Stephens-Howling moving on after career at Pitt

LeSean McCoy isn’t the only former Pitt running back gearing up for the NFL Draft next… LeSean McCoy isn’t the only former Pitt running back gearing up for the NFL Draft next weekend. LaRod Stephens-Howling is also hoping to hear his name called April 25 or 26.

Stephens-Howling was impressive at Pitt’s pro day last month, running the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds and bench pressing 225 pounds 18 times.

Yet, Stephens-Howling thought he still could have turned in a better performance.

‘I think I did good, but I tweaked my hamstring during the second 40,’ said Stephens-Howling. ‘So I think I could have done a lot better.’

Stephens-Howling, standing at 5-foot-7 and 180 pounds, projects not only as a running back but as a kick returner at the next level, in large part because of’ his superior agility and quickness that made him so touch to tackle during his career at Pitt.

‘As I was telling the scouts, I’m very disappointed that I couldn’t do the shuttle and cone drills. Those are my two best things with my quickness,’ said Stephens-Howling. ‘That would’ve brought it up a little for me, but I think I still did pretty well.’

Stephens-Howling had many successes in his four-year career at Pitt. He led the Panthers in rushing during both his freshman and sophomore years. During his first year on campus, Stephens-Howling ran for 434 yards, but no touchdowns. In his sophomore season, he carried the ball 178 times for 893 yards, averaging an impressive five yards per carry, and scoring a team-high nine touchdowns.

Even after McCoy came to Pitt and Stephens-Howling lost a majority of his carries, he continued to be efficient out of the backfield. During his junior year, Stephens-Howling rushed only 78 times, exactly 100 less than the previous year, but he still averaged 4.1 yards per carry. Just this past season, he rushed for 312 yards, once again averaging 4.1 yards per carry.

Draft experts are projecting Stephens-Howling as a sixth- or seventh-round pick at best, but his most likely route to the NFL could be through undrafted free agency. ESPN.com has Stephens-Howling listed as the Draft’s 38th-best running back, and NFLdraftscout.com listed him as the 41st-best running back prospect.

Even though he’s not rated highly, he has drawn an interest from a few NFL teams. Stephens-Howling is scheduled to make a visit to both the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals before the Draft. The Cardinals are expected to take a running back, but are thought to use their first-round pick on one of the top backs in the Draft. The Seahawks are not looking for a starting back, but could use some depth at the position. They also have a combined six picks in the last two rounds of the Draft.

While backs as small as Stephens-Howling are fairly uncommon in the NFL, scouts are comparing him to Chargers running back Darren Sproles, a player who causes nightmares for opposing teams with his speed and reliable hands out of the backfield. Sproles started out returning kicks before splitting carries with LaDainian Tomlinson last year.

The two don’t just have a tiny frame in common, though. Stephens-Howling is also an elusive runner who can give a team some versatility. Even if Stephens-Howling isn’t considered a top back in the Draft, he could return kicks. And if he must start out on special teams before getting a chance as a feature back, like Sproles, he’ll certainly take it.

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