L’Jarius Sneed NFL Combine performance surges him up NFL Draft boards

by Bo Marchionte
Twitter @BoMarchionte

The NFL Combine has come and gone but the residue of L’Jarius Sneed’s insane performance lingers in the minds of NFL scouts and coaches a like.

Maybe I jumped the gun on revealing who Sneed was before giving him a proper introduction. Sneed is the ultra-athletically gifted safety who is really a cornerback who played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl from Louisiana Tech.

He arrived in Indianapolis with little fanfare.

That was reserved for the high-profile secondary stars like Ohio State’s Jeff Okudah and Florida’s C.J. Henderson. No disrespect to either of those outstanding individuals and what they have earned, but none the less a lot of talented players get washed out of the mainstream as they are recycled through the news.

It takes a 4.37 40-Yard Dash to get some recognition.

That’s exactly what Sneed did at the NFL Combine.

The Minden, Louisiana native blazed a 4.37 that ranked him second amongst the most coveted defensive backs and safeties in the 2020 NFL Draft class.

“I knew I was going to run fast,” joked Sneed. “I knew I could jump. I knew my broad (jump) was going to be just fine but when they told me 4.38 unofficially. It really surprised me cause when I was walking back, I really was scared cause I felt like I was running slow.”

The second fastest 40-time amongst the secondary group now places Sneed in another whelm for NFL evaluators to go back and double check the abilities that made him 2019 Second Team C-USA, despite playing safety and not his natural position of defensive back.

“I had a couple teams call me about meetings at Pro Day and flying me out after Pro Day in April,” said Sneed. That list of possible suitors had to have grown since his electrifying performance at the NFL Combine.

The dual versatility in the secondary will only enhance his draft stock moving forward. Prior to the NFL Combine he was already in conversation with a couple NFL teams that wanted to inquire more about the Bulldogs standout. In positional groupings, Sneed finished with the second fastest 40-Yard Dash (4.47) and tied for the second in the Vertical Jump (41 inches), which shows the speed and the explosiveness and ability to create power from the ground up.

“Most teams see me at the corner position,” said Sneed. “I told them I’ll play whatever it is to help the team out. I did it because I could do it.”

Sneed now has placed himself in the mix to be coming off the NFL Draft board as early as the third-round or Day 2 of the NFL Draft. There are the rare occasions like this that boost the players value, due to their performance at Lucas Oil Stadium.

“I’m a corner at heart man,” Sneed says and then adds, “whatever it was for the team the team comes first.”

Music to the ears of NFL teams looking for a versatile defender who prides himself on the teams success and not his own personal accolades.