How Tavien Feaster has dealt with ‘shocker’ of losing chance to impress NFL scouts
Tavien Feaster missed out on two big chances.
First, the former five-star recruit and South Carolina and Clemson tailback was not invited to the NFL combine, and then the coronavirus pandemic wiped out his chance to work out for NFL scouts at South Carolina’s Pro Day.
Speaking to WSPA 7 News’ Todd Summers, Feaster called that latter news a shocker. He said he’d run a 4.42 40-yard dash in his pre-draft training and put together a little something to show off his skills to the pros.
“I’m pretty sure on the laser it would have been 4.4 something,” Feaster said. “All I can do is control the controlables. Shoulda, woulda, coulda now because of the virus. Right now I’m just focused and just blessed to just be doing it. Everything has been positive. Everything’s been looking up looking up about me performing. Me and my team have put together good camera work to show the teams.
“We had our own mock pro day down where I’m training.”
Feaster’s road has been a winding one to say the least. In high school, he was a speed demon, averaging 8.4 and 8.7 yards a carry as a sophomore and junior, leading Spartanburg to a state title as a junior alongside a high-powered passing attack.
One of the top 40 recruits in the country, he played three seasons at Clemson, finishing second on the team in rushing as a sophomore and fourth as a junior. He was jumped by Travis Etienne on the depth chart, and after some injuries, decided to try his luck as a graduate transfer.
He landed in-state with the Gamecocks, ran for a team-high 672 yards in 10 games and showed off a slightly different part of his skillset. His backfieldmate, Rico Dowdle, did make it to Indianapolis.
The Athletic projected Feaster in the range of being an undrafted free agent, and the Upstate native never had the chance to change that perception. Everything leading into the draft and next football season is fraught with uncertainty, and Feaster admitted he was feeling the hurt of his missed chance.
“When I didn’t get the combine invite, obviously it was a devastating blow to me, but I didn’t really get in my feelings about it. I just continued to work, knew I had pro day to look forward to,” Feaster said. “When they canceled pro day, it was a big shocker to me. I thought we were going to be able to get it in before they started shutting down everything. It’s heartbreaking to my process because I couldn’t really get evaluated without the shoulder pads on like everybody else that went to the combine.”
