North Carolina A&T Aggies: Cohen Blazes at NFL Combine

Mar 3, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen goes through workout drills during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; North Carolina A&T running back Tarik Cohen goes through workout drills during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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North Carolina A&T Aggies star Tarik Cohen helped his case yesterday at the combine.

Despite a participating number of one, the North Carolina A&T Aggies manages to field a surprise of their own at the NFL Combine. That man was Tarik Cohen. Cohen has the reputation of being the smallest man at the combine, but now he has a new reputation as well.

The 5’6” 179 lbs running back ran the second fastest forty yard dash for running backs. He clocked a 4.42 time which was only behind the 4.37 of North Carolina’s T.J. Logan. His raw speed gives Cohen something to sell to NFL teams who may have missed watching FCS games before this point.

Cohen’s size makes him hard to find, and this aspect will only improve when he is working behind NFL-sized linemen. The Darren Sproles comparison is often overused for running backs this size, but Cohen could demonstrate similar usefulness for a team.

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One problem Cohen may run into is the mileage. He ran for 5600 rushing yards for the Aggies over his career. That is a MEAC record, but it also means that he got a lot of carries and took a lot of hits. This concern should be downplayed since it is unlikely that a team drafting Cohen would view him as a workhorse running back.

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Then there is the other aspects that we love from running backs. Those are vision and feet. Cohen has great control of his feet and made good cuts and adjustments against FCS competition. How good his movements are will truly be tested at the next level since Cohen simply looked to outrun foes once he had a gotten a play rolling. NFL defenders will be faster than the guys that he faced.

Still, things have to be looking up for Cohen so far at the Combine. The only way to know for sure will be announced on Draft Day.