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.