of the backfield.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Keithon Flemming-SR-West Texas A&M

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Andre Dixon-SR-Connecticut

ST. LOUIS RAMS

Keith Tolson-SR-Oklahoma State

DeMaundray Wooldridge-SR-Idaho

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Jordyn Jackson-SR-Eastern Oregon

Shawnbrey McNeal-JR-SMU *INSIGHT*

Speed- that is what McNeal can bring to a football team.  He was a two-time Texas state champion in the 100-meter dash (10.48 sec).  He started his collegiate career at Miami (FL), but transferred to be closer to his diabetic mother.  At SMU, McNeal became the first RB to rush for over 1,000 yards under head coach June Jones.  He has a chance to develop into a solid change-of-pace style RB in the NFL who could break some long runs if given a lane.  He does a decent job of catching the ball, especially on screen plays – but will have lapses in concentration at times.  At 5’9”, 194lbs McNeal will never become a full-time back in the NFL.  He tends to shy away from contact at times and will not break a lot of tackles.  However, he has a good chance of becoming a situational player or returner at the next level.  He does have two children and left school early so he could provide for them, so there will be a lot of motivation there for McNeal.

TENNESSEE TITANS

LeGarrette Blount-SR-Oregon *INSIGHT*

At one point a for sure draft pick, Blount literally punched his ticket out of the draft.  He has a slew of acts of immaturity throughout his career at Oregon.  He was suspended in February of 2009 for missing classes and winter work outs. After being reinstated, it didn’t take much longer for Blount to mess up again.  In the first game of the season against Boise State Blount punched an opponent after the game who was taunting him and had to be restrained from going after fans doing the same.  He lost most of his senior season and had a lot of questions to answer for scouts.  Blount is a bulldozer and his hard to take down.  At 6’0”, 241lbs it’s not hard to see why.  He is a willing blocker and is strong at the point of contact.  He is much more nimble than one would think by just looking at him.  However, he is not a guy who will run away from NFL defenders (4.71 sec) and takes too much time to build up speed.  Blount could very well survive in a two-back system as a compliment to a speedster-type back.  However, his coaches and teammates will need to push him to focus and control his temper. 

Stafon Johnson-SR-USC *INSIGHT*

Johnson is another tough, competitive runner who will need to find his way into a two-back system.  His draft stock plummeted after a weightlifting accident almost ended his life and the rest of his senior season.  He has since recovered fully and looks ready to fight for a roster spot in the NFL.  He was never able to stick out much at USC due to a very talented group of backs around him, but he displayed enough to merit interest at the next level.  He is a tough back with good leg drive to break through tackles or push a pile.  He works hard as a blocker and is effective at it.  He has adequate hands and does a decent enough job catching the ball out of the backfield.  What Johnson is not is explosive or quick.  He is not a homerun threat (4.62 sec) by any means and will struggle to separate from defenders in the NFL.  He does flash great potential to be a goal-line runner in the pros and has the kind of character coaches love to see.   He will need to dispel any worries about his neck injury first, though.

Dominique Lindsay-SR-ECU

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Maurice Greer-SR-Troy

Keiland Williams-SR-LSU