Baltimore Ravens rookie running back J.K. Dobbins wants his chance to shine and help this team immediately.
“I don’t know how patient I can be,” Dobbins said in a video press conference on Friday. “My thing is, I’m just trying to work hard, I’m trying to play, I’m trying to get on the field someway somehow. My goal ain’t to be patient.”
Dobbins, like most early-round draft picks, has found quick success on every football field he’s ever been on. At La Grange High School in Texas, Dobbins was a star as early as his sophomore season, rushing for 2,243 yards and 37 touchdowns in 2014 alone. That continued at Ohio State where he rushed for 181 yards in his very first game, eventually breaking the school’s freshman single-game and single-season rushing records that year. Dobbins would go on to earn first-team All-American and All-Big Ten honors in 2019 as well.
After being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, it’s clear Dobbins is the future of the position for Baltimore. But just because he’s the future doesn’t mean he’ll just be handed anything immediately. Unlike what he’s experienced before, it’s going to take Dobbins some time to prove himself, which all starts in training camp. And though he knows he’s not likely to get the starting job, Dobbins foresees proving himself to the coaching staff enough to earn meaningful snaps.
“I’m not saying I’m going to start or anything but I feel like if I just work hard enough and show the coaches I can play at this level then I’m going to be on the field,” Dobbins continued.
The Ravens are well situated at running back this year. After breaking a 41-year old rushing record last season with Mark Ingram, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill behind quarterback Lamar Jackson, Dobbins’ presence on the roster is something of an added bonus in 2020. Baltimore’s hoping their newest offensive weapon can eventually be Ingram’s replacement down the line. But for Dobbins, he believes he brings something to the table right now and can be a driving force for the Ravens hoisting a Lombardi Trophy.
“My goal is to help the team win a Super Bowl, not sitting on the bench,” Dobbins said.
This wouldn’t be the first time a newly-drafted running back helped push Baltimore to Super Bowl success. Then-rookie running back Jamal Lewis eventually overtook Priest Holmes’ starting role in 2000 en route to the Ravens winning their first Super Bowl. Now 20 years later, Dobbins has the potential and the drive to have history repeat itself once again in Baltimore.
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