Overlooked Mathews ready to claim respect he deserves
(NFLDraftScout.com is following Ryan Mathews' road to the NFL from the combine to his pro day workout to the draft April 22-24. This is the first in a four-part series.)
Ryan Mathews doesn't know what else he must do to get on the map.
He led the nation in rushing yards as a high school senior at West High School in Bakersfield, Calif., gaining a staggering 3,396 yards on the ground along with 44 touchdowns.
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| Ryan Mathews averaged 150.7 yards per game last season at Fresno State. (Getty Images) |
Despite his gaudy statistics and the fact that he is being projected by many NFL teams as a first-round pick, Mathews ranks as one of the country's most anonymous stars.
"I do feel as if I'm being overlooked a bit," Mathews said. "I think that is a problem with a lot of players coming from the so-called 'mid-majors.' Let me give you an example. I was watching one of those position breakdowns on TV. They had me as the second-rated back. They went through the whole list, talking about all of the others, but they didn't say anything about me."
The talking heads and general public might not know much about Mathews, but Bulldog opponents and NFL scouts certainly know him.
"I think he's the best all-around back in the draft," said one longtime NFL scout who declined to be named discussing prospect evaluations. "He has the speed to break the big one and is a pounder inside. You don't see many of those backs, especially this year. He didn't catch a lot of balls, but he's got obvious ball skills. And unlike some of the other high-profile backs, he'll stick a guy in pass protection too."
The year's best back? That's debatable; NFLDraftScout.com has him as the No. 4 running back prospect. Clearly, however, Mathews would rank among the most consistent.
With the exception of the Nevada game on Nov. 14 (he left in the second quarter after sustaining a concussion) and the following game against Louisiana Tech, Mathews eclipsed the 100-yard mark in every contest last season.
Perhaps most intriguing to scouts is that Mathews was at his best in the biggest games of the year. He rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown at Big East champion Cincinnati, 173 yards and three scores in a thrilling 53-52 win at Illinois and 144 yards and two touchdowns against Wyoming in the New Mexico Bowl.
Perhaps Mathews' most notorious performance came against WAC rival Boise State. Despite the Bulldogs losing 34-51 to the eventual undefeated Fiesta Bowl champions, Mathews was unstoppable, rushing for 234 yards and three touchdowns. His touchdowns came from 69, 68 and 60 yards -- three of his NCAA-leading seven runs for 50 yards or more in 2009.
And yet, as impressive as Mathews was against the Broncos, it was his performance a week earlier in Madison, Wis., that he'd like scouts to see.
"I'd say the Wisconsin game was my best," Mathews said. "I think I only ran for 106, but they have a really good defense -- a classic Big Ten defense -- and I think my pass protection in that game was really good. They brought different pressures, from dropping the safety down to sending all three linebackers and I covered my assignments well."
Mathews' stellar prep play led to his being recruited by teams throughout the western United States, including several Pac-10 and Big 12 schools. He elected to stick with his roots, signing with Fresno State and immediately emerged as a headliner by leading the team with 866 yards and 14 touchdowns as a true freshman. He appeared well on his way toward super stardom as a sophomore, ranking among the country's top 10 in rushing yardage after the first four games (470 yards, four touchdowns), but struggled with ankle and knee injuries the rest of the year.
The emergence of teammate Lonyae Miller, who is rated a sixth-round prospect this year by NFLDraftScout.com, raised questions about whether the underclassman Mathews would be able to recoup his starting position from the senior. Healthy, Mathews quickly re-asserted himself as the Bulldogs' top back in fall camp and earned All-American honors with his school record junior campaign.
Mathews' play was so impressive in 2009 that it forced Fresno State head coach to do the unthinkable -- convince his star player to leave school early.
"It was a tough decision, but Coach Hill and I talked about it and we agreed that I had established myself in our record books even though I was only a junior," Mathews explained. "He didn't think there was much more I could individually accomplish at Fresno State and he told me he thought [leaving early] was the wise decision."
It was a commendable decision by Hill, who will lose Mathews and Miller to the draft.
"He's an outstanding young man who has given us great production on and off the field," Hill said following Mathews' announcement that he'd be leaving after his junior season. "That window of opportunity to make a lot of money is very small. I wouldn't want to stand in a young man's way of making the kind of money that could change his life. I have no problem with him leaving early."
Since declaring, Mathews has been working out with accomplished trainer Travelle Gaines at the Elite Athletics facility just outside Malibu, Calif. He plans to participate in every drill at the combine and has been working on "everything" in an attempt to impress scouts.
"I'm going to try to stand out to scouts in every drill. I've been working hard on my running, my lifting, my jumping, my ball-handling, my pass-catching. I think I've bettered myself by working out with Travelle. I'm going to do it all to shine at the combine and hopefully get some more looks."
Rob Rang is a Senior Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.
