Minnesota RB David Cobb Establishing NFL Draft Status

Oct 25, 2014; Champaign, IL, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back David Cobb (27) runs the ball and is tackled by Illinois Fighting Illini punter Ryan Tucker (40) in the first quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Looking at this year’s crop of college running backs, it’s going to be easy for a guy like David Cobb of Minnesota to get lost in the shuffle. Even in his own conference, Cobb is an afterthought compared to guys like Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman, and Ameer Abdullah.

On Saturday afternoon, Cobb has a chance to put on some really nice tape for NFL scouts against a stout Iowa defense, one that rarely ever gives up rushing touchdowns. He faces a tall task on Saturday, but the body of work Cobb has put together indicates to me that the senior tailback is primed for a very nice NFL career.

At 5’11” 229 pounds, Cobb has a really big body for a running back that NFL teams will be really excited about as a between the tackles runner, but averaging over five yards per carry in each of the last two years, Cobb has proven he’s more than just a physical back. In addition to falling forward after every hit, Cobb drives his legs well and does a good job of picking up yards after contact.

What I saw from Cobb against Michigan in the video provided by DraftBreakdown.com was a really surprising burst, something you might not have expected from a guy his size. When he hit the second and third level, he put on some nice jets for a big back, and I think he might run better than expected in testing this offseason.

With two straight years of 1,000 yards or better already, Cobb is building off of a really nice senior season that features two games over 200 yards rushing and this game against Michigan in which he totals 233 yards.

There are a ton of backs to like coming out of college this year, but we can’t forget about Cobb, who is doing some damage himself. He has an intriguing matchup against one of the top defenses in the Big Ten and the 19th ranked scoring defense in college football overall.