Regarded by many as the most powerful tailback in college football, that title came with a hefty price for Wells during his three years at Ohio State. Even though he suffered from a rash of injuries - a left ankle sprain, a right wrist sprain and a thumb fracture in 2007; a right foot sprain, turf toe, a hamstring strain and a concussion in 2008 - he only missed three games while compiling enough rushing yardage to rank fourth on the school career record list.

Following in the footsteps of Archie Griffin, Keith Byars and Eddie George, Wells had big shoes to fill and lots of veteran depth to move past on the roster before he was given his opportunity. Being one of 11 children, he was used to being patient waiting for his time to come.

Wells was just the seventh player in school history to rush for more than 3,000 yards in a career (3,382). His average of 93.94 yards per game rushing was the third-best mark in Buckeyes annals. He tied Keith Byars (1982-85) for third on OSU's all-time record chart with 17 100-yard rushing performances. In his first season as a starter, he amassed 1,609 yards on the ground in 2007, the fourth-best season total by an Ohio State running back.

At Garfield High School, Wells was a Parade All-American and named the nation's top running back as a senior, rushing for 2,134 yards and 27 touchdowns on 223 carries (9.6 avg) in 2005. As a junior, he rushed for 1,939 yards and scored 20 touchdowns. The 2005 National Player of the Year scored three touchdowns on his way to being selected Most Valuable Player of the U.S. Army All-America Bowl.

Wells was Ohio State's first commitment to its 2006 recruiting class, enrolling at the university in time to compete in 2006 spring practice. He rushed for game-high 48 yards on 11 carries in the spring game, but found himself listed behind Maurice Wells and Antonio Pittman on the depth chart entering the season.

Despite playing as a reserve in all 13 games, Wells finished second on the team with 576 yards on 104 carries (5.5 avg) and seven touchdowns. Fumble issues saw his playing time decrease as the season progressed.

As a sophomore, Wells took over the tailback position, starting all 13 games despite battling a nagging ankle sprain all campaign. He was also hampered by a late-season fractured bone near his thumb that would require surgery after the season. The second-team All-American still produced the fourth-best season in school history, as he amassed 1,609 yards on 274 attempts (5.9 avg), finding the end zone 15 times.

Hoping to become more mobile, Wells shed more than 10 pounds from his frame before the 2008 season opener, but was limited in his off-season training program and missed the bulk of spring drills while recovering from thumb surgery. In the season opener vs. Youngstown State, he was carted off the field with a right foot sprain (also suffered from turf toe) and would miss OSU's next three contests. Upon his return, he was forced to wear an offensive lineman's high-top cleats, but called them "cement shoes," as they hampered his cutting ability.

Later in the season, Wells had a hamstring issue to deal with and later missed a portion of the Fiesta Bowl with a concussion. He still led the team in rushing with 207 attempts for 1,197 yards (5.8 avg) and eight touchdowns, as his average of 119.7 yards per game ranked sixth among the nation's running backs. He also more than doubled his receiving output, catching eight passes for 47 yards (5.9 avg).

GENERAL REPORT: GRADE: 6.60

Body Structure: Wells has outstanding size and impressive quickness for his position. He has a thick, yet athletic physique with a muscular and defined upper body. He has a tight waist and hips, good abdomen and muscular thighs and calves. In other words, he is built for power. This stout athlete has broad shoulders, good chest muscle development and above average change of direction agility.

Athletic Ability: Wells is a classic downhill runner with excellent size and power to combine with nimble feet and good quickness. He shows superb agility and balance with his pick-&-slide and the change of direction and hip flexibility to easily redirect to the cutback lanes. He shows impressive acceleration into the second level and, unlike most big backs, do not label him as a one-cut runner, as he is quite capable of eluding or running through tackles. He has very good leg drive and initial quickness for his position. He shows very good vision and does a nice job of sliding through the hole. He is a strong runner who can break arm tackles. He also shows he can break free for a big gain, but lacks that second gear/home run speed. GRADE: 7.8

