Toben Opurum is another name that I unearthed while digging through the bulging practice squads of all 32 NFL teams. After stints with the Chiefs and Texans practice squads in 2013, Opurum was signed to the Saints practice squad recently.
Toben Opurum opened up his college career (Kansas) as a running back. Then he transitioned to linebacker and defensive line to finish his college career. Opurum is listed as a fullback for NFL prospect purposes with a secondary position as a linebacker. However, he is listed as a running back on the dependable Ourlads.com depth chart for the Saints.
Why Should We Care About Toben Opurum?
Putting Opurum in the running back prospect database, I was surprised at the results. He grades out as the best undrafted 2013 running back in the projection model, ahead of Saints teammate Khiry Robinson, Cierre Wood, and C.J. Anderson of note.
Toben Opurum is a great athlete. His athleticism score of 74 is better than all but four drafted running backs from 2014 (Christine Michael, Knile Davis, Latavius Murray, Michael Cox). Opurum is fullback-sized at 6’1″ and 249 pounds, but ran a sub-4.60 and logged a 10’4″ broad and 24 bench reps of note. Here are Opurum’s athletic comparables:
- Peyton Hillis
- Michael Bush
- Eric Shelton
Two top-100 NFL draft pick and a VBD-producing undrafted free agent is a good start for a completely unknown second-year player’s comparable list.
Toben Opurum was also a well-rounded producer at 18 years old, his last as primarily a running back. Opurum averaged 60 yards per game (10 through the air) and nearly a touchdown per game at Kansas. Of the three comparable athletic talents listed above, Opurum’s production profile is most similar to a poor man’s Michael Bush and better than Hillis and Shelton.
While Toben Opurum requires well over 30 offensive roster spots to warrant consideration presently, monitor the Saints roster closely in the offseason. Mark Ingram is a free agent. Opurum is a better athlete than Khiry Robinson. Pierre Thomas will be over 30 years old for next season. Travaris Cadet is a restricted free agent. Plus the Saints, regardless of their depth chart, use a ton of running backs over the course of an NFL season.
