Ohio State football’s J.K. Dobbins still bothered by ankle injury at NFL Scouting Combine

Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins is checked by the trainer after suffering an ankle injury in the first half of a loss to Clemson during the 2019 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl.

Former Ohio State running back J.K. Dobbins said the ankle injury he suffered against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl has not completely healed and may limit him during the NFL Scouting Combine.Getty Images

INDIANAPOLIS -- Ohio State football saw the best of J.K. Dobbins throughout an excellent junior season.

He may not be able to display his best at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine.

Dobbins on Wednesday called the injury he suffered against Clemson in the Fiesta Bowl a “significant” high ankle sprain. He admitted he only returned to training a few weeks ago and is not yet back to full health. When asked if he will participate in Friday’s running back drills, he said, “We’ll see.”

Dobbins broke Ohio State’s single-season rushing record with 2,003 yards and scored 23 total touchdowns in 2019. He earned down-ballot Heisman Trophy consideration and has drawn speculation as a possible late first-round pick for running back-needy teams.

The ankle injury could prevent Dobbins from bolstering that case this week. Yet the same player who spent most of the season harshly critiquing his own game — even after 200-plus yard performances — reiterated his belief that he is the best back in the 2020 draft class.

“I think I have tremendous vision,” Dobbins said. “I can do it all. I can be explosive. I can grind it out. And I’m also a leader. I think I make everyone around me play better.”

Dobbins believes Ohio State would have won the Fiesta Bowl if not for the injury late in the first half. He attempted to begin the second half, dropped to the turf after one play, then hobbled to the locker room. A few minutes later, he jogged back to the Buckeyes’ sideline and played the remainder of the game through serious pain.

Dobbins said he played through the injury because he wanted Ohio State to win a national championship. The temporary frustration of his workout limitations do not compare to the lingering disappointment of that loss.

He brought that same stubbornness in the face of adversity to the combine.

“There’s definitely a lot I can show teams,” Dobbins said. “When things don’t go my way, I’m not going to sit here and pout about it. I’m going to keep working hard. If a team drafts me, they’re going to get a hard worker who’s trying to help his team win.”

Maryland’s Javon Leake already respected Dobbins’ game after facing him in the Big Ten East for three seasons. He admired him even more after that Fiesta Bowl performance, watching Dobbins refuse to go down despite the obvious impediment of the ankle injury.

Leake’s scouting report on Dobbins reiterates why he does not need to push himself through drills at the combine. The All-Big Ten back proved in 2019 that he can affect a game on every down while also serving as the Buckeyes’ bell cow down the stretch.

“That’s a tough runner,” Leake said. “He’s an every down back. If it’s third-and-1, I’m looking to get the ball to J.K. If I was on his team I would definitely have faith that he’s going to get the first down.

"He’s explosive, he can catch out of the backfield — he can do all of those things.”

Dobbins grew up admiring another running back from Texas — Adrian Peterson. At 5-9.5 and 209 pounds, he recently found a better comparison size-wise in Carolina Panthers lead back Christian McCaffery.

That’s a lofty comp, since McCaffery would be on anyone’s short list of the best all-purpose backs in the NFL right now. Yet it makes sense coming from Dobbins, who always held himself to lofty — almost unattainable at times — standards.

If Dobbins does not feel ready to go for position drills in Indianapolis, he said he will definitely be ready for Ohio State’s pro day. After a breakthrough junior season and all the work it took to reach that level, however, Dobbins talks like someone hoping for a rally before the end of the week.

“Just being here is a blessing,” Dobbins said. “If I get to compete I’m going to try to put on a big show for you guys, allowing people to know I belong here.”


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