Football Sense: On the field, Wells shows great field vision and awareness. He's a very good student, picking up several academic honors and shows no difficulty digesting the playbook. He has the vision to locate the creases and shows patience following his blockers. He has that instinctive feel running with the ball, but is best served running between tackles, as he tends to have ball security issues bouncing to the outside. GRADE: 7.8

Character: Wells has no off-field issues, but there are questions surrounding his leadership skills and maturity. He is close to the players, but has never had to step into a take charge role. Some scouts feel that he was not allowed to grow as a person at OSU, were the staff seemed to have two sets of rules - one for the team and the other to "baby" Wells. GRADE: 6.0

Competitiveness: Wells runs hot and cold here. When his head is in the game, he is virtually unstoppable. But there are times when you can't keep him on the field, as there is always a little bump, bruise or ding that will see him bolt to the sidelines. Scouts question his toughness and field smarts, as he has put the ball on the ground quite a bit. His fumble issues were so bad in 2006 that he was buried on the bench and might have never gotten playing time if not for injuries to others ahead of him in the pecking order. He is a physical inside runner who will lower the pads to run through tackles and has perhaps the best stiff-arm of any player in this draft, but there is a lot of Larry Johnson in him and he seems to perform better when he is stroked and coddled. GRADE: 5.4

Work Habits: Wells is compliant and does spend extra hours in the training room, but needs a bit of monitoring. He seems to have grown up a bit and his work ethic is getting better, but he still needs to be pushed in order to perform to expectations of the coaches in the off-season program. He does love the game, but while physically ready for the next level, you wonder if he might be overwhelmed a bit earlier in his career. GRADE: 6.0

ATHLETIC REPORT: GRADE: 6.91

Initial Quickness: Wells lacks blazing speed, but hits the hole quickly and with a vengeance. Unlike previous OSU runners (Eddie George comes to mind), he runs at a good pad level and shows great body lean and leg drive to run past or run over defenders in his path. Of his 3,382 yards rushing, more than 65 percent came after initial contact. He has the quickness to bounce wide and is crisp changing direction, as he is one of the better cutback runners in this draft. He shows a good start off the ball, but is not sudden in his movements. He will attack the holes with good urgency and also shows that he can also be more of a glider. GRADE: 7.9

Acceleration/Burst: Wells can accelerate into the hole in an instant, taking no wasted steps. He has great balance and outstanding lateral agility for a big man. He shows a good short-area burst of speed, and while he can be run down going long distances he is too much of a load for a secondary defender to bring down in man coverage. He has a good short burst through the hole and excellent acceleration, but has just average long speed. He will rely more on power to gain yardage after initial contact rather than utilizing his hip swerve and wiggle to elude, but he is nimble moving his feet. GRADE: 7.7

Instincts/Balance: Wells has a lot of old school in him, as he runs over his feet with good base and balance. He sets up his blocks well, has above average field vision and displays a natural feel for the running lanes. He can find the hole in an instant and will cutback fluidly, showing a nice bounce in his step. Some scouts think that he will struggle to avoid in the open, but with his brute power he can just simply run over people to get big yardage. GRADE: 8.3

Inside Running: This is Wells' best category. He has the power to drag the pile and an incredible stiff arm to shed a defender that gets in his path. He has that instinctive feel and vision to spot even the slightest of crease, and unlike a lot of young backs has the patience of a veteran when it comes to following his blocks. He hits it up hard between the tackles and is an above average pick-and-slide runner with great body lean. He can cut on a dime when he locates the hole and has good vision and burst through the inside, generating a good surge to move the pile. He is more nimble than elusive, preferring to use his pile moving ability to gain additional yardage. GRADE: 8.8

Outside Running: Wells runs downhill, but has just average speed to get the corner turned (more of a north-south runner). He also seems to have ball security issues, especially when he dances around too much waiting for the perfect cutback lane. He can outrace second-level defenders turning the corner, but he does tend to gather to cut. GRADE: 7.2

Elusiveness: For a big man, Wells shows some nice jitterbug moves and shifty hips, but is more of a pile mover than one who will elude. He does have the ability to create on his own, but is much more effective pounding the ball up the gut. GRADE: 6.8

