A look at the 2007 junior class as players decide whether to enter the 2008 NFL draft.After previously saying he would be back for his senior season, Central Florida running back Kevin Smith has reversed course and announced that he's turning pro.
Smith was a great college player, but he's not a great pro prospect, and he needs to do something special in workouts for scouts to move up the list of junior running backs in the 2008 draft. Right now he's definitely behind Darren McFadden of Arkansas, Felix Jones of Arkansas and Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois. Most draft boards also probably have him behind Jonathan Stewart of Oregon, Steve Slaton of West Virginia and Jamaal Charles of Texas, not to mention a couple of runners from the senior class, such as Mike Hart of Michigan or Chris Johnson of East Carolina.
And yet despite the fact that half a dozen or more running backs could go ahead of Smith, I still think he's making the right decision by leaving early.
Why? Because of the way Central Florida uses him. Coach George O'Leary gave Smith the ball a ridiculous 450 times this year. That kind of workload can wreak havoc on a player's body. If Smith ever wants to play in the NFL, he needs to get out of college now before he gets hurt, even if that means giving up a senior season in which he'd be a Heisman Trophy candidate for a rookie year in which he'll mostly play special teams.
See the full list of 2008 NFL draft early entries.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-07-2008 @ 1:52AM
KC said...
I think this dude has potential to be another Adrian Peterson type.
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1-07-2008 @ 3:25AM
Scott said...
The way he runs is similar to peterson, he runs upright and has extremely quick feet. He also runs with strength. People doubt his speed but people also doubted Jerry Rice's speed. Sometimes 40 times can be deceiving. Some guys just run faster when they have a ball in their hands, which I think is Smith's case. However we'll see how he runs in the combine anyways. Go Knights!
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1-07-2008 @ 8:48AM
SLaird22 said...
I'm not really too high on Kevin Smith. And I've followed UCF football this season more closely than any team outside of PSU. The author is correct, he had all of those yards because he got 40 some carries/game. UCF had nobody else on offense. And he really doesn't look too fast or strong, and this is compared to Tulsa's defense.
However, he did get beat up, and it's probably not a good idea to go and take another beating like that again.
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1-07-2008 @ 9:18AM
aaorn W said...
He's good enough to be a 3rd down back or and/or returner. Thats enough to keep him in the league for 10 years.
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1-07-2008 @ 10:42AM
Padrick said...
He's still kind of a liar. He doesn't owe anyone at the university a whole lot, but the way it shook down was really weak, and with no explanation.
I also think that this is the right time for him to com out, however. I don't think he is a first day pick, but I think that only helps his potential success, as he may get picked up by a decent football team.
Next season would have been killer for him. UCF has no quarterback, no wide receivers and an offensive line losing two of its best players. Probably a good move by Smith.
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1-07-2008 @ 4:29PM
Christian Buhl said...
As a UCF fan, I was of course disappointed to hear he was leaving but for everything he's done for the school, I thank him, and I wish him the best at the next level.
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1-17-2008 @ 2:18PM
kevin said...
Scott you're an idiot you have probably never played a sport in your life period. Kevin Smith is one of the most underrated college football players. How bout you taking 40 carries a game and seeing what you can do with it. I have no doubt you wont finish second all time in single season rushing yards with the likes of the Barry Sanders and by the way he had over a 100 yds against TEXAS so keep your talk to yourself and let the players play....
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2-09-2008 @ 8:55AM
wayne said...
come on, this guy is no adrian peterson, that's for sure, but i think he can be a very good pro running back if he gets stronger. let's be real, you don't run for that many yards without some great qualities. i think he has great vision, patience, instincts, cutback ability, is a very smooth runner. seems to be fast enough. didn't play against the toughest competition. he definitely needs to get stronger, both in his legs and upper body, because he goes down way too easily to be a a staring nfl back, but a few nfl offseasons could change that.
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