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Auburn Running Back Corey Grant Won’t Win a Porsche, Will Be Drafted

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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Auburn running back Corey Grant won’t win a Porsche at the NFL Combine this month because he wasn’t invited to attend. However, he’ll still be drafted.

The NFL Combine begins later this month in Indianapolis, and there’s always a lot of talk about which player will run the fastest time in the 40-yard dash.

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This year, there’s an added bonus for the prospect that earns that distinction: Adidas is giving away three Porsche 911 Carrera cars to the three fastest players at the Combine, each worth $83,000.

Last week’s contest announcement comes on the heels of last year’s $100,000 prize for the fastest player at the event, won by former Oregon State receiver Brandin Cooks, who was drafted in the first round by the New Orleans Saints.

Unfortunately, former Auburn football player Corey Grant won’t be in the mix to win the car. The 5-foot-11, 205-pound running back wasn’t one of seven Tigers invited to the Combine.

(On a side note, Sammie Coates is expected to challenge for one of the top 40-yard dash times at the Combine, but because he has already signed a sponsorship deal with Under Armour, Coates is ineligible to win one of the cars).

When the Adidas Porsche contest was announced last week, Grant shared his disappointment through Twitter.

It’s easy to understand if Grant was frustrated by the contest and his lack of an invite. First, the NFL Combine is an opportunity for pro prospects to show what they can do in front of a sea of NFL decision makers including general managers, scouts and other talent evaluators.

“You’ve probably seen over the past years some guys slip up in the draft and you’re like, ‘Where did they come from? Who are they?'” Grant said in a recent interview with Duane Ranking of the Montgomery Advertiser. “Hopefully this year, maybe I can be one of those guys.”

Oct 11, 2014; Starkville, MS, USA; Auburn Tigers running back Corey Grant (20) carries the ball against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Second, Grant would have been nearly guaranteed to walk away with one of the cars. He has reportedly been clocked in the 40-yard dash at 4.18 seconds – which would break the NFL Combine record of 4.24 seconds set by Chris Johnson in 2008.

Following a solid 2013 season as a backup to current St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason in 2013, in which Grant ran for 647 yards, had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdowns and averaged an eye-popping 9.8 yards per carry, he entered 2014 with an opportunity to become the Tigers primary ball carrier.

Grant was listed as the co-starter for the Tigers most of the year, but saw significantly less action than backfield mate Cameron Artis-Payne, who led the SEC in rushing with 1,608 yards in 2014.

The Opelika, Alabama native ran for 176 yards combined in the first two games of the season, but his production trailed off from there and he finished with 364 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 60 carries. Grant also caught ten passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, and was the team’s top kick returner, but it likely wasn’t the senior season he envisioned.

Perhaps because of his lack of statistical production, Grant didn’t get the call to come to Indy. Instead, he’ll continue to train for the NFL Draft at D1 Sports Training outside of Nashville and if Grant puts up a 40-yard dash number anywhere close to the 4.2 or 4.3 range at Auburn’s pro day March 3, he’s a lock to get drafted and will have an opportunity to make an NFL roster as a kick returner and third down running back.

Interestingly enough, Grant’s lack of overall production when compared to some of the higher rated running back prospects could be a good thing.

Grant has only 135 career carries (that went for a remarkable 1,040 yards – a 7.7 yards per carry average), which means his body has taken less than a pounding than nearly all of the big-name running backs in this year’s draft class. Because of the ever-decreasing career span of NFL running backs, Grant’s fresh legs could help him to become a more productive pro than he was as a college player.

Should that happen, Corey Grant can buy his own Porsche.

Next: 2014 Auburn Recruiting Class Player Profiles

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