Tackle-Breaking Strength: Wells is a runaway freight train once he lowers his pads and kicks his legs into high gear. He will generally get big yardage after initial contact and runs with good body lean. He rarely misses the open crease and has an explosive burst with the leg drive to break tackles and move the pile. He is strong powering through trash on goal-line plays, and even when he gets high in his stance his strength is too much for ankle tacklers to contain. He might be the strongest, most stout runner with nimble feet in this draft. GRADE: 8.6

Tendency to Fumble: Taking the ball up the gut, Wells will usually run with the ball secure. His problems happen when he tries to get too fancy bouncing outside, as he does not distribute the ball much and leaves it a bit exposed taking off for long distances. His fumbling was so bad in 2006 that the coaches greatly reduced his playing time until injuries hit the running corps. Eight of his 10 career fumbles have been recovered by the opposition. GRADE: 5.4

Receiving Skills: OSU barely threw him the ball, as he had just 15 catches in three years. He is not much of a route-runner and uses his body as a crutch too often and fights the ball too much, failing to extend outside his frame. He is a decent receiver on dump-offs, but has just average hands and his ability to adjust to the ball in flight needs improvement. GRADE: 5.3

Route Running : Wells gets some separation in routes, but he fails to keep moving and fails to work back to the ball. He flashes quickness out of his cuts, but needs to do a better job of timing his leaps to get to the ball at its high point (fails to compete for the pass in traffic).

GRADE: 5.1

Blocking Ability: For all of his power and the punishment he dishes out as a runner, you would think that he would relish hitting defenders back as a blocker, but he fails to set his feet and it is rare to see him use leverage to sustain. He displays good toughness to face up and pop in pass protection, but prefers to just get in a defender's way. He is an average cut blocker downfield, but needs to generate a stronger leg base in rare chances as a lead blocker (gets pushed back in the rush lane at times). GRADE: 4.9

Compares To: LARRY JOHNSON, Kansas City -- Like Johnson, Wells is a power-oriented runner with a great stiff-arm, but all that pounding does come with a price - serious concerns about his durability. He has the hard-driving running style of Minnesota's Adrian Peterson, but is not as well-rounded and doesn't play with that steady fire in the belly that the best NFL backs displays. There are a lot of holes in Wells' game, but for a team needing someone to punch the ball up the gut, he is the best option in this draft.

OVERALL GRADE: 6.86 (Note: take away receiving and blocking categories and Wells would have a 7.59 grade).

--Report by Dave-Te' Thomas.

Wells started 21 of 36 games as a Buckeye, carrying 585 times for 3,382 yards (5.78 avg) and 30 touchdowns, adding 84 yards on 15 receptions (5.6 avg). He recorded two solo tackles, registered 180 points and generated 3,466 all-purpose yards, an average of 96.28 yards per game … His 3,382 yards rank fourth in school history behind Archie Griffin (5,589; 1972-75), Eddie George (3,768; 1992-95) and Tim Spencer (3,553; 1979-82) … His average of 93.94 yards per game rushing rank third in school annals, topped by Griffin (121.15 ypg) and Jim Otis (94.15 ypg, 1967-69) … Rushed for more than 100 yards 17 times during his career, tying Keith Byars (1982-85) for third on the OSU all-time record list behind Griffin (34) and George (20) … Set the school sophomore rushing record, as his 1,609 yards on the ground in 2007 rank fourth on the Buckeyes single-season record list, surpassed by George (1,927 in 1995), Byars (1,764 in 1984) and Griffin (1,695 in 1974) … His 274 rushing attempts in 2007 rank behind Byars (336 in 1984), George (328 in 1995 and 276 in 1994) and Pepe Pearson (299 in 1996) on the school's annual record chart … Carried 39 times vs. Michigan in 2007, the fourth-highest game total in school annals, topped by Harold Henson (44 vs. Northwestern, 1972), John Brockington (42 vs. Northwestern, 1970) and Byars (40 vs. Michigan State, 1984) … His 221 yards vs. Michigan State in 2007 rank as the 10th-best game total by an Ohio State runner and his 222 yards vs. Michigan that year rank ninth.

