Missouri’s Tyler Badie runs the 40-yard dash at the recent NFL Scouting Combine. His official time, 4.45 seconds, ranked 11th among the 27 running backs who participated.
Missouri running back Tyler Badie makes a catch at the recent NFL Scouting Combine, and his pass-receiving prowess could make him attractive for a team seeking a third-down back.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — It was the quiet that Tyler Badie noticed more than anything.
Over the last four years, the former Missouri running back had played on some of the grandest stages in college football in front of ear-splitting crowds across the Southeastern Conference. Alabama. Georgia. Florida.
But when he dropped his right hand on the Lucas Oil Stadium turf on March 5, only one sound echoed in his ears.
“I remember I could just hear my own breath,” he said. “I was like, wow, this is crazy. Usually you have fans (in the crowd), but in Indy it was just complete silence and everyone’s got a stopwatch out and just all eyes on you.”
Since the end of his college career at Mizzou, Badie had trained for this very moment at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He’d only run one full 40-yard dash in the months leading up to his Combine appearance. That was alongside speed trainers in Florida, where his workout specialized in 10-yard splits to maximize his explosiveness. This time, with representatives from all 32 NFL teams on hand, Badie faced the fastest and most important job interview of his life. The three-day NFL draft begins April 28.
Initially, Badie considered skipping the 40-yard dash at the Combine and saving it for Mizzou’s pro scouting day on Friday, where 14 former Tigers will go through the same drills in front of NFL scouts and coaches.
“But then I just told everyone I’m comfortable here. This is the biggest stage and I want to be able to perform in front of these coaches,” the 2021 SEC rushing leader said. “So I just went out there and ran. And I ran a fast time, so I’m just grateful to have the natural talent and speed to go out there and do what I did.”
Badie’s official time of 4.45 seconds ranked 11th among the 27 running backs in Indianapolis. Six backs ran faster than 4.4 — topped by South Dakota State’s Pierre Strong at 4.37 — but Badie found himself in the same ballpark as Georgia’s Zamir White (4.4) and James Cook (4.42) and Iowa’s Tyler Goodson (4.42). Badie also took part in the vertical jump (33.5 inches, 12th) and broad jump (10 feet, 1 inch, 11th) and left Indianapolis especially pleased with his workouts in on-field drills, where coaches run players through position-specific workouts. For running backs, that means lots of pass routes, perhaps the strongest element of Badie’s game.
“I was satisfied with my 40 and pretty much everything I did out there from the field work to catching the ball,” he said. “I just wanted to show that I could catch the ball on that stage, just performing on the biggest stage possible. I didn’t drop a ball. My routes were crisp. My 40 was fast.”
Badie led Mizzou in receptions his sophomore and senior years, catching 54 passes in 12 games last season, which ranked third in the SEC. He finished his four-year career as the most prolific pass-catching running back in team history with 126 receptions for 1,149 yards. With those receiver skills — he dropped only six balls on 167 career targets, per Pro Football Focus — Badie could begin his career as a third-down specialist.
“I just wanted to show I can run routes and catch the ball,” he said “The stats show that I had 54 receptions (last year), but it’s about being able to show (the teams) you can do it over and over again. So it’s not just like a once in a blue moon type of thing.”
Badie’s Combine experience also included meetings with all 32 teams. Most of those conversations focused on his knowledge of formations and schemes, but teams also asked about his family background and how many friends or family members would move with him to the city where he’s drafted.
The Chicago Bears contingent threw a curveball at Badie: What’s the last thing you watched on Netflix?
“I said ‘Euphoria,’” he said, referring to the popular HBO series. “The was literally the first thing that popped in my mind. And it’s not even on Netflix, which is crazy. But that’s the last thing I watched.”
The NFL audition will continue Friday, when Badie will join his former teammates at Mizzou’s facility for more drills. Like most of the running backs in Indy, he skipped the bench press — prospects bench 225 pounds as many reps as they can manage — and will do more on-field running back drills. Former Tigers expected to participate include defensive linemen Kobie Whiteside and Akial Byers, receivers Keke Chism and Boo Smith, offensive linemen Case Cook and Michael Maietti and linebacker Blaze Alldredge.
Badie has a sleeper pick for the player he thinks can turn some heads: a fellow running back, naturally.
“Dawson (Downing),” he said “He’s a very quick guy, light on his feet and I feel like he’ll be a good steal for a team. He does everything right, plays all four special teams. And he’s a good running back. He gives me a lot of Rex Burkhead vibes.”
Dave Matter brings you the latest updates from the Mizzou sports scene.
Dave Matter is the Mizzou beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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Missouri’s Tyler Badie runs the 40-yard dash at the recent NFL Scouting Combine. His official time, 4.45 seconds, ranked 11th among the 27 running backs who participated.
Missouri running back Tyler Badie makes a catch at the recent NFL Scouting Combine, and his pass-receiving prowess could make him attractive for a team seeking a third-down back.
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