Eagles Could Go Bowling at Running Back

INDIANAPOLIS - Bowling balls are what the Eagles should be looking for in the draft specifically at the running back position, someone who can knock over tacklers like so many pins in an alley.

Jordan Howard filled that role nicely last year, but he is a free agent and probably one the Eagles won’t look to bring back when free agency begins on March 16, though, if he is still available after the draft, maybe then.

Running backs took to the podium at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday and this group comes in all shapes and sizes and skill sets.

Two bowling balls stood out:

Michigan’s Hassan Haskins and Florida’s Dameon Pierce.

“I feel like I’m a power back,” said the 6-1, 220-pound Haskins, “but I have everything in the tool bag. I like being the hammer not the nail. I like going through people.”

Pierce, who is a rock solid 220 pounds draped over a 5-9 frame, was certainly one of the more engaging interviews of the day.

Asked to describe his running style, he said: “Angry, up tempo.”

Then he laughed and added, “All with good intentions.”

Pierce had less than 100 carries during his final season at the University of Florida, and he was ready for that question.

“We had a loaded backfield, man, we had a lot of talent, bro,” he said. “When it’s a lot of talent you want to get a lot of guys in space, you want to do a lot of different things with a lot of guys. 

"At the end of the day, in the running back room, we’re all brothers, we’re all well-knit and we understand our role, so if I’m on the field, they’re cheering me on, if they’re on the field, I’m cheering them on. We have a good understanding of what was going on and what was expected of us.”

Most prospects fancy themselves all-around backs, and perhaps they are.

Michigan State’s Kenneth Walker showed he is this past season and said: “If need to run a route out of the backfield, I can do that, or if I need to get a yard on third down, I can do that, too.”

In the NFL, though, pass-catching is also at a premium and one of the more underrated traits is pass blocking, something some struggle with when they enter the league.

“The game’s kind of going toward passing, I feel like I catch really well,” said Texas A&M’s Isaiah Spiller. “I didn’t drop a ball this year. I would like to show that (Friday) and continue to show that throughout my career. Helping teams out on third down is really important so I feel if I can do that, my value will be really high.”

Pierce pointed that he didn’t have a drop this season, either.

“I had 17 targets 17 catches, no drops,” he said.

Pierce also touted his pass blocking.

"The quarterback was never on the ground when I was in there, so must've done something right," he said.

Alabama’s Brian Robinson sounded like he is up to the pass-block challenge. At 6-2, 226, he has the ability to be a bowling ball, too.

“I take pride in pass protection, just as much as I take pride running the ball,” he said. “I’m one of those backs who doesn’t want to be responsible for my quarterback being on the ground, my quarterback getting sacked, or a pressure on my quarterback. I don’t want to be responsible, so I take more responsibility in pass protection.

“I also try to be there to clean up with guys coming free. Not just thinking about my responsibility on a play, just thinking about how I can protect the quarterback and keep the quarterback off the ground because in football, things happen, guys come free off the edge, guys slip a block. I always want to be available to help if I’m in position to do it.”