Packers 2017 Draft: Interview with Oklahoma State RB Chris Carson

A devastating knee injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise for a local athlete whose plans on playing for his hometown Georgia Bulldogs took a sudden left turn when the university he signed with suggested he recover from his torn ACL in relative anonymity as a member of Butler Community College’s football program in El Dorado, KS.

Chris Carson’s long road back to health saw him emerge in his second year at the two-year college by rushing for 994 yards on only 139 rushing attempts along with scoring 9 touchdowns.

Those who witnessed the imposing back dominate as a high school senior at Parkview High School in Lilburn, GA. were hardly stunned by Carson’s performance at the JUCO level, as the young man clearly set his sights on getting back in a Power-5 conference that would put him on the road to the NFL.

That journey, however, wouldn’t go through Athens, GA. with the much-coveted ball carrier taking his talents to Big-12 country where he would be afforded the opportunity to be a feature running back for head coach Mike Gundy and his Oklahoma State Cowboys.

Gundy and other members of the OSU family marveled at Carson’s thick, but chiseled physique, but not all was a bed of roses for the aspiring pro when he found himself in serious competition for carries with other members of the Cowboy backfield.

But that’s when Carson came to the realization that his considerable size and strength were the physical traits he needed to double down on rather than rely on his quickness and speed.

Great things began happening for the 6-foot-1, 218-pound sledge hammer once he went all-out beast mode on the opposition by consistently lowering his shoulder versus oncoming tacklers and pumping his knees to generate added force to bounce off defenders and gobble up chunks of positive yardage.

Much like David Banner turning into the Incredible Hulk, Carson’s adrenaline was an invigorating phenomenon that was felt by his fellow teammates every time an adversary would literally crumble upon crashing into the pads of the junior college transfer.

Nicknamed “Hercules” by former OSU quarterback Mason Rudolph, Carson wasn’t all blood and guts when his number was called, as he would still employ his cutback ability, spin moves and occasional leap over defenders standing in his way.

Few would dispute the notion that the punishing ball carrier deserves a spot on an NFL team. In fact, one would suspect that the Packers may be one of those teams intrigued by the former three-star recruit.

If GM Ted Thompson is indeed looking to invest in a younger and slimmer version of the bruising back that Eddie Lacy was in his four years in Packers News—and why wouldn’t he be?—Carson seems to have more than a few similarities to the one-time Alabama Slammer.

The added bonus offered by Carson is his vice-like grip on the football given the fact that he never coughed up the pigskin in any of his 212 totes in Stillwater.

Going into the offseason pre-draft process, one thing scouts wanted to see out of the former Cowboy was just how fast and explosive he was to accurately assess his potential as a player that could break away from defenses.

Carson’s combine numbers assuaged those concerns by posting a 10-foot 10-inch broad jump and 38-inch vertical leap at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, which the rookie-in-training topped in his subsequent pro day by launching himself 39 inches straight into the air.

With his combine and pro day in the rearview mirror, No. 32 is making the rounds in his private workout tour for a variety of NFL organizations.

During his interview with Lombardi Ave, the exuberant prospect sounded very much like a man that’s taking great pleasure in publicly exhibiting his wares and enhancing his draft stock in the process.

Here is Carson reflecting on his past and weighing in on his immediate future in his own words.