Eagles running back Darren Sproles recounts being overlooked by scouts heading into 2005 NFL Draft

Eagles running back Darren Sproles shared his story of overcoming the odds in a post on The Players' Tribune titled "Don't Sleep on the Little Guy."

In the post, Sproles recalls his days as an electric running back at Kansas State that ended with him being a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. But because of his 5-foot-6 frame, NFL scouts questioned whether the diminutive back could survive the week-to-week grind of an NFL season. Sproles even recalled being told that if he was 5-foot-9, he would surely be picked in the top five, but at 5-foot-6, there wasn't even a guarantee he would even be taken within the first three rounds.

From the post:

Durability was the main concern. Scouts thought because I was too small, I wouldn't be able to withstand the hits I'd take at the NFL level. I never missed a game in college, and I was getting the ball over 20 times a game, plus returning kicks and punts. Durability? That shouldn't even have been a question.

Going into the NFL Combine, I knew my height was gonna be something I'd have to overcome, but I knew I'd ace the Combine drills, and I hope that my performance along with my college resume would be enough to make scouts look past my size. I was definitely wrong. Even at the Combine, my size was all anyone talked about when my name came up.

When they measure height at the NFL Combine, they use a laminated sheet of paper taped on the wall at about head level — well, the average player's head level. When it was my turn to get measured, they had to un-tape the chart from the wall and move it down just so I could reach it. I hear giggles throughout the room. It was just one more reminder to scouts of what they already had written next to my name on their clipboards.

Too small.

So instead of being a top-five pick, I was projected as a fourth-round pick.

Because of that projection, Sproles said he didn't even bother to watch the first day of the then two-day draft. He had good reason to skip it, as he indeed slipped all the way to the second day. Eventually, the San Diego Chargers came calling and selected Sproles with the 130th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

Since entering the league, Sproles has taken full advantage of proving his doubters wrong by becoming one of the most versatile running backs in the NFL.

Eagles fans got a good look at his versatility during his first season Philadelphia in 2014 where he scored six rushing touchdowns, caught 40 passes and returned two punts for scores on his way to being named to his first Pro Bowl.

According to Sproles:

It's a different game now than it was in 2005 with coaches like Sean Payton and Chip Kelly, who I've played for, spreading things out. Teams and scouts see how I've been used and now they're trying to get guys like me — smaller guys who can make noise in space — instead of passing on them because of their size. I like to think I helped open the door for some of the shorter players today.

Of the 26 running backs selected in the 2005 draft, only Sproles and Frank Gore remain on an NFL roster.