Bengals rookie running back Rex Burkhead, selected in the sixth round out of Nebraska, may have a difficult road ahead when it comes to making the team in 2013. The Bengals have a fairly talented cast of running backs and Burkhead will likely have to beat somebody out to be the team's fourth back.
The Bengals for sure have spots for BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovani Bernard and many believe Cedric Peerman is safe because of his special teams value. That pits Burkhead against Bernard Scott, and last-year's sixth-round pick Dan Herron.
Burkhead isn't going to be the biggest or fastest back on the field, but he believes his knowledge of the game is what can separate him from the pack.
"There's game speed and there's 40-yard speed and I think having knowledge of the game and being able to react is what makes you fast," Burkhead says.
Burkhead ran a 4.73 40-yard dash at the Combine, which by most standards is considered slow for a running back. However, backs like Arian Foster and Alfred Morris, both extremely productive backs in the NFL, ran 40's that are considered slow, Foster with a 4.68 and Morris with a 4.67.
Straight line speed obviously isn't the end all be all when it comes to judging a running back's ability. Burkhead, one of the most popular players in Nebraska history, hopes to show that he has what it takes to earn a roster spot despite his 40 time.