Sep 20, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers running back David Cobb (27) rushes with the ball in the second quarter against the San Jose State Spartans at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
The Baltimore Ravens have made it no secret that they intend to pair a young running back, obtained via the upcoming draft, with recently resigned incumbent Justin Forsett. The team has also met with a bevy of draft eligible backs since the offseason began. Among them is Minnesota’s David Cobb, a player the Ravens met with at the Scouting Combine and Senior Bowl, and are reportedly very interested in as sources have told the Baltimore Sun.
Cobb, a projected third round pick, is an intriguing prospect as a downhill runner. He is coming off a highly productive 2014 season that saw him rush 314 times for 1626 yards (5.2 avg) and 13 touchdowns. His yardage total set a Minnesota school record for a single season. It was Cobb’s second consecutive season as the Gopher’s rushing leader, as he ran for 1202 yards and 7 touchdowns in 2013. And he wasn’t even the starter until the final six games of the season.
David Cobb is a compact and powerful runner at 5’11” and 229 pounds. He has good vision and is very decisive in the open field, routinely making defenders miss. 54% of his yards came after contact over the last two seasons, an extremely impressive number. Cobb changes pace effortlessly, has good speed, and finishes each run with strong leg drive.
Cobb draws a lot of comparisons to Steven Ridley, which is both a good and bad thing. He fumbled four times over a stretch of six games last season, and he isn’t a dynamic start/stop guy. Cobb isn’t going to bounce runs outside and needs a little room to get up to speed. But what he lacks in improvisation skills, David Cobb makes up for with a physical, one cut running style that makes him an ideal complement to a guy like Justin Forsett. And we’ll take a guy who consistently grinds out yards over a sideways dancer any day.
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