Tyrone Goard: 5 Things You Need to Know About the Former Eastern Kentucky WR

Of the small-school prospects in the 2013 NFL draft, few have generated as much buzz as Eastern Kentucky receiver Tyrone Goard. 

Standing 6'4" and possessing NFL-ready straight-line speed, Goard tortured the Ohio Valley Conference to the tune of 24 touchdowns over the past three seasons. For his efforts, he was one of the only FBS players invited to the NFL combine. 

Now, Goard has hopes of hearing his name called at some point during the 2013 NFL draft.

Here are the five things you need to know about the former Eastern Kentucky star receiver.  

Background

Full Name: Tyrone Goard

Birthday: April 30, 1989

Hometown: Charleston, W. Va.

High School: Capital 

Year: Redshirt senior

According to his Eastern Kentucky profile, Goard was a second-team all-state selection during his senior season of high school. He caught 53 passes for 879 yards and eight touchdowns and also intercepted three passes on defense. He also averaged nearly 12 points a game on the school basketball team. 

Per Rivals.com, Goard wasn't a ranked prospect and received interest from only Marshall and East Carolina among FCS schools. 

Statistics

Goard redshirted in 2008 and then played in only three games as a freshman. He didn't record any statistics. 

During his sophomore season, Goard caught 20 passes for 315 yards (both good for second on the team) and five touchdowns. 

He finally put his mark on the Ohio Valley Conference in 2011, when he caught a league-high 11 scores on just 39 receptions. He also led the team in catches, receiving yards and yards per catch (16.1). According to his school profile, Goard had five straight games with touchdown catches and six plays of at least 35 yards. He was named second-team All-OVC. 

Goard's senior season saw him post four games of 100 or more yards receiving. He finished with 41 catches for 900 yards and eight scores, pushing his career totals for receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns into the top 10 in school history.

Year	GP/GS	REC	YRD	TD
2009	3/0	0	0	0
2010	11/6	20	315	5
2011	12/11	39	627	11
2012	10/10	41	900	8
Total	36/27	100	1,842	24

Draft Process

Measurables

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 205 lbs.

Arm Length: 34"

Hand Size: 8.75"

Combine Results

40-yard dash: 4.50 seconds

Bench press: 10 reps

Broad jump: 123"

Vertical jump: 36"

Three-cone drill: 6.90 seconds

20-yard shuttle: 4.39 seconds

Goard was invited to the East-West Shrine Game in January. 

One of just a few FCS players to also be invited to the NFL combine, Goard chose to sit on his combine numbers and do position drills only at his pro day.

According to Gil Brandt of NFL.com, Goard ran the 60-yard shuttle in 11.48 seconds. 

Interesting Facts

According to his school profile, Goard's touchdown catch against Jacksonville State was the top play on ESPN's SportsCenter in November of 2011. Here's a video of the play, where Goard makes a ridiculous catch while laying on his back in the end zone.

Goard became the first player from Eastern Kentucky to participate at the NFL combine since Antwaun Molden, who was eventually selected in the third round by the Houston Texans in the 2008 draft.

In late September 2012, Goard caught seven passes for a career-high 175 yards and a school-record four touchdowns against UT-Martin. One of the scores was a 78-yarder, his career long. 

Observations

NFL.com did not give Goard a draftable grade, but they did heap on the praise for his potential ceiling at the next level. 

After comparing Goard to Armon Binns, a former 6'3", undrafted free-agent receiver, NFL.com gave this quick scouting report:

"

Goard’s lean frame, average overall speed, and occasional concentration issues might give NFL scouts some pause, but his potential as an upside project could have a team select him late.

"

CBS Sports projects Goard as a seventh-round pick or priority free agent. Dane Brugler provided this brief scouting report:

"

STRENGTHS: Uses his length (34? arms) and natural size (6-4) to pluck the ball out of the air. Good height for the position with room to add some muscle/bulk.

WEAKNESSES: Inconsistent, drops too many catchable passes. Experienced player, but limited exposure against NFL-caliber talent, and it showed during an up and down week at the Shrine Game.

"

Peter Schrager of Fox Sports named Goard as one of his "five small-school guys you'll know by next week" before the NFL combine. 

He had this to say about Goard:

"

In Goard, there’s a 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame with tremendous speed. Again, as is the case with Gaines, he’s raw. He only caught 41 balls at Eastern Kentucky last season, but after a very impressive week of East-West Shrine Game practices, he’s getting more and more buzz as a big upside project. A burner with height, Goard could be one of those surprise second day picks after a strong week in Indy.

"

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller did not include Goard in his final seven-round mock draft.