Even following season-ending injury, Cal's Jahvid Best goes pro

by Dan Kadar on Jan 2, 2010 6:05 PM EST in 2010 NFL Draft

California junior running back Jahvid Best will forgo his senior year and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. He is considered a fringe first-round pick.

Source: San Jose Mercury News.

Best rushed for 2,668 yards and scored 29 touchdowns in three college seasons. As a freshman, Best split carries with Justin Forsett. As a junior, Best missed part of the season after suffering a serious concussion and back injury against Oregon State on Nov. 7. Those injuries caused Best to miss the remainder of the season and Cal's bowl game.

When Best played, he was electric. On his career, he averaged a ridiculous 7.8 yards per carry. Best had 29 career rushing touchdowns, but he is also a good receiver. He finished his career as a receiver with 62 receptions for 533 yards and six scores.

There are some questions about Best's legitimate height. He was listed at 5-foot-10 by Cal, but some believe he's 5-foot-8 or 5-foot-9. Because of his size, Best isn't at his ...ahem... best running inside. He's also inexperienced as a blocker.

But Best's speed and quickness can't be coached up. in the open field he's hard to catch and his vision is excellent. A team with a big running back would do well by selecting Best.

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Smart Move

If he were to come back he could risk further injury and could hurt his career. Some teams will question if he is healthy or not yet, but at good showing at the combine will help that. In my opinion, that whole size of the running back is bs. Chris Johnson, MoJo, and Ray Rice have shown that even a small bodied running back can be successful. He’s got great speed and great vision. He can work on his blocking. He still has first round talent and has a great attitude. I still see him going by the middle to the later part of the first round.

by macjack09 on Jan 2, 2010 7:11 PM EST reply actions