Late-round steals: NFL.com analyst thinks 2 former SEC RBs could exceed expectations
By Andrew Olson
Published:
When John Kelly and Bo Scarbrough opted to leave school early for the NFL Draft, they probably expected to be selected before Day 3.
Kelly was selected in the sixth round at No. 176 overall by the Los Angeles Rams. Scarbrough went in the seventh round to Dallas at No. 236 overall. While that might have been disappointing for them, their new teams likely see things differently.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com recently listed both Kelly and Scarbough in his new article “7 late-round NFL draft picks likely to exceed expectations in 2018.” Zierlein sees both SEC alumni stepping into key complementary roles for two of the league’s top running backs.
“Todd Gurley is the man for the Rams, but to keep him at his best, the Rams will need a runner who can pick up tough yards as a backup and catch passes out of the backfield. That’s where Kelly comes in,” Zierlein writes. “… Kelly helps diversify the running back corps, and he has the ability to offer legitimate RB2 versatility right away.”
Zierlein offers even higher praise of Scarbrough and compares him to a former Alabama teammate.
“Ezekiel Elliott is clearly capable of handling the lion’s share of duties on all three downs, but Scarbrough is a downhill runner who has the size and demeanor to help the Cowboys continue to impose their will on the ground when Elliott is resting,” Zierlein notes. “I can envision Scarbrough thriving in a complementary role similar to the one the Titans’ Derrick Henry has played behind DeMarco Murray for much of his career. Landing Scarbrough in the seventh round could turn out to be a tremendous steal this season.”
The full list can be found here.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
