Donnel Pumphrey is the all-time leading rusher in NCAA FBS history with 6,405 yards, but has found this week that it's another number everyone wants to talk about.
Pumphrey checked in at 169 pounds in Tuesday's Reese's Senior Bowl weigh-in, making him far and away the lightest running back in this year's game. And at just 5-foot-8 1/4, the former San Diego State star is also one of the shorter players in Mobile this week, including kickers.
"None of that stuff really bothers me," Pumphrey said. "I just try to go out and play my game. I don't play for accolades. I honestly play for my teammates, and to win the ball game. That's what has gotten me this far."
Pumphrey put up lofty numbers in his four years at San Diego State, including 2,133 yards as a senior and a career-average of 6 yards per carry. He also caught 99 passes for 1,039 yards, with 67 total touchdowns in his career.
In this week's South team workouts, Pumphrey said he's trying to showcase a variety of skills as both a runner and receiver. He did not regularly return kicks or punts in college, but is trying to brush up on that facet of his game, he said.
"I'm able to show my versatility in the one-on-one drills, as well as my route-running and my catching," Pumphrey said. "There's not a lot you can here, but my job is to try to stand out as much as possible. That's what I'm trying to do, showcase my ability.
"I'm definitely trying to show that I can catch punts and return punts, as well as pass-block. I'm not the biggest running back, and I know a lot of linebackers are going to try and go at me. I want to be able to show that I can block at the next level."
Despite his best efforts, Pumphrey's lack of size could be difficult to overcome at the next level. The only NFL running back who led his team in rushing at less than 200 pounds in 2016 was Cleveland's Isaiah Crowell, who at 5-11, 190, is a virtual giant compared to Pumphrey.
Other diminutive backs such as Tampa Bay's 5-foot-7 Jacquizz Rodgers -- who came into the NFL at 170 pounds but now weighs 190 -- and Philadelphia's Darren Sproles (5-6, 181) have carved out successful pro careers as all-purpose backs, catching passes and returning kicks in addition to taking handoffs. That's likely the route Pumphrey will have to take in the NFL, said Pro Football Focus senior analyst Mike Renner.
"He is tiny," Renner
told WNSP-FM's "Sports Drive" on Wednesday. "At 169 pounds, it's hard to think of a running back that small who is anything other than a third-down option, a pure (pass-catching) option. I can't see (teams) drafting him that highly, because you're not sure that skill is going to transfer to the NFL, that he's going to break the same amount of tackles as he did in college. He's just too small."
