Getty Central Florida RB Andre Killins Jr. could turn into a steal for the Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent.
There has been a ton of talk about the veteran running backs the Eagles need. But, what about the rookies they have?
Philadelphia invested two roster spots on a pair of promising young rushers who went undrafted. Both fleet-footed players racked up many accolades and chunk yardage in productive college stints. Now they are gunning for permanent NFL homes, with certifiable chips on their shoulders.
Michael Warren II rumbled for 2,918 yards in 38 games for Cincinnati before leaving school after his junior year. He averaged 5.2 yards-per-carry in three years for the Bearcats while accumulating 37 total touchdowns (34 on the ground). The bruising back — nicknamed “The Tank” and listed at 5-foot-11, 222 pounds — averaged 109.5 yards per game over his last seven games in college but still went undrafted despite some scouts projecting him to go in either the fifth or sixth round.
No worries, according to Ashley Bastock, he’s using it as motivation to succeed at the next level. He has scanned the Eagles’ roster and knows there are only have four running backs on the depth chart. That spells opportunity for Warren.
“It put a little chip on my shoulder,” Warren said about not getting drafted, via the Toledo Blade. “A lot of guys got drafted, a lot of guys got signed, but everybody has that one thing in common where you have to go out and prove yourself all over again to the veterans, to the coaches, basically to the world.”
Warren was a legendary high school football player in his native Ohio, too. He earned the coveted title of Mr. Football as a senior in 2016. He rushed for 7,619 career yards and 105 touchdowns at Central Catholic High School in Toldeo.
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Adrian Killins Jr.: Fastest Man in College Football
There has never been a lack of confidence on the part of Adrian Killins Jr. The former speedster out of Central Florida once took shots at Auburn, and the SEC in general, for not respecting his speed. He told them they might be in for a “rude awakening” before the Peach Bowl in 2017.
Killins’ comments were pawned off as innocent bravado but he does play with a noticeable chip on his shoulder. At 5-foot-7 and 171 pounds, he has relied on his track-star speed to do the talking. He was clocked at 4.27 seconds in unofficial team testing, although he never received an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine.
Video: @ADRIANKILLINS9 on what it will take for #UCF to upend Auburn in the @CFAPeachBowl Jan. 1 “Auburn hasn’t seen any speed like we have here.”
It seemed odd for a guy who had rushed for 2,459 career yards at UCF (fifth all-time) and 4,361 career all-purpose yards (fourth all-time). His 34 total touchdowns are the fourth-most in program history.
Like Warren, he’ll enter Eagles training camp extra motivated to earn a roster spot. He’s been proving people wrong for a long time, per Chris Hays.
“In life, a lot of people have chips on their shoulder, no matter if you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or if you are the fourth running back or you’re the employee who just started working at McDonald’s,” Killins said, via the Orlando Sentinel. “I know what it takes to get over those hurdles and obstacles and just to keep fighting and knowing that nothing is given. Everything is earned.”
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