The NFL Scouting Combine gives players an opportunity to show what they can do in certain drills, but it also can expose some of their weaknesses in raw metrics. That was the case for Georgia Bulldogs running back Elijah Holyfield.
Holyfield, who rushed for 1,018 yards and seven touchdowns last season, did not fare well in the 40. Holyfield was timed at 4.78 in his first 40-yard-dash and 4.81 in his second on Friday in Indianapolis.
#UGA RB Elijah Holyfield with a 4.81 pic.twitter.com/J1hhHjV2Ko
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 1, 2019
Holyfield’s 40 was slower than all running backs who ran except for one — Alec Ingold. His time was slower than two punters — Utah’s Mitch Wishnowsky (4.63) and Rice’s Jack Fox (4.73) — and Stanford kicker Jake Bailey (4.72).
The combine and 40 times can be overrated at times considering they don’t measure how good of a player someone is, but a running back running a 4.78 40 is not a promising sign.
