Scouting the Senior Bowl: Minnesota RB David Cobb

In nine days, one of the biggest events in the NFL Draft process, the Senior Bowl, will be taking place in Mobile, Alabama. The Senior Bowl is the most important All-Star game in the draft process and one where Seniors (and some Juniors) will make their initial impression on Scouts this offseason.

The practices and game can be very crucial for each player’s draft stock. Guys like EJ Manuel and Eric Fisher both benefitted significantly and made a lot of money from their play on Senior Bowl week.

In this series, we will be taking a look at a number of players who have accepted invites to the Senior Bowl. I will be evaluating their games from this year to give you an idea of what to expect from them on January 24th. Today we’ll be taking a look at Minnesota RB David Cobb.

David Cobb/RB/Minnesota/5’11 220 lbs.

David Cobb ended this season as the 11th leading rusher in the NCAA with 1629 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. The back was a saving grace to a Golden Gophers offense that really couldn’t generate any pass game throughout the season. He had arguably the best season a Running Back has had in Minnesota history.

As a runner, Cobb is very physical, but I wouldn’t categorize him as a “power back”. He’s a bigger RB and is tough to bring down and is seen often utilizing his signature spin move to shake off tacklers. He generally falls forward when challenged due to his large frame.

He runs upright and possesses above average acceleration getting up the field. In terms of patience, vision, and an initial burst, these are some things that Cobb needs to work on as a prospect. Developing in each of these aspects will make him a more complete back and will give him the makings of a true NFL starter.

As a pass catcher, Cobb was able to make simple catches but also dropped one or two that he should have caught. All in all, he should be fine catching passes out of the backfield in the NFL. Cobb wins some points back with his ability to block. He is a willing blocker but needs to work on lowering his pad level to thwart defenders because he is getting overpowered. As for cut blocking, Cobb looks like an expert as it worked for him almost every time he attempted.

NFL Draft Projection

At this point I see Cobb as a 4th to 5th round prospect. With a little more polishing on some of the things I mentioned above, he could easily be a starter in the NFL.

Possible Landing Spots

Pittsburgh Steelers

Clearly, the Steelers don’t have a need at starting RB with the emergence of Le’veon Bell as arguably the best back in the league, but when he’s injured, they have virtually no run game. In the Wild Card matchup against the Ravens, John Harris and Ben Tate managed 46 yards on 14 carries, atrocious. With no solid backup to Bell, the Steelers are left extremely vulnerable. I don’t expect the Steelers to go RB early, but a 4th rounder on a guy who you can use as a really good insurance policy and help take some carries to lessen the wear on your stud work horse isn’t such a bad idea.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are in a similar situation with the Steelers, but not entirely. Andre Ellington played well while healthy this season, but regressed significantly on the ground. Luckily for the Cardinals and Ellington, he’s a serious threat in the pass game too. After Ellington went down in Week 13, the Cardinals tried using a bevy of backs including Kerwynn Williams, Stepfan Taylor, and Marion Grice. Only Williams seemed to play well but simply disappeared averaging 2.3 yards in the Wild Card game against Carolina. I hate to say it because I’m a big Ellington guy, but they’ll need to use him sparingly for him to stay healthy. Bringing in Cobb in the 4th will do just that and seeing as he has been the workhorse for Minnesota the past two years, he will have no problem doing so in AZ if Ellington goes down again.

Next: Way Too Early 2015-2016 College Football Playoff Final Four

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