Running Back 

West Virginia

5-7 179

Draft board overall prospect rank: #128

Draft board running back rank: #13

Overall rating: 62 (mid 4th) 

40 time: 4.26

4/16/11: So much for his bullshit weight gain from 160 at The Senior Bowl to 179 at The Combine, where he didn’t work out. Devine ran a 4.26 at his Pro Day. That’s pretty fucking fast. He’s back into day 2 consideration, even with his lack of size. Dexter McCluster went in the 2^nd round last year despite his small size.  

2/27/11: Put on 19 pounds mysteriously in one month and then didn’t run. Interesting. I’m calling bullshit on this extra weight.

2/25/11: Devine is up 19 pounds from the 160 he was listed at when he weighed in at The Senior Bowl about a month ago. He needed bulk, but how did he gain 19 pounds in a month? That’s a lot of cheetos. We’ll see how he runs in a few days. For now, I’m raising his stock.

2/19/11: We all knew Noel Devine was small, but before he weighed in at The Senior Bowl, we didn’t know how small. He weighed in at 160, 15 pounds lighter than the already minuscule 175 he was listed at. Very rarely does a running back succeed in the NFL under 200 pounds. Chris Johnson is the notable exception, as is Jamaal Charles, but both of them have their weights in the 190s, so it’s not that big of a stretch. 160 is.

Watching Devine run around at The Senior Bowl, I was reminded of when someone puts a jersey that’s two sizes too big on a little kid and has him run around the yard in pads. He looked that small. He didn’t break any tackles. He was blazing fast untouched and tough to catch, and he should run one of the faster 40 times this year, but he’s just straight line fast. He’s not shifty. He doesn’t change direction well and he can’t absorb any hits.

Devine was a highly touted prospect going into West Virginia, most notable being a candidate for ESPN’s NEXT some years back. He rushed for 4317 yards and 29 touchdowns on 729 carries in 4 years, three as a starter after Steve Slaton graduated and was drafted in the 3rd round by Houston. He also caught 91 passes in his last 3 years, so he can do that, but I don’t think he’s anything more than a really fast kick returner and a maybe 3rd down back at the next level.

NFL Comparison: Brandon Banks