*Alex Barnes – Noteworthy
To make it in professional sports, most athletes need a niche to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. Not according to former Kansas State tailback Alex Barnes. Barnes has been selling himself to teams at the NFL Combine this week as a complete running back, even if he’s not considered elite at any one aspect of the position. “I feel like I have every trait the NFL is looking for, and it’s about showing it all off,” Barnes said on Thursday. After a strong junior season in which he rushed for 1,355 yards and 12 touchdowns, Barnes elected to leave Manhattan early as the school’s No. 4 career rusher, part of a mass exodus from the K-State backfield with teammates Dalvin Warmack and Justin Silmon graduating.
Barnes has met with the Chiefs, Steelers, Buccaneers, Jets, Colts, Texans and Titans at the combine and said he’s heard he could go as high as the third round and as low as the seventh in April’s NFL Draft. Aside from his skillset, Barnes likes to think his 6-foot-1 frame, a little larger than most at his position, gives him an advantage. Barnes said he’s been compared to Steelers running back James Conner and former Texans running back Arian Foster because of his deceptive speed. – Manhattan Mercury