Rutgers Football: Brandon Bing and Joe Lefeged Are a Step Closer To NFL Rosters

Brandon Bing was not invited to the NFL Combine, but that has not curbed his professional football aspirations one bit.

Since the fall of 2010, Bing has been very disciplined in the weight room, already adding 11 pounds of muscle to his 5’11" frame in approximately seven months. 

181 pounds is not an irregular weight for an NFL cornerback, but scouts would like to see some breakaway speed for players that size. 

Bing has always been known for his impressive speed and showcased it by clocking in 4.33 and 4.35 40-yard dash times. 

Anything 4.4 and under is considered elite speed in the 40, but Bing remained critical of his performance. 

"I ran what I ran. Even with the extra 10 or 11 pounds I thought I would be even faster. Everyone was telling me 'good job.' But I know it could have been better."

The corner may have been expecting better since he once ran a 4.28 40 at Rutgers. Nevertheless, Bing earned private workouts for two unnamed NFL teams for his efforts. 

Bing, only a full-fledged starter in 2010, was behind the McCourty brothers (Devin and Jason) for three seasons.

Devin was a Second Team All-Pro on the New England Patriots as a rookie in 2010, while Jason has been a starter for the Tennessee Titans since 2009. 

Both of the brothers were on hand for the Rutgers pro day, as well as fan favorites Ray Rice and Brian Leonard.  

Despite a solid performance from Bing, Rutgers top prospect in the NFL draft this year remains strong safety Joe Lefeged. 

Lefeged did little besides the three-cone drill on pro day, where he posted a solid 6.72 time. 

The reason being Lefeged already impressed in Indiannapolis last month at the NFL Combine. 

Working out with cornerbacks, Lefeged posted a 4.43 40 time, the fifth best overall, and finished in the top 15 with his vertical leap and broad jump.

Lefeged worked out with Jason McCourty prior to the Combine, since his training facility was conveniently located in Nashville, Tenn.

One of the 2010 team captains for Rutgers, Lefeged is currently being regarded as a fourth-round pick. 

The consensus seems to be that he is not a real ball hawk or a particularly hard hitter, but he is an effective blitzer and knows how to finish plays once he is around the football. 

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano echoed the second sentiment when talking about his former player.

“I think he can definitely be an effective player in that league,” Schiano said. “The thing that always impressed me was as he became the starting safety as a sophomore, we kept putting him down as a nickel back because he’s such a good blitzer and such a good underneath player. That’s valuable.”

Still, many consider Lefeged’s biggest appeal right now to be his abilities as a kick returner.

Lefeged broke the Rutgers record for average yards per kick return, with an impressive 24.9 yards per return. The strong safety was very reliable on special teams, amassing 948 yards on 38 kickoff returns.

Other Scarlet Knights who participated in the prodDay events were OL Howard Barbieri, DE Sorie Bayoh, punter Teddy Dellaganna, DE Jonathan Freeny, LB Antonio Lowery, DT Charlie Noonan and DE Alex Silvestro.