May 10, 2008
The Green Bay Packers signed three of their 19 tryout players this past week. RB Justin Beaver was not one of them.
If Beaver makes an NFL team, it will be a story worth telling. The 5-foot-7, 191-pound runningback out of Division III UW-Whitewater is stereotyped as too small to play runningback at the NFL level.
There aren't a lot of jobs around the NFL for backs that size and not many teams are looking at him because of it.
All of his other numbers from Wisconsin's Pro Day, however, match up favorably with the third overall pick in the draft: Darren Mcfadden. Beaver ran everything fast, with the biggest difference in the 40-yard dash where he ran a solid 4.45 to Mcfaddens 4.33.
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He had quicker times in the 20-yard shuttle and three-cone and the three-cone drill. Beaver's 25 reps of 225 pounds stand out compared to Mcfadden's 13.
"Kind of my whole life I've been given one shot and like I said, that's all I've ever asked for, is one shot. That and my preparation have put me in this spot where all I need is one shot to catch someone's eye. He (Ted Thompson) knows I'm a hard worker and give 110 percent. That's exactly what I'm all about and what I'm going to do. I'm going to try to make it impossible for them to send me home Sunday.”
Unfortunately for Beaver, he was sent home, but he still has Packers’ Head Coach Mike McCarthy pulling for him.
"I would love for him to have an opportunity because he's been impressive," McCarthy said.
Beaver, who rushed for a DIV III record 2,455 yards last season, might be in a better position in two weeks because NFL owners may increase the roster limit to 86 players.
"I have worked extremely hard for the ability that I have and put a lot of effort, a lot of pain, a lot of sweat and a lot of tears into things that I have right now," Beaver said last Thursday.
Here's hoping his work pays off.
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3 months ago
Good stuff
JF
3 months ago
gren bay be crazy if they dont sign this guy to the squad
3 months ago
He definitely deserves to play in the NFL. What he lacks in size, he makes up for it everywhere else. Wouldn't a smaller back be harder to tackle too?
He has a linebacker mentality as a runningback. He would rather hit guys than just scamper out-of-bounds. Sounds like a guy you put in for short yardage and goalline situations (the difference makers in an NFL game). Not only would GB be crazy, but the entire NFL would be too if he doesn't end up somewhere by July.
3 months ago
Beaver actually ran a 4.41/4.45 at his Pro Day and ran the short shuttle in a blazing 3.96 seconds which is almost surreal. The short shuttle shows burst and cutting ability. I remember last season it was reported that no player at the NFL combine went sub 4 in the short shuttle and only 3 total in all the Pro Day timings. This yrs. avg time at the NFL combine for a RB was 4.57 (draftdaddy blog), the median time for a "starting" NFL HB is about 4.5 by my research. 4.41/4.45 is definitely more than solid! Plus this guy put up a LB like 25 in the bench.
The Pack's nuts not too sign this guy w/ the lack of depth they have at RB. Beaver will be better than Lumpkin, Herron, Morency & Wynn when it's all said and done! And Brandon Jackson looked lousy in his rookie season and has a lot of work to do to become a star. So the Pack has one proven RB (Grant). Like I said we're nuts not to sign him!
Some slower NFL famous RBs to give you an idea of the media myth that all starting NFL RBs are running 4.4s and 4.3s. NFLdraftscout.com: Frank Gore 4.62, Travis Henry 4.61, Larry Johnson 4.6, Shaun Alexander 4.58, Jamal Lewis 4.58, Brian Westbrook 4.57, Lawrency Maroney 4.55. Draftees just from last yr. Tony Hunt 4.68, Michael Bush 4.62 college timed, Ahmad Bradshaw 4.6, Brandon Jackson 4.57, Darius Walker 4.56, Kenny Irons 4.55, , 5'9 guys Ken Darby and Nate Illoa 4.64 & 4.78 who made a roster and practice squad respectively. Other huge stars Terrell Davis and Emmitt Smith were reportedly 4.6 guys. Mike Hart is 5'9 and was a 5th round pick this yr. and ran a 4.67.
3 months ago
They may have cut him for roster size reasons. Once players start dropping during the heat of training camp, he might get another look. I'd like to see him get another chance. It's always great to see the underdog succeed.
2 months ago
Hmmm... Hey Rick, how many of those guys that you just named are white?????
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