J.K. Dobbins broke a 25-year-old Ohio State record last fall, one that was held by a Heisman Trophy winner.
He still felt slighted.
“I always feel like I have something to prove,” Dobbins said. “Even when I ran for 2,000 yards, I felt I had to prove a little more.”
Rushing for 2,003 yards during his junior season, a mark that surpassed Eddie George’s previous total, Dobbins bypassed his final season of eligibility to enter the NFL draft.
If he was searching for more motivation as he headed into the professional ranks, it came Friday night.
Four running backs were picked ahead of Dobbins, who was ultimately nabbed 55th by the Baltimore Ravens during the second round of the draft.
The slide came while Dobbins had limited opportunities to work out for teams in the leadup to the draft.
At the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis in February, he sat out on-field drills as he was still recovering from a high ankle sprain and individual workouts for teams were later canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
That included Ohio State’s pro day last month that would have given him an opportunity to run in the 40-yard dash.
He still had left teams with plenty of game footage to evaluate over his college career.
Starting since he was a freshman in 2017, Dobbins, a former four-star recruit from La Grange, Texas, ran for 4,459 yards during his college career.
Last season, he finished sixth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy and was also a finalist for the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back.
He followed former teammates who went in the first round Thursday ? defensive end Chase Young and cornerback Jeff Okudah, who were drafted second and third overall, respectively, and cornerback Damon Arnette, the No. 19 pick.
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