2010 NFL Draft: Tennessee RB Montario Hardesty May Surprise Many at NFL Combine

Most football fans have heard running back names of players in the 2010 draft class including: CJ Spiller of Clemson, Jahvid Best of California, and Dexter McCluster of Ole Miss, but not many may know of Tennessee's senior running back Montario Hardesty.

A first year starter at Tennessee in 2009, Hardesty is a five-year college player who was granted medical hardship by the NCAA after suffering a knee injury his freshman year in 2005.

Hardesty broke onto the scene last year with 282 attempts for 1,345 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also caught 25 passes for 302 yards and one touchdown.

A big bruising running back with good speed, Hardesty is 6'1", 215 pounds, and has been clocked with a lowest 40-yard dash time of 4.47.

Even though he is a bigger back, Hardesty has some shifty moves and can elude defenders but also power through would-be tacklers as well.

ESPN's Todd McShay named Hardesty as his "Under the Radar" running back in the 2010 NFL Draft, and McShay also compared Hardesty to Redskins running back Clinton Portis since both of their running styles are incredibly similar.

Currently, projected as a third or fourth round pick, Hardesty could have improved his stock in the Senior Bowl, but he declined the invite to participate for unknown reasons.

This may put a lot of pressure on him to perform well at the NFL Combine, but seeing as how Hardesty has had to fight through adversity for much of his college career, he could be a name that jumps out and surprises many with a solid performance in various drills.

If Hardesty can perform well, look for NFL coaches and scouts to move his name up their respective draft boards and he could see himself moving up a round or two on draft day in April.