Several weeks ago, Alex Kozora profiled San Jose State running back Tyler Ervin on the site and he came away impressed. The Pittsburgh Steelers then proceeded to meet with Ervin at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine and that interest has evidently continued as running backs coach James Saxon was present for his Wednesday pro day.
Saxon was reportedly one of three position coaches who put Ervin through a workout that included plenty of pass-catching drills as well as punt and kick returns.
Ervin, who is considered a mid-round draft prospect, did not run the 40-yard dash again on Wednesday. However, he did run the short and long shuttle as well as the three-cone drill, and reportedly posted times of 4.34, 11.81 and 7.03 seconds respectively.
During his college career, Ervin rushed for 2,803 yards and 19 touchdowns on 528 carries. He also caught 87 passes for 783 yards and 4 touchdowns. It’s also worth pointing out that Ervin returned 101 kickoffs for 2,374 yards and 3 touchdowns during his career at San Jose State.
While in Indianapolis for the combine, Ervin measured in at 5097, 192-pounds. He posted a 4.41 second time in the 40-yard dash in addition to a 39-inch vertical jump and a 10’10” broad jump.
The Steelers currently have running backs Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams lined up for the 2016 season but behind those two players currently sits quite a few unproven running backs and that list is led by Fitzgerald Toussaint.
It will be interesting to see if Ervin is ultimately brought in for a pre-draft visit next month as the Steelers certainly appear to have more than just a passing interest in him.