Academic All-Big Ten Conference first-team and All-Big Ten second-team selection, as he started eight of ten games that he played in, missing the Ohio University, Southern California and Troy contests … Still managed to lead the team and rank third in the conference with 207 carries for 1,197 yards (5.8 avg) and eight touchdowns … Scored 48 points and caught eight passes for 47 yards (5.9 avg) … Generated 1,244 all-purpose yards, ranking seventh in the league with an average of 124.4 yards per game … Turned the ball over three times on fumbles, including one each in the Youngstown State, Minnesota and Illinois contests … Rushed for over 100 yards in eight contests.

Youngstown State … Wells totaled 111 yards on just thirteen attempts (8.5 avg), scoring on a 43-yard scamper in the first quarter, as he also caught a career-high three passes for 10 yards, but also turned the ball over once on a fumble … Was carted off the field in the third quarter with a severe right foot (toe sprain) that would sideline him for the next three games.

Ohio University, Southern California and Troy … Did not play … X-rays and an MRI revealed no fracture, but Wells had to wear a protective boot to help speed up his recovery from his right foot sprain.

Minnesota … Wells returned to action, but quickly turned the ball over on a fumble … He made up for that miscue by amassing 106 yards on fourteen attempts in a 34-21 triumph.

Wisconsin … The tailback produced his third consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, picking up a season-high 168 yards on 22 chances (7.6 avg) … He ended a first quarter 71-yard, 6-play series with a 31-yard touchdown jaunt.

Purdue … Wells did not reach the century mark for only the second time in 2008, but put up 94 yards on 22 rushes and three yards on a pair of carries.

Michigan State … The junior tailback carried 31 times for 140 yards in a 45-7 triumph … In the first quarter, he went over the top for a 1-yard score … Later in the second stanza, he ended a 9-play, 77-yard possession with a 12-yard scoring burst.

Penn State … Wells collected 22 rushing attempts, but was held to a season-low 55 yards (2.5 avg) and had one catch for 13 yards in a tough 13-6 loss.

Northwestern … Wells would begin a string of four-straight 100-yard rushing performances, as he rushed 28 times for 140 yards … He scored on a 2-yard run in the first quarter and had a 12-yard touchdown that concluded a second quarter series with 2:04 left in the first half … Was named Big Ten Player of the Week for that performance.

Illinois … Wells became the sixth Buckeye to reach 3,000 yards rushing, as he picked up 143 yards on 29 attempts (6.0 avg) … He turned the ball over once on a fumble, but scored on a 3-yard run in the second quarter.

Michigan … Before leaving the game with a hamstring pull, Wells totaled 134 yards on fifteen chances (8.9 avg), as he took a handoff and broke free for a 59-yard touchdown jaunt late in the first quarter.

Texas (Fiesta Bowl) … In what would be his final college game, Wells delivered 106 yards on sixteen attempts and caught a pass for 21 yards.

Second-team All-American selection by The NFL Draft Report and Rivals.com … All-Big Ten Conference and Academic All-Big Ten first-team choice … Named the team's Most Valuable Player … Missed most of spring camp with a left ankle sprain and the injury would reoccur vs. Penn State, Purdue and Kent State … Later in the year, he suffered a right wrist sprain and broke a bone above his right wrist … Still ranked third in the league and led the team with 274 carries for 1,609 yards (5.9 avg), scoring fifteen times on the ground … Caught five passes for 21 yards (4.2 avg) and scored 90 points … his 1,630 all-purpose yards rank 12th on the school single-season record list … Recorded two solo tackles - one each vs. Wisconsin and Louisiana State … Turned the ball over once (vs. Minnesota) on three fumbles, as his miscues were recovered by OSU in the Michigan State and Illinois contests … Rushed for over 100 yards in nine contests.

Akron … Produced his first 100-yard performance, averaging 7.2 yards on 20 tries, as he amassed 143 yards.

Washington … Generated 135 yards on 24 tries and had a 7-yard reception … Also ran for a 14-yard score in the third quarter.

