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Hunt has legitimate shot at NFL

IC Photo File

Blake Bacho, Sports Editor

Kareem Hunt isn’t shy when it comes to discussing his dreams of playing in the National Football League.

Actually, Toledo’s star tailback isn’t shy period. But he’s really adamant about this professional football thing.

And he isn’t the only one who thinks he can make it.

Hunt’s sophomore campaign was one for the record books. The Ohio native finished the 2014 season with 1,631 rushing yards, a number good for tenth-most nationally and second most ever at UT. He struggled with injuries, yet still managed to put the Rockets on his back and carry them into the postseason, averaging 8.0 yards per clip and 163.1 yards per game.

While Hunt hasn’t said anything to fuel the rumors, people already believe he will wave goodbye to the Glass City after next season. In their eyes, Hunt will be walking across a stage and accepting a jersey and a hug from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell this time next spring.

The truth is that those rumors don’t mean jack squat, at least not until Hunt answers a few more questions for NFL scouts.

In case you haven’t heard, Toledo will lose its entire offensive line to graduation this offseason. Gone is the single-minded unit that barreled through opposing defenses last year. Five new faces will now be responsible for opening running lanes for Hunt and the rest of the Rockets’ stable of rushers.

This is a chicken-or-the-egg type problem, one that will be extremely important to Hunt next season. Did the running back make the offensive line look good, or will the star tailback lose his luster behind a rookie unit?

Whether or not the star tailback can stay healthy is another huge question mark following Hunt into the summer. It’s mind-boggling to think of the numbers he could have posted had he played the full schedule last season. Heading into the spring still banged up, Hunt will need to prove to NFL scouts next year that he can play a full slate of games without issue.

Of course this is all assuming Hunt really does wish to skip out on college a season early.

But why wouldn’t he? Assuming Hunt has another monster year, and assuming the Rockets finally find a way to handle Northern Illinois, a victory in the Mid-American Conference Championship game would be all that’s needed to tie up the running back’s collegiate career in a nice little bow.

There’s a lot of assuming going on there, but Hunt and the Rockets have proved that you shouldn’t bet against them. If everything goes according to plan next season, UT has yet another legitimate shot at being MAC Champions.

Where Hunt fits in among the 2016 draft hopefuls would be up for debate, especially since his position has been so undervalued at the professional level in recent years. The 2015 draft class looks like it will change that, but nevertheless Hunt will still face stiff competition in the battle to be drafted.

The fact that he hails from the MAC will also count against him when being compared to players from the power conferences. But Hunt’s numbers stack up favorably against all of them and even with a new offensive line I don’t see that changing much next season.

The Rockets’ 2015 campaign will be make-it-or-break time for Hunt. He has already established himself as one of the greatest tailbacks in UT history, but to reach the next level he must answer all the questions and prove worthy of all the hype.

If Hunt keeps doing what he’s been doing and doesn’t slow down anytime soon, he may yet hear his name called at next year’s NFL Draft.

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