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DyShawn Mobley was a 3-star recruit out of Tennessee, who joined the Kentucky Wildcats in 2012. After two seasons of failing to finish higher than fourth on the team in rushing, Mobley transferred to Eastern Kentucky. He had a very productive first season at EKU, cranking out 1,491 rushing yards to go along with 33 receptions and 309 receiving yards, and 21 total touchdowns. His senior year was quite a disappointment, largely due to injury, with Mobley finishing with only 347 rushing yards.
Despite being a bigger running back with the ability to catch the football from the backfield, he received little buzz heading into the 2015 post-season and was not invited into the NFL Combine. After going undrafted, Mobley was signed by the Bengals as an undrafted free agent this spring.
"My goals are really just to do whatever it takes to get on the field and help the team win," Mobley told Cincy Jungle. "I want to be dependable, be someone the coaches can depend on. I'm a hard worked and I'm going to do whatever it takes to help the team win."
Player Information:
Age: 22
Experience: Rookie
Height: 5’11"
Weight: 220 lbs
Combine: 4.69 40-yard dash at Tennessee pro day, 24 reps, 30.5" vertical, 9’02" broad jump
Contract Status
2016 Stock
In his last year at Kentucky, Mobley averaged 7.0 yards per carry, including 27 carries for 235 yards in his final two games. In his first year at EKU, he also had a huge season, which stalled in momentum the following season due to injury. Mobley has shown an ability to produce in college and if he can play at the pro level like he did in his best college games, he could be a candidate to push his way onto the practice squad.
Like Noah Spence, Mobley transferred from a program in a big-time conference to EKU. But unlike Spence, Mobley’s last season at EKU was far from stellar. He wasn’t even the team’s top rusher as a senior, generating only 3.2 yards per carry. And at Kentucky, which isn’t exactly a hotbed of NFL running back talent, Mobley failed to get much playing time for the Wildcats. His high school production, college production, and workouts all tend to paint a picture that Mobley has a difficult road ahead of him, though, a year developing with the Bengals could provide more opportunities for him in 2017 when Rex Burkhead and Cedric Peerman both are set to become free agents.
Odds of making the roster
With Hill, Giovani Bernard, Burkhead and Peerman all locks on the 53 man roster, Mobley’s odds of making the roster stand firmly at 0 percent.
"They're great running backs and I can't wait to get to practice with those guys and see how they carry themselves," Mobley said of his running back teammates. "I know they've been here for a while and I want to be in their shoes one day and be a running back for the Bengals. Seeing how they carry the ball, it's a great opportunity to watch those guys and see how they do things."
Mobley's opportunity with the Bengals is a great one and learning is what he'll do if he's able to make the practice squad in 2016. His odds of making the practice squad roster are probably around 50 percent, depending on how many running backs the Bengals carry on the practice squad and how he does in training camp and the preseason compared to Tra Carson and Bronson Hill, the Bengals other undrafted running backs currently on the roster.