Running at the Combine

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Ohio State's Beanie Wells showed off his explosiveness by propelling his 235 pounds nearly 11 feet on the standing long jump. Wells is a first-rounder more than likely, but probably not a top ten pick, which would take him out of the 49ers' equation, unless the team trades down. Actually the 49ers would benefit from trading back. The draft seems fairly stacked in the first round in the team's area of needs: tackle, pass rusher, secondary, and lastly, running back.

Gartrell Johnson cut quite the image at the combine.

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Gartrell Johnson cut quite the image at the combine.

Without trading down, the 49ers could still get a solid first-day running back. Liberty's Rashard Jennings had an excellent Senior Bowl, looked quick through cone drills on Sunday, ran a 4.49 forty and weighs 231 pounds. He also started his freshman year at Pitt but transferred to Liberty to be close to his diabetic father. He caught 24 passes his senior year, and rushed for 1,500 yards while playing with a shattered pinkie. Fullbacks abound and nearly all of them will be available after the first three rounds. Colorado State Gartrell Johnson's flowing dreads and Robert Newhouse thighs made him standout. It looks as if the 219-pounder could fly through ree-bar and cinderblock without breaking stride.

Back to Jennings: he was also in the top five among running backs in the three-cone drill, and the 20-yard shuttle run, which nearly qualify him officially as a beast. He was second in running backs with 29 reps of 225 pounds at the bench press. This guy could be a heck of a sleeper and is projected to go in the second round.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | February 23 2009 at 10:20 PM

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