DEREK COMBS
By: Dave-Te' Thomas

#43-DEREK COMBS Ohio State University Buckeyes 5:11.4-197

ANALYSIS
Positives... ...Late bloomer with a solidly built frame...Has explosive acceleration off the snap and does a nice job of quickly spotting the rush lanes...Runs at a low pad level taking the ball up the middle and shows lateral agility needed to bounce to the outside...Has acceleration to make tacklers miss moving upfield...Escapes the jam well when called upon as a receiver in the short area...Effective backfield blocker who will pester and stalk the defender.

Negatives... .Has very limited starting experience...Frame could use a little more bulk, as he does not have the leg drive to be consistent running up the middle...More of a one-arm runner who needs to do a better job of protecting the ball to erase past fumble problems...More of a body catcher in the passing department and can not be relied upon to give assistance there...Route running is poor, rounding his cuts coming out of his breaks...Lacks the ability to diagnose the plays, not spotting the clear rush lanes quickly.

CAREER NOTES
Finally got his chance as a starter in his final year...Despite a solid 2000 campaign, the season was marred by a nagging ankle sprain...One of the fastest players in the Big Ten Conference, boasting a 4.46 clocking in the 40-yard dash...Finished his career with 274 carries for 1232 yards (4.5 avg) and ten touchdowns.

REMIND ME OF... St. Louis' Trung Canidate.

GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL... I tend to not give major college kids a "sleeper" tag, but this guy may be the exception to the rule. He's just starting to come into his own and if not for injury woes in 2000, he could have moved up quite a bit on a few draft boards. Look for someone to be very surprised at what Combs will bring to the table.

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