The way this Gamecock will deal with the uncertainty of draft week: Just relax
Facing down the start of his professional life, former South Carolina running back Rico Dowdle has one goal in the coming days: stay calm.
The multi-year starter for the Gamecocks doesn’t know when or if he’ll get drafted. His name has been thrown out as a borderline pick, someone who could hear his name called at some point Saturday — or not at all.
So staying in Columbia, the Asheville, North Carolina product just aims to keep his mind right.
“Just trying to stay calm and relax,” Dowdle said. “I know I’m going to get a little bit anxious when time gets closer to the day. But right now, just trying to stay calm and go with it and keep talking to coaches and teams and stuff like that, giving out more impressions.
“Let it come. It’s going to happen.”
The 5-foot-11, 213-pound back declined to say which teams he’s been speaking to, but he’s often in contact with NFL personnel, whether it be by text, call or Zoom call/FaceTime.
Even as he’s showing himself to pro teams, he’s not setting much in the way of expectations.
“I’ve been talking to my agent,” Dowdle said. “I don’t really know. It’s kind of up in the air. It would definitely be later somewhere in those later rounds. We’ll see how it goes. Looking forward to it.”
Dowdle had an oft-productive but up-and-down time in Columbia. He broke into the starting lineup as a true freshman, rushing for more than 750 yards despite missing the start of the season with an injury.
He was a starter when healthy for most of the rest of his career, but he battled injuries every season, missing five games as a sophomore, one as a junior and two as a senior. Still, he led the team in rushing twice and finished 14th overall in program history in rushing yards.
He had an advantage over some of his teammates this offseason because he got to attend the NFL combine and work out before the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the program’s pro day. Dowdle said he hated it for teammates, but admitted it might give him a bit of an advantage over the general draft field (his all-around testing numbers produced one of the better combined scores at his position).
And this overall shift in the process, no travel and social distancing, has changed a good deal about Dowdle’s prep.
“It’s definitely been very different,” Dowdle said. “I’ve just been doing stuff from home, things I can do from home. All the gyms shut down, so push-ups, sit-ups and running. That’s pretty much all I’ve been doing. A little bit of stuff with weights and bands, stretching and stuff.”
One area he’d been trying to work in in pre-draft training was improving “posture” to avoid injuries and get back to a level of feel he had in high school.
Teammates such as Javon Kinlaw, D.J. Wonnum and Bryan Edwards project to get taken. There have been rumblings punter Joseph Charlton might. Others such as fellow back Tavien Feaster and T.J. Brunson are also hoping to hear their names called.
Dowdle is in a precarious spot when it comes to watching and waiting. The final rounds of the draft go on for a while, running most of Saturday afternoon and into the evening. There’s a bit less pomp and circumstance, but in a time of social distancing and being a few hours from home, he’s still got a few plans in the works.
“I’m probably going to do what I was (planning) to do,” Dowdle said. “A couple people over at my house, be with my family. We’re going to see how this is going to go.”
