Mark Ingram's surgically repaired left knee has attracted a lot of attention leading up to the NFL draft, which will be held Thursday through Saturday.
The former Alabama player is widely considered the top running back prospect, but there are concerns about his knee and whether it will able to hold up under the rigors of NFL play.
"My knee feels great," Ingram said. "It's a non-issue."
Most teams are rechecking their medical data on Ingram's knee.
"Durability is a critical factor for that position," Miami general manager Jeff Ireland said. "There's only a few players in the history of the game that play that position for a long long time. ... If the guy’s been hurt during college, those are things we’re going to look at, for sure."
Ingram could be headed to Miami, which has the 15th pick in the first round. Also, New England, which has the 17th, 28th and 33rd picks, is in the running back market.
Even with knee surgery and a slew of other nagging injuries at Alabama, Ingram believes he can carry a full load in the NFL.
"I’m a complete all-around back," Ingram said. "I could be in the game [on] first down, second down, third down, goal line and short yardage. I can pick up pass protection, go out of the backfield and catch the ball."
On his way to the Heisman Trophy and a BCS title, he rushed for 1,658 yards and 20 touchdowns as a sophomore. Last season, he missed two games because of the knee injury and rushed for 875 yards and 13 touchdowns. Teams wanted to know why his production dipped last season.
"I battled through the knee injury," Ingram said. "And, you know, we had another great running back in Trent [Richardson], so he needed his touches as well."
If Ingram doesn’t slip because of the knee injury, he still could be pushed down in the draft because of how teams approach their rushing attacks.
More teams have running back committees and are try to spread the load around. The Falcons have wanted to place more of their load on backup Jerious Norwood, but he's had trouble staying healthy. The Falcons have interviewed some of the top speed running backs in the draft.
With similar stature and speed, Ingram has been compared to Emmitt Smith, who came out of Florida in 1984. Smith was 5-foot-9, 200 pounds and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds; Ingram is 5-9, 215 pounds and ran a 4.58 at the scouting combine.
"It's no secret, speed is important," Ireland said.
Smith also had a knee injury in college career that was of concern. He was selected with the 17th pick by the Cowboys. Smith went on to play 15 seasons and became the league's all-time leading rusher with 18,355 yards.
Ingram doesn't shy away from the comparison.
"I mean, he’s the leading rusher in NFL history," Ingram said. "It’s a great honor just to even be mentioned in the same breath with him."
Ingram, whose father of the same name played in the league from 1986 to 1997 with the New York Giants, Miami, Green Bay and Philadelphia, doesn't believe the Smith comparison provides added pressure. It's unlikely he could get close to matching Smith's productivity in what is now more of a passing league.
"I don’t feel like I have to live up to being like Emmitt," Ingram said. "Of course, I’m going to try to be the best player I can be."
Despite his father's incarceration for bank fraud, money laundering and jumping bail, the two talk often.
"He just told me to have fun and do the best I can," Ingram said.
After Ingram, the draft is stocked with quality running backs. Teams will likely find some quality runners among the free agents. Tampa Bay, New Orleans and Houston recently hit it big with free-agent backs.
Tampa Bay signed LeGarrette Blount after he was released by Tennessee last year. New Orleans signed Chris Ivory and Houston hit it big with Arian Foster.
"They can all break tackles and gain yards after contact," Tampa Bay general manager Mark Dominik said. "I just think it’s an element of a good player that maybe something went wrong in their career or in college."
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
