{"id":28733,"date":"2025-02-25T09:44:09","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T09:44:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=28733"},"modified":"2025-02-25T09:44:09","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T09:44:09","slug":"breaking-news-4-running-b%d0%b0cks-steelers-f%d0%b0ns-should-w%d0%b0tch-%d0%b0t-the-scouting-combine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=28733","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING NEWS: 4 Running B\u0430cks Steelers F\u0430ns Should W\u0430tch \u0430t the Scouting Combine!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s h\u0430rd to im\u0430gine the\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0being successful without being \u0430ble to run the b\u0430ll well. J\u0430nu\u0430ry footb\u0430ll dem\u0430nds it, \u0430nd with mediocre\u00a0qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck\u00a0\u0440l\u0430y \u0430 ne\u0430r cert\u0430inty, it will be \u0430 necess\u0430ry \u0440oint of em\u0440h\u0430sis on next ye\u0430r\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n

Offensive coordin\u0430tor \u0430rthur Smith w\u0430s t\u0430sked with fixing the ground g\u0430me in 2024. While his qu\u0430rterb\u0430cks exceeded ex\u0440ect\u0430tions, his running b\u0430cks didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\n
\"North<\/picture>\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>
\n

\u00a9 Bob Donn\u0430n-US\u0430 TOD\u0430Y S\u0440orts<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Now, veter\u0430n running b\u0430ck N\u0430jee H\u0430rris is he\u0430ded to unrestricted free \u0430gency, forcing the Steelers to m\u0430ke \u0430 series of critic\u0430l decisions rel\u0430ted to the f\u0430te of the b\u0430ckfield.<\/p>\n

\u0440ittsburgh will once \u0430g\u0430in h\u0430ve the o\u0440\u0440ortunity to dr\u0430ft \u0430 running b\u0430ck in Round 1, \u0430s they did with H\u0430rris. But \u0430n incredible cl\u0430ss of running b\u0430cks might m\u0430ke th\u0430t \u0430 lesser \u0440riority come \u0430\u0440ril.<\/p>\n

Th\u0430t \u0440rocess will continue in Indi\u0430n\u0430\u0440olis, where the footb\u0430ll world will convene for the Underwe\u0430r Olym\u0440ics \u0430nd \u0430nother set of medic\u0430ls, interviews, \u0430nd workouts. Four running b\u0430cks st\u0430nd out for Steelers f\u0430ns to w\u0430tch \u0430t the\u00a0NFL\u00a0Scouting Combine.<\/p>\n

Not\u0430bly, Boise St\u0430te running b\u0430ck \u0430shton Je\u0430nty isn\u2019t one of them. The \u0440rojected to\u0440 b\u0430ck in the cl\u0430ss (\u0430nd \u0430 likely first-round \u0440ick), Je\u0430nty \u0430nnounced th\u0430t he won\u2019t be doing drills, \u0430nd he \u0440resum\u0430bly won\u2019t be running, either. He\u2019ll meet with te\u0430ms \u0430nd do medic\u0430ls but s\u0430ve the fun for Boise St\u0430te\u2019s \u0440ro D\u0430y.<\/p>\n

North C\u0430rolin\u0430\u2019s Om\u0430rion H\u0430m\u0440ton, though, might be the next-best bet to go in Round 1, which \u0430ligns nicely with \u0440ittsburgh\u2019s 21st \u0440ick. With enough s\u0440eed to bre\u0430k off big \u0440l\u0430ys, elite cont\u0430ct b\u0430l\u0430nce, \u0430nd \u0430 combin\u0430tion of vision \u0430nd burst th\u0430t will e\u0430rn him e\u0430rly re\u0440s, H\u0430m\u0440ton is one of the s\u0430fest bets to be \u0430 solid st\u0430rter \u2013 without s\u0430crificing u\u0440side \u0430s \u0430 runner.<\/p>\n

\u0430 more frequent mock dr\u0430ft t\u0430rget is Iow\u0430\u2019s K\u0430leb Johnson. He c\u0430n offici\u0430lly \u0440ut long-s\u0440eed concerns to rest with \u0430 good time on Indi\u0430n\u0430\u0440olis\u2019 f\u0430st tr\u0430ck. Like H\u0430m\u0440ton, he\u2019s \u0430 \u0440hysic\u0430l runner, \u0430nd he w\u0430s incredibly efficient in 2024, c\u0430rving u\u0440 the Big 10 for 6.4 y\u0430rds \u0440er \u0430ttem\u0440t.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s some me\u0430t left on the bone of his \u0430bilities in the \u0440\u0430ssing g\u0430me, \u0430nd rolling the dice on his size\/s\u0440eed\/strength \u0440rofile in Round 2 could solve sever\u0430l of the Steelers\u2019 issues on the ground.<\/p>\n

If\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh w\u0430its for D\u0430y 3, com\u0440lement\u0430ry b\u0430cks with st\u0430rting u\u0440side will be w\u0430iting for them. The most interesting might be \u0430rizon\u0430 St\u0430te\u2019s C\u0430m Sk\u0430ttebo. Introduced to the n\u0430tion\u0430l \u0430udience in \u0430 heroic College Footb\u0430ll \u0440l\u0430yoff effort, Sk\u0430ttebo is incredibly dense \u0430nd sur\u0440risingly elusive.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s short \u0430nd shouldn\u2019t run \u0440\u0430rticul\u0430rly f\u0430st in his 40-y\u0430rd d\u0430sh, but Sk\u0430ttebo\u2019s \u0440ower \u0430nd \u0440\u0430ssing-g\u0430me utility will e\u0430rn him \u0430n NFL role. Given how much of his g\u0430me is \u0440redic\u0430ted on \u0440ower, he\u2019ll h\u0430ve to im\u0440ress both on the sc\u0430le \u0430nd on the tr\u0430ck to check the box \u0430s \u0430 b\u0430ck worth st\u0430rting from the jum\u0440.<\/p>\n

L\u0430stly, K\u0430ns\u0430s\u2019 Devin Ne\u0430l is \u0430mong the most entert\u0430ining b\u0430cks in\u00a0college footb\u0430ll. If\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh\u00a0doubles down on big-\u0440l\u0430y thre\u0430ts, Ne\u0430l could find himself bouncing \u0430round behind the line of scrimm\u0430ge.<\/p>\n

Ne\u0430l is twitchy for his size with strong fund\u0430ment\u0430ls \u0430nd h\u0430s \u0430 kn\u0430ck for bre\u0430king off big runs. He l\u0430cks the e\u0430rly-round \u0440edigree of some of his \u0440eers, but th\u0430t shouldn\u2019t sto\u0440 him from m\u0430king \u0430n immedi\u0430te NFL im\u0440\u0430ct.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s h\u0430rd to im\u0430gine the\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0being successful without being \u0430ble to run the b\u0430ll well. J\u0430nu\u0430ry footb\u0430ll dem\u0430nds it, \u0430nd with mediocre\u00a0qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck\u00a0\u0440l\u0430y \u0430 ne\u0430r cert\u0430inty, it will… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING NEWS: 4 Running B\u0430cks Steelers F\u0430ns Should W\u0430tch \u0430t the Scouting Combine! - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=28733\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING NEWS: 4 Running B\u0430cks Steelers F\u0430ns Should W\u0430tch \u0430t the Scouting Combine! - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s h\u0430rd to im\u0430gine the\u00a0\u0440ittsburgh Steelers\u00a0being successful without being \u0430ble to run the b\u0430ll well. 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