Alabama Running Back Eddie Lacy Won't Participate In Combine Due To Injury

Perhaps no college player caught fire more quickly over the past month and a half than former University of Alabama running back, Eddie Lacy. The third in a recent string of quality Crimson Tide running backs, Lacy's draft stock really gained momentum because of his quality performance in the National Championship game against Notre Dame. In their drubbing of the Irish, Lacy had 140 yards rushing at seven yards per attempt and two touchdowns--one rushing, one receiving.

Lacy was set to participate in the upcoming Scouting Combine in Indianapolis to showcase his talents, however it looks as if he won't be doing that. According to multiple sources (first broken by ESPN's Adam Schefter), Lacy injured his hamstring and will not be participating in the drills. It's unclear if he will still attend the event and be interviewed by teams, though that's usually standard practice for any prospect.

Lacy currently stands as Mike Mayock's only first round running back prospect in this year's draft (per his media conference call on Monday), so the news of him not being able to work out in Indianapolis is disappointing--particularly for Bengals fans. The team is in major overhaul mode (presumably) at the position and it's likely that at least one of their first handful of picks will be used on a back. Lacy was likely one of the players in that discussion.

Lacy has good burst and power, but his 40-yard dash time was something that was going to be looked at heavily by clubs. The youngster still has an opportunity to make a good showing with the interviews and his upcoming Pro Day, which is set for March 13th.