Yes, I tend to pay a little more attention to former West Virginia Mountaineers in the NFL than perhaps I should. But running back Noel Devine is a special case. A YouTube phenomenon in high school, Devine seemed destined to contend eventually for a Heisman Trophy during his first two college seasons, when all he needed was a glimmer of daylight in order to rocket toward the end zone.
His last two years, based on the standard he set in 2007 and 2008, ended in disappointment. In 2010, Devine opted to pass on the possibility of being a mid-round pick in the hopes of pushing his draft stock higher. Instead, an injury against LSU caused his senior season to be ordinary in comparison to his extraordinary promise, and he wasn’t drafted.
Devine then became one of the most-watched undrafted free agents, forced with all others to wait until the lockout ended to get a crack at the NFL. After false reports emerged that he’d join a Falcons team that has too many running backs, Devine opted to join an Eagles team . . . that has too many running backs.
Still, it was surprising to see that the Eagles waived Devine on Saturday, after only three days of work. Per Scout.com, Devine left the team. A source with knowledge of the Personnel Notice tells PFT that Devine indeed was listed as being waived with the “left squad” designation.
He officially was placed into the waiver system Sunday, giving every other team an opportunity to claim his minimum-salaries contract.
The question becomes whether a stew of frustrations for a guy for whom everything came easily boiled over on Saturday and caused him to do something rash -- or whether a player who seemed destined to dazzle at the NFL level has ended up being a dud.
With 90 roster spots this year, it makes plenty of sense for anyone with needs at the position to bring him in for another look.