West Virginia's diminutive Devine big target for NFL
A highly touted, multi-dimensional recruit, Noel Devine decided to leave the state of Florida to attend West Virginia believing that then-coach Rich Rodriguez would be there for the duration of his collegiate career. But after just 12 games and prior to the Mountaineers' Fiesta Bowl appearance against Oklahoma, Rodriguez bailed on the program to take over at Michigan.
"At first it was difficult," Devine told NFLDraftScout. "It was hard to accept, because I came to here to play for Coach Rod. But, at the same time I thought everything happens for a reason. Coach [Bill] Stewart has been great for me [since taking over]. He's worked with me on the little things like blocking and getting north and south quicker on runs. It's turned out for the better."
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| Noel Devine may be small, but the numbers he posts are big. (US Presswire) |
Devine had a chance to work closely with starter Steve Slaton, who he says gave him "a chance to learn the ropes and develop quickly." Luckily it was a quick rise, because when Slaton suffered a leg injury in the first quarter of the 2008 Fiesta Bowl, Devine was called upon and responded with 13 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns.
It didn't take long for Slaton to see the talent in his heir-apparent; after Devine's first two games, Slaton said, "He might be even a little bit more talented than I was my freshman year. I think he has the ability to be better than me."
Devine enters the season behind Slaton in every major statistical rushing category on WVU's all-time list: carries (520 to 664), yards (3,381 to 3,923) and touchdowns (23 to 50). Slaton has the edge over Devine mainly because he started all three years that he was in Morgantown, while Devine enters his third-year as a starter.
"I don't think about my statistics, I worry more about the team and what I can do to help the team win games," Devine said. "But, I'm not going to lie, if I passed him [on the all-time list] that would be a great accomplishment."
Devine is coming off of a breakout year where he amassed career highs in carries (241), yards (1,465) and touchdowns (13). If he produces similar statistics to what he posted in '09 this season, Devine will surpass Slaton in carries and yards. But he will need 27 or more touchdowns to either tie or eclipse Slaton's mark of 50, something Devine believes "is possible; God willing."
Reaching those milestones would not have been possible had Devine decided to forego his senior season to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. There were rumblings that he was at one point leaning towards going pro, but says, "it was never that close; I wanted to come back, get my degree and better myself. The NFL is going to be there."
Currently NFLDraftScout.com's No. 3-rated senior running back, Devine is projected as a second-round draft pick next April. Many scouts believe that if he were a few inches taller and 20 pounds heavier, Devine likely would be the No. 1-rated senior RB in the country. However, unlike skill, size is something you can't teach, and that's a factor in why he trails Oklahoma's DeMarco Murray and Penn State's Evan Royster on the NDS rankings and also by BLESTO and National Scouting services.
"That's their opinion," Devine said in regards to where he stands in the rankings. "I'm about to kill it; that's my approach this year. For the people who feel those guys are better than me, oh well, they won't feel that way when they see a 176-pound rock pounding it out this season."
Concerns about Devine's durability as an every-down runner because of his size at the next level are widespread. And while it's hard to disguise his measurables it's impossible to ignore his proven durability -- he's missed only one game in three years. For all of the doubters, there happen to be some optimists who believe Devine will have an impact in the NFL similar to that of Darren Sproles, who thrives as a situational threat and return specialist for the San Diego Chargers.
Devine feels that he can be a nightmare for defensive coordinators in the NFL, and laughs at the notion that he's too small. He said that pound-for-pound he's as strong as anyone in the nation and when asked about what he has in store for the opposition this season, he responded:
"If I told you then it wouldn't be any fun; you will find out soon," Devine said. "I expect to do things this year that people would never expect ... the sky is the limit."
Chris Steuber is a Draft Analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange. Email Chris at csteuber@nfldraftscout.com; follow him on Twitter @ChrisSteuber.
