Running backs stumble, Owusu shines at Combine




The NFL Combine was unkind to a pair of the area’s all-time great high school running backs but much more favorable to a local pass-catching sensation.

Working out for NFL scouts and front-office executives last weekend in Indianapolis, Oaks Christian graduate and former USC Trojan Marc Tyler posted the slowest 40-yard dash time among running backs at 4.76 seconds.

Tyler’s vertical leap of 30.5 inches was also the lowest number for his position.

Darrell Scott, a former Moorpark and St. Bonaventure standout who was the nation’s top tailback recruit coming out of high school, didn’t fare much better in Indy.

Scott’s 40-yard dash time of 4.73 seconds was the secondslowest for the position, ahead of only Tyler. Scott’s 31.5-inch vertical also ranked among the lowest for running backs.

Scott played his college ball at Colorado and South Florida.

At this point in the proceedings, both Tyler and Scott are considered late-round draft picks at best, according to NFL.com scouting reports.

One local athlete who turned heads in Indianapolis was Oaks Christian graduate Chris Owusu, a wide receiver who attended Stanford.

Todd McShay of ESPN.com reports Owusu “showed good pop out of cuts, and while he could have displayed better body control with his routes, nearly falling on one occasion, he showed reliable hands and caught most throws he could get both hands on.”

According to McShay, Owusu finished in the top 10 in the five major wide receiver tests, including tying Georgia Tech’s Stephen Hill and Miami’s Travis Benjamin for the top 40-yard dash time at 4.36 seconds.

Owusu also posted a 4.11 short shuttle, 6.85 three-cone, 40½ vertical and 10-9 broad jump.

After Owusu suffered three concussions in 13 months at Stanford, NFL teams will need sparking medical reports on him before considering the wideout for selection.

The NFL Draft takes place April 26-28 in New York City.

Stephen Dorman



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