Report: Broncos Will Audition Duke UDFA RB Josh Snead
UPDATE:
Among undrafted players participating on tryout basis w #Broncos this weekend:Duke RB Josh Snead,Boise QB Grant Hedrick.They are not signed.
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) May 5, 2015
According to the Duke Blue Devils athletics website, undrafted running back Josh Snead has agreed to terms on a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos.
Snead signing on makes two years in a row a Duke Blue Devils back has signed on with the Broncos as a UDFA, though he’s much different in running style than his predecessor Juwan Thompson.
Snead is 5-foot-9, 190 pounds, and is a much quicker back than a guy who is going to pack a punch. He ran a 4.56 at the Duke pro day, so for his height and weight he doesn’t have the best straight line speed, but his explosiveness is excellent with a 1.52 as a 10-yard split and a 35.5″ broad jump.
The three-year Academic All-ACC selection joins the Broncos after finishing third on Duke last year in rushing, though with Juwan Thompson, we saw that it didn’t really matter what kind of stats you post in college — it’s about what skills you bring to the table for the NFL.
Oct 12, 2013; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils running back Josh Snead (9) runs against the Navy Midshipmen at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Hopefully for the Broncos, Snead can come in and contribute as a return specialist and special teamer, and possibly make the team that way.
In 2013, he led the Blue Devils in rushing, but his carries took a bit of a step back this past season. He averaged over 5.3 yards per carry throughout his collegiate career, in which he started 14 games and appeared in 50. He also caught 28 passes and had two receiving touchdowns.
The thing that most intrigues me about this pickup, and David Cutcliffe alluded to it if you watch the videos in the link shared above, was that Snead came up with his biggest and best performances on the biggest stages he took at Duke.
Two of his career 100 yard rushing games came in Duke bowl games, and he slapped Alabama with 183 all-purpose yards. He also is the only running back in Duke history with multiple 100-yard bowl games.
I’m going to go back and watch some tape on Snead to see what this kid is about. The numbers in big games really impress me. He obviously has some shiftiness to his game and loves the spotlight. I’m also interested to find out if this is a camp tryout or a UDFA signing. The Broncos had 89 roster spots and if it’s the latter, it would put them at 90 heading into this weekend’s mini camp.
There has been hope that the open roster spot would be used on La’El Collins, the LSU tackle who dropped out of the draft, should his name be cleared.