Former Florida State Running Back Puts Together Eye-Popping Pro Day Performance
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The NFL Combine is in the rearview mirror and the focus has turned to Pro Days across the country with a little bit over a month remaining until the 2023 Draft. While over 300 players were in Indianapolis earlier this month to put their talents front and center for every team in the league, there are also a lot of draft-eligible prospects who didn't get that opportunity.
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That makes this period crucial as a strong performance at a Pro Day could be the difference between someone getting on a franchise's radar or missing out on a professional career.
Following a productive season at Marshall where he flipped the script on his career at the college level, former Florida State running back Khalan Laborn is vying to be selected in April. Laborn participated in the Hula Bowl in January but wasn't invited to the NFL Combine.
The Virginia native made the most of his chance to impress scouts on Wednesday during Marshall's Pro Day. With teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cleveland Browns in attendance, Laborn put together an eye-popping performance.
According to KPRC2's Aaron Wilson, Laborn ran a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, recorded a 6.92-second 3-cone-drill, notched a broad jump of 10-5, had a 38.5-inch vertical jump, and bench pressed 225-pounds 23 times.
Those numbers would have had Laborn among the top running backs at the combine and are a testament to his recovery from a leg injury in 2018 that set him back at Florida State. Laborn more than stacks up when compared to other running backs that participated in athletic testing in Indianapolis. His 40-yard dash would've ranked sixth but his 3-cone-drill (1), broad jump (T3), vertical jump (3), and bench press (2) all fall within the top three of his position.
Laborn's 23 reps on the bench press would've ranked eighth among defensive tackles at the combine. To say the least, he possesses some serious strength.
After sitting out two years, Laborn had one of the best seasons in school history for Marshall in 2022. He rushed 302 times for 1,513 yards with 16 touchdowns on the ground while catching 16 passes for 116 yards. It was the most rushing yards in a season by a Thundering Herd running back since 2014.
He started off his final campaign with seven straight games with 100+ rushing yards and at least one touchdown, including a career-high 191 yards and two scores against Gardner-Webb. Overall, Laborn recorded nine games with 100+ rushing yards and only fumbled twice.
The 5-foot-11, 212-pound running back began his career at Florida State as one of the top prospects in the 2017 class. He signed with the Seminoles alongside fellow five-star running back Cam Akers and four-star running back Zaquandre White. Laborn redshirted during his true freshman season under former head coach Jimbo Fisher. He was in line to play a bigger role the following year under former head coach Willie Taggart before a serious knee injury in the second game ended his season.
Laborn chose to stay with the Seminoles when head coach Mike Norvell replaced Willie Taggart in December 2019. He ended up being dismissed from the football team following a violation of team rules but he stuck at the university and earned his bachelor's degree.
Considering his accolades over the last year, which include earning a degree to dominating at Marshall, Laborn is making the most of his second chance. It's unlikely that he gets selected during the draft but he's proved that he's got the resilience to never give up fighting on his dream.
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