Here’s what Baylor’s JaMychal Hasty wants to showcase at the NFL Scouting Combine
Baylor running back JaMychal Hasty feels he can contribute in a variety of ways at the next level.
He can run. He can catch. He can block. He can play special teams as a returner or as a coverage man on kickoffs.
That’s what he wants to showcase to scouts and evaluators at the NFL Scouting Combine this week.
“I’m versatile,” Hasty said last week as he’s training at APEC in Fort Worth. “All around, I can do a lot of different things.”
Hasty did that throughout his college career with the Bears, joining the program under former coach Art Briles in 2015. Hasty redshirted in 2015 and then rushed for 623 yards and three TDs in 2016 under interim coach Jim Grobe.
Hasty saw his production dip in Matt Rhule’s first season, rushing for 314 yards in eight games in 2017. He then had 434 yards rushing with four TDs in 2018 before closing with the best season of his career in 2019.
Hasty rushed for 627 yards and seven TDs, as well as having 184 yards receiving on 25 receptions, in helping Baylor reach the Big 12 championship and Sugar Bowl last season.
Hasty has no complaints about how his college career unfolded. He finished with 1,998 yards rushing and 15 TDs in his career. He also had a receiving touchdown and returned a punt for a touchdown in his career.
“I graduated and I got a chance to play every single year of eligibility that I had,” Hasty said. “I had a chance to meet some great people — teammates, coaches, people on campus. I gave everything I had for the five years I was there.
“Everything I wanted to do, I did it. It was a great experience for sure.”
Now Hasty is focused on a pro career. He had a solid showing at the Senior Bowl last month, generating praise from executive director Jim Nagy.
Nagy posted a play by Hasty from the game on Twitter, writing that Hasty has “very good lateral burst to create but more importantly checkout the hustle after the fumble. The effort tells you WHO he is. About to crush the Combine.”
Nagy went on to say that Hasty is “definitely” getting drafted and making a 53-man roster next season given his running back abilities, coupled with his special teams play.
“The fact that NFL teams have seen him run down and make tackles on kickoff team is why he’s definitely getting drafted and making a 53-man roster next year,” Nagy said. “Very few college RBs have ST tape to evaluate.”
At 5-foot-9, 205 pounds, Hasty is undersized but showed off his strength by lifting 765 pounds during one of his workouts at APEC (Athlete Performance Enhancement Center). On film, scouts have seen his quick feet and finishing with toughness whenever the ball is in his hands.
APEC founder and president Bobby Stroupe believes Hasty will rise up draft boards throughout the pre-draft process. Stroupe and the APEC team have been working with Hasty since his high school days at their facility in Tyler.
Hasty was an All-American running back coming out of Longview High School.
“JaMychal is one of those players who is going to sneak up in the draft,” Stroupe said. “His stock is going to continue to rise when they start learning more about his character. What he did at Baylor this year, combined with his Senior Bowl performance and what I feel he’s going to do at the Combine, his stock is definitely going to rise.
“He had a really good year as a redshirt freshman at Baylor. When Rhule came in, a lot of the Briles guys didn’t get a good opportunity until this year. Then they showed that they’re still the good players they were as freshmen.”
The NFL Scouting Combine starts today and runs through Monday March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23-25 in Las Vegas.
This story was originally published February 23, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
