Most underrated running back prospect in NFL Draft rose from eighth on the depth chart to SEC rushing title
Cody Schrader is a special running back prospect. You may know him as the starting running back for Missouri who led the SEC conference in rushing yards last fall, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding what makes Schrader special. If you're unfamiliar with his story, Cody Schrader had […]
Cody Schrader is a special running back prospect. You may know him as the starting running back for Missouri who led the SEC conference in rushing yards last fall, but that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding what makes Schrader special.
If you're unfamiliar with his story, Cody Schrader had zero Division-I football offers coming out of high school despite being an all-state running back in Missouri. Without any real scholarship offers on the table Schrader chose to attend Truman State University where he broke just about every record in their book.
Schrader racked up over 2200 yards from scrimmage in just 12 games for Truman State in 2021, leading all of Division-II in rushing. Shortly thereafter he decided to enter the transfer portal to seek out Division-I opportunities in hopes of fulfilling his dreams of playing at the highest collegiate level.
I asked him about the journey from walk-on to leading the SEC in rushing for Missouri at the NFL Combine today and this is what he had to say:
Schrader had to start out eighth on Missouri's depth chart, still without a scholarship, but he didn't let that hold him down. His message to other young underrated football players was so good:
"What I want a lot of kids to understand if you're in that same scenario is that you've got to figure out how to get your name talked about, and get your name buzzing around the facility…I worked out every day at 6:30am. I would show up every day at 5am. And my goal with that was to beat the head strength coach there every day because I knew he met with the head coach every day in staff meetings."
He worked hard every single day. He showed up early every single day. But he wasn't just putting his head down working. He was doing so strategically with goals in mind. That's what helped him stand out. He went on to share his exact strategy to get the attention of the coaching staff:
"I drove a red Ford Ranger, so I knew [his strength coach] would see my car every single day…I would park it in the middle of the parking lot, because [his strength coach] walked from the very back to the front, so I knew he would see it…My goal with that was [for people to] be asking 'Who is this kid? Why is he here every single day?'"
Smart tactics from Schrader to get the attention of his strength coach and head coach Eliah Drinkwitz. But it wasn't just empty attention-getting. Schrader wanted to work hard to earn his starting spot on the team. Perhaps the most important thing that Schrader shared was a core principle of Missouri football program that Eliah Drinkwitz himself reinforced when he reposted my video of Schrader earlier this afternoon.
Everything Cody Schrader was doing was "building trust and respect" with his coaches. It was "doing more than what's expected" and that is exactly what we all can relate to, no matter where we are in life. No matter what we do for a living.
"It's the consistency over time [that] builds trust and respect with coaches. And that's what kids have to understand. If you're coming into a program, if you're walking on and you're under-recruited, whatever your story is…You've got to find a way to build that trust and respect, and that's the way I found to do it at Mizzou."
Wise words from the incoming NFL rookie running back.
Schrader has been turning heads ever since stepping foot on Mizzou's campus. Now he's doing it in the NFL Draft process. Whether it was leading the SEC in rushing, dominating at the Senior Bowl, or being a consummate professional at the podium now at the NFL Combine, Cody Schrader looks ready for the NFL. Wherever he lands, some lucky NFL team is going to get an absolute stud with a great mindset.
