Eagles vs. Chiefs: RB Donnel Pumphrey out for season for Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles have lost rookie running back Donnel Pumphrey for the rest of the 2017 season after placing him on injured reserve.

The Philadelphia Eagles has hoped to strike mid-to-late round gold with a small, dynamic do-it-all offensive weapon a la Tyreek Hill with their selection of running back Donnel Pumphrey in this year’s NFL Draft. Instead, they’re going to have to wait a while for any real return on their investment with the news that the team has placed Pumphrey on injured reserve heading into Week 2.

Pumphrey was hailed as a sort of Darren Sproles-eque back who could be dangerous in a number of ways, including special teams. Instead, Pumphrey found the transition to the NFL to be a bit tougher than expected with a lackluster preseason. Pumphrey failed to turn any heads or climb the depth chart, so playing time was going to be tough for him to come by anyway. That said, he’s missing valuable reps by having to sit for so long with a torn hamstring.

Pumphrey ran for an incredible 6,405 rushing yards at San Diego State with a very healthy average of 6.0 yards per carry. Even more, he rushed into the end zone an incredible 62 times in his collegiate career along with another 5 receiving touchdowns. Pumphrey caught 99 total passes in his career, showing he can be an asset out of the backfield even as he’s also an elusive scat back—at least at SDSU.

Whether or not Pumphrey can make good on the fifth round pick will only be seen further down the road. For now it’s part of a middling draft class with very few early returns for the Eagles.