Scouts, Inc.'s JC Shurbutt reports from the Under Armour Combine this weekend, where Running Backs stole the show. Be sure to check back all week for stats, photos and more recaps as the Under Armour Combine Tour heads west this month!
BRADENTON, Fla. -- A group of running backs that featured some of the top prospects in the country, including versatile star James Wilder Jr. (Tampa, Fla./Plant), and one of the top 2012 prospects in the Sunshine State highlighted the Bradenton Under Armour Combine on Sunday at IMG Academies.
One of the big questions about Wilder, who has nearly 50 scholarship offers to his credit and is one of the top overall prospects in the country, is what position he will play in college. Equally good on both sides of the ball, Wilder could easily be an elite linebacker prospect as well. The 6-foot-2, 215-pounder worked out at running back on Sunday and that appears to be the position he is leaning toward playing in college.
Wilder ran a 4.45 short shuttle and was impressive during position drills and one-on-one work. Combine that with the work he did on the field last season, nearly 1,000 rushing yards, going both ways and leading his team to the Florida Class 5A championship, and it's clear that he's one of the top prospects in America for the 2011 cycle.
"Coming out here was a great experience," Wilder said. "I love competition. Coming out here to compete and meet new friends and new people. Also, I enjoyed being trained by people that played in the NFL and know what it takes to make it to the next level."
Mike Blakely (Bradenton, Fla./Manatee) also has a national offer list. He helped his team reach the Florida Class 5A finals, where they played to and lost to Wilder's Plant team. In the state semifinals, he and his teammates upset top-ranked Saint Thomas Aquinas.
"Beating them, I don't want to say it was a dream come true because we knew we could do it," Blakely said. "But everybody else didn't think so, so we put all we had into that game and unfortunately did not have enough for Plant in the finals."
The 5-8, 193-pound Blakely is a versatile back who has good hands and can play the slot if needed.
Class of 2012 standout Matt Jones (Seffner, Fla./Armwood) is a taller (6-2½) running back who is a power runner with excellent feet. He's younger, but he is a team player. When asked about his early success on the football field, he gave the credit to his offensive line.
"I just wanted to come out here and compete with everybody," Jones said. "(Wilder) is one of my big competitors in (Hillsborough County), so it was good to compete against him."
Fullback prospect Hunter Joyner (Tampa, Fla./Catholic) had an impressive showing. The 5-11, 249-pounder threw up 33 reps of 185 pounds on the bench press and broad jumped 9 feet, 7 inches. He also displayed good quickness and hands during position drills and one-on-one/7-on-7 work.
Joyner will play tailback for Tampa Catholic, which produced ESPNU 150 prospects Christian Green (Florida State) and Chaz Green (Florida) in the 2010 class. North Carolina, Louisville, Florida and Georgia Tech are the schools in the mix for his services. His brother, Kameron Joyner, plays at Louisville.
Class of 2013 running back Adam Lane (Winter Haven, Fla./Winter Haven) is the younger brother of Rutgers tight end D.C. Jefferson. Lane made some good plays during one-on-ones and shined in the position drills. He played a good bit for Winter Haven last season and is one to watch in the future.