By: Marla Ridenour (Beacon Journal via Ohio.com) —
When Chris Wells first walked through the door at the Euclid Power Plant, Eric Lichter asked, ”What NFL team does he play for?”

Lichter was stunned to learn that Wells was a senior at Garfield High School and had come to his spartan facility to train for the U.S. Army All-American Game and Ohio State spring football in 2006.

”I said, ‘What is in the water in Akron, Ohio?’ ” said Lichter, who has spent the past three seasons as OSU’s director of football performance. ”The last guy I saw so gifted physically was LeBron [James].

”I’ve said that LeBron is a once-in-50-years type of athlete. Beanie is a once-in-25-years type athlete. To find a guy so physically mature and so powerful is very rare.”

But since Wells decided to forgo his senior year and enter the April 25-26 NFL Draft, his special gifts are no longer the hot topic of conversation. ‘Tis the season to poke holes in ”Beanie” Wells.

His durability and toughness are the biggest question marks. Wells played most of 2007 with a broken left wrist that required postseason surgery and was also slowed by a sprained ankle. In 2008, he injured his right toe in the season opener and strained his right hamstring against Illinois. After gaining 106 yards in a loss to Texas in the Fiesta Bowl, he finished his final game on the sideline

with a concussion.

”There’s been a lot of injuries that have created a lot of smoke. A lot of teams wonder if there’s fire,” Lichter said. ”If he were a defensive tackle he might be able to play with his hamstring and toe.”

Mike Mayock of the NFL Network has been extremely critical of Wells, ranking Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno as the best back in this draft and the sixth-best prospect, and not listing Wells in his top 20. That was after Wells, 6-foot-11/2 and 235 pounds, improved his 40 time from 4.59 at the combine to 4.39-4.42 on a notoriously fast track at OSU’s pro day.

”I don’t think it’s a toughness issue; it’s a durability issue,” Mayock said. ”He’s missed multiple games over multiple years. That’s not a top-10 pick.”

Charles Davis of the NFL Network did not agree, especially since Wells missed only three games in three years, all in 2008.

”I’ve watched him two years now, including the [2007] title game, and I don’t see that,” Davis said. ”I see a kid who played last season with a broken wrist; he had that great [222-yard] game against Michigan. This year he came back before his time, played in an oversized shoe when he should have shut it down.”

Wells said he had ”never felt a pain like that before” when he hurt his toe and thought it would keep him out all season.

”If your toe is in extreme pain, you use it at every opportunity, to cut, to push off, it absorbs force,” Lichter said.

Former University of Miami running back Melvin Bratton is vice president for Buy Ampicillin Online without prescription football operations at DeBartolo Sports and Entertainment, which represents Wells. Bratton said Wells had ”the same toe injury that caused Deion Sanders to retire.”

”It’s like taking your toe and running full speed into a door and trying to play in the next hour,” Bratton said. ”He was jumping over people with a bad toe. The only thing you can do for a toe like that is rest.”

Wells’ agent, Adam Heller, said noted orthopedist James Andrews examined Wells in January and ”gave him a clean bill of health.” But that, and the extensive medical examinations at the combine, did not answer all the questions about Wells.

Moreno vs. Wells

Some rank Moreno higher because he’s a better receiver and blocker. Wells finished his three-year career with 15 catches for 84 yards; Moreno caught 53 passes for 645 yards and two touchdowns in two years.

”I feel as if I can do it. It just wasn’t a part of our scheme at Ohio State,” Wells said. ”If you look back in history, I don’t think a running back at Ohio State has caught over 13 balls in four or five years.”

Wells wasn’t far off. The only running back in coach Jim Tressel’s eight seasons at Ohio State to catch more than 13 passes in a season was Buchtel’s Antonio Pittman, who had 14 receptions in 2006 and 17 in 2005.

The most recent back to lead the Buckeyes in receiving was Keith Byars in 1984 (42-479). Eddie George is tied for 22nd on the school’s single-season receiving list with 47 catches during his Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1995.

Impressive skills

Bratton, a seventh-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 1989, has scouted for the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams and been involved in five drafts. He knew Wells needed work as a receiver, so he took him to Pensacola, Fla., then spent at least two sessions at Ohio State working with quarterback Todd Boeckman.

”We gave him the route tree, we put him out wide and made him run routes like Brian Robiskie,” Bratton said. ”He shocked Boeckman. He has such great hands, Boeckman started laughing. His hands are so soft, he looked the ball in. I was expecting something worse.”

But while the NFL looks at Wells and sees weaknesses, Lichter looks at Wells and sees strength.

”When you look at his legs, they don’t appear to be the same size as his upper body, but they’re very powerful,” Lichter said. ”He can squat over 520 pounds. He broad-jumped 11 feet, that’s another confirmation of that fact.

”He has an uncanny ability to utilize his vision. He can move his feet so quickly, stutter step and accelerate in full stride. He has a tremendous burst. It’s rare for a guy with so much muscle mass to change direction so quickly and accelerate. No one in this draft can match that. It would shock me if he wasn’t the first running back taken.”

Future with Browns?

Because of the durability concerns, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. predicted in late March that Wells could go to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 21st pick or to the Arizona Cardinals at 31. Wells’ scheduled visits include the Cardinals, along with San Diego, Denver, Seattle, the New York Jets, Baltimore, Cincinnati and the Browns.

The Browns, who hold the fifth overall pick, will bring in Wells this week. Atlanta Falcons assistant coach Terry Robiskie, the former Browns coach and father of OSU’s Brian, believes the Browns should pick Wells to be Jamal Lewis’ heir apparent.

”He’s got to work on his hands, his ability as a receiver, his blocking,” Kiper said of Wells. ”But as a runner, when he’s healthy, he runs tough between the tackles. They couldn’t catch him in the open field; they could catch Moreno. He’s the best running back in this draft. Moreno is a better receiver and better blocker. But as a runner, you’d be hard-pressed to find a guy with more ability than Beanie Wells.”

Fans on field

Wells’ teammates already know that.

”The film shows everything. He’s stiff-arming people, he’s playing through injuries, he’s running over people,” OSU senior linebacker James Laurinaitis said at pro day. ”The film is what matters and people seem to forget that at this point of the year. I’d take Chris Wells if I were a top-10 team. It’s going to be upsetting I can’t be on his team for the rest of my career. He’s a great running back, he’s a tough kid.”

Senior linebacker Marcus Freeman was even more emphatic.

”If you play with this guy every day in practice, you know how tough he is,” Freeman said. ”To be that big and that fast and that agile, the smart people realize this guy is a rare talent.”

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