2014 NFL Draft: Chris Boyd, former Vanderbilt receiver, invited to NFL Combine

Former Vanderbilt Commodores wide receiver Chris Boyd has been invited to February’s NFL Combine, according to Chase Goodbread of College Football 24/7.

"“I was at the facility in between sessions, and I got it on my phone,” he said. “Immediately, I was really thankful, called my dad, mom, my trainer, because we’ve been waiting on this. I’m just excited. I definitely thought there was still hope, but with the situation I was in, it wasn’t something I thought would for sure happen.”"

The situation Boyd refers to in the above quote references a rape that took place on the Nashville campus involving four former Vanderbilt players. Boyd was initially charged with assisting a cover-up attempt after the fact and later reduced to a misdemeanor charge which resulted in his dismissal from the team prior to the season starting.

After Boyd had 50 receptions for 774 yards as a sophomore in 2012, he entered the 2013 season with high hopes in what could have been a true breakout season opposite the SEC’s all-time leading receiver Jordan Matthews, but that never materialized.

The year off from football and the off-the-field concern will have a negative impact on Boyd’s draft stock, but the invite to the combine will provide him an opportunity to address what happened off-the-field and a chance to run a 4.4 40.

At 6-3.5, 205-pounds, Boyd possesses ideal size for a wide receiver, so if he tests well and interviews well he could be a late round value pick for a team looking for a big target in the passing game.