Blue White Illustrated

A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY Penn State is fast becoming a launching pad for NFL-caliber running back prospects ollege football's regular season had just wrapped up. Miles Sanders was fresh off his fifth 100-yard rushing performance. Finishing with a bang against Maryland, the junior cemented himself as the Big Ten's most produc- tive, uniquely dynamic running back who was draft-eligible. Sanders had gone from Saquon Barkley's backup to bona fide NFL prospect in just a few quick months, and it seemed as though not enough people had taken notice. Surprised about the seldom-mentioned, very real and im- mediate possibility that he would de- clare early, I decided to write about it. Little did I realize how polarizing the subject would be. Texts, emails, message-board com- ments poured in – we even caught wind that people in the Lasch Building weren't exactly thrilled with the col- umn. I was genuinely confused. Admit- tedly, an opinion piece titled "Why RB Miles Sanders should declare early and go pro" is provocative from a Penn State-oriented website like blue- whiteillustrated.com. But the point was not to get clicks; it was to make what I believed to be an easy-to-see argu- ment: Sanders, with his small but suffi- cient body of work, had positioned himself strongly in the eyes of pro scouts and general managers. Less mileage (pun intended), fewer dings and scratches, after all, can be viewed as beneficial in an age when running backs have the shortest average careers of all NFL players. I also thought we could all agree that it would be viewed as a positive for the Nittany Lions to have starting RBs se- lected in two consecutive drafts, espe- cially if they both went in the first two rounds. Was there a risk? Sure. Was there a payoff? Oh boy – to the tune of $5 million dollars with a signing bonus in excess of $1.75 million. At least, that's what last year's 53rd pick earned. When Sanders was selected 53rd over- all by Philadelphia, it was more than just a well-deserved personal financial boon. In the world of college football, it was a shot across the bow, signaling that Penn State is once again an elite destination for running backs who aspire to play in the pros. Historically, PSU has always been up there, but not since 1980-81 had two Nittany Lions running backs (Matt Suhey and Booker Moore) been selected in the first two rounds in back- to-back drafts. "We couldn't be more proud to see Miles' name on the NFL Draft board," James Franklin said. "When his time came, it was no surprise to see him excel, and we expect to see more of the same from him with the Eagles." JUDGMENT CALL C

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