Northwestern … Took off on 12 carries for 100 yards (8.3 avg), as he found the end zone on a 36-yard scamper to end a 76-yard, 9-play second quarter possession.

Minnesota … Turned the ball over once on a fumble, but delivered his fourth consecutive 100-yard game, as Wells rushed 24 times for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter, including a 6-yarder that finished a 12-play, 74-yard drive.

Kent State … Left the game after just four rushes (17 yards) when he re-injured his ankle.

Michigan State … You would have never realized that Wells was hobbling all week, missing the bulk of the practices prior to meeting the Gophers, as he exploded for a then career-high 221 yards on 31 attempts (7.1 avg) and had an 8-yard reception … He did fumble once, but made up for that miscue with a second quarter 5-yard touchdown run.

Penn State … Wells followed with 133 yards on 25 carries.

Wisconsin … The sophomore tailback scored three times, as he would find the end zone seven times over his next three games … Carried 21 times for 169 yards (8.0 avg) … His first touchdown came on a third quarter 31-yard burst that capped an 80-yard, 10-play series …

Added a 30-yarder in the fourth quarter and then sealed the 38-17 win with a 23-yard scoring scamper.

Michigan … Added two more scores and topped his previous career-best with 222 yards on 39 chances in a 14-3 win … His first touchdown was from a yard out and his second was a 62-yard jaunt in the third frame.

Louisiana State (BCS Championship) … Wells delivered his ninth 100-yard performance, as he generated 146 yards on 20 carries, including a career-long 65-yard touchdown.

Played in all 13 games as a reserve tailback, as the true freshman finished second on the team with 576 yards and seven touchdowns on 104 carries (5.5 avg), as he also caught two passes for 16 yards and scored 42 points … Averaged 45.54 all-purpose yards per game.

Made his collegiate debut in the opener vs. Northern Illinois and carried the ball 10 times for 50 yards and a touchdown, an 8-yard run … Turned in 78 yards on 14 carries at Iowa … Scored a touchdown in the final six games of the year, beginning with a 5-yard scoring run at Michigan State … Ran for 65 yards and a score vs. Indiana and turned in 90 yards on 15 carries vs. Minnesota … Had a season-high 99 yards on 11 rushes at Northwestern … In the Michigan game, he scored on a 52-yard run to give Ohio State a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, as he finished with five carries for 56 yards.

2007: Missed most of spring camp (5/07) with a left ankle sprain … Left the Penn State game (9/23) when he re-injured his ankle, doing that again after just four carries in the Kent clash (10/13) … Suffered what later was diagnosed as a right wrist sprain and a broken bone above his thumb vs. Illinois (11/10) and was forced to wear a brace the following game vs. Michigan (11/17).

2008: Sat out spring drills after having surgery to repair his right thumb fracture (5/22) … Was carted off the field with a right foot sprain in the third quarter of the season opener vs. Youngstown State (8/30), missing the next three games vs. Ohio University (9/06), Southern California (9/13) and Troy (9/20). Upon his return, he was forced to wear an oversized offense lineman's high-top cleats to protect his foot … Suffered a hamstring pull vs. Michigan (11/22) … Sat out most of the second half of the Fiesta Bowl vs. Texas with a mild concussion.

Combine: 4.52 in the 40-yard dash … 1.53 10-yard dash … 2.62 20-yard dash … 33.5-inch vertical jump … 10'8" broad jump … Bench pressed 225 pounds 25 times. … Did not run the shuttles or three-cone drill or participate in positional drills due to a right groin pull.

Attended Garfield (Akron, Ohio) High School, earning Parade All-American honors …

Named the nation's top running back as a senior, rushing for 2,134 yards and 27 touchdowns on 223 carries (9.6 avg) in 2005 … As a junior, Wells rushed for 1,939 yards and scored 20 touchdowns as a junior … The 2005 National Player of the Year scored three touchdowns on his way to being selected Most Valuable Player of the U.S. Army All-America Bowl.

African-American Studies major, twice capturing Academic All-Big Ten Conference honors … One of 11 children of Paulette and James Wells … Nicknamed "Beanie" …

Born 8/07/88 … Resides in Akron, Ohio.