Interest in J.K. Dobbins Peaking with Draft One Week Away
J.K. Dobbins wouldn't have gained a school-record 2,003 yards for Ohio State in 2019 if he lacked an innate sense of trouble arriving from unexpected places.
Unfortunately for Dobbins, world events and just plain bad timing conspired against him in February and March to deny the common avenues by which he could have elevated his NFL Draft stock.
A hamstring tweak at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis convinced him to wait for OSU's scheduled Pro Day in late March to run for scouts and show them his breakaway speed.
Then COVID-19 precautions intruded and Dobbins never received that opportunity, leaving him without a proven time like Georgia's DeAndre Swift and Jonathan Taylor, both of whom ran at the Combine.
That makes Dobbins more of a mystery with the run-up to the NFL Draft in full swing before round one on Thursday, April 23.
Teams are seeking to solve that problem by dialing up OSU head coach Ryan Day, strength coach Micky Mariotti and interviewing Dobbins via electronic means in advance of the draft.
“It seems like a lot of the people in the NFL are just using the college coaches, strength coaches and different people in the program to gather information," Day said on Wednesday. "It's been a higher rate of calls for coach Mick, myself, the assistant coaches."
Dobbins has been getting plenty of FaceTime interviews and is starting to crop up at the end of the first round in some mock drafts.
A run on quarterbacks, tackles and wide receivers could push Dobbins into Round Two. Teammates Chase Young and Jeff Okudah are expected to go in the Top 5, certainly the Top 10.
If Dobbins also hears his named called on the first night of the draft, as well, OSU would have three or more picks in Round One for the third time in the last five years.
Recent Ohio State first-round NFL Draft picks:
2016
- Joey Bosa (3), San Diego
- Ezekiel Elliott (4), Dallas
- Eli Apple (10), New York Giants
- Taylor Decker (16), Detroit
- Darron Lee (20), New York Jets
2017
- Mashawn Lattimore (11), Indianapolis
- Malik Hooker (15), New Orleans
- Gareon Conley (24), Oakland
2018
- Denzel Ward (4), Cleveland
- Billy Price (21), Cincinnati
2019
- Nick Bosa (2), San Francisco
- Dwayne Haskins (15), Washington
Do you think J.K. Dobbins will be a better NFL running back than Jonathan Taylor? Will he be the best back in this class? Leave your comment below.
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