Emil Igwenagu (Pronounced: eh-MEAL ig-wen-AH-goo) came to the University of Massachusetts in 2007 as a running back/linebacker hybrid player before eventually taking over as a fullback/H-back type of player. While he never had a defined role at the collegiate level and never put up eye-popping statistics, his actions earned the respect of his teammates who named him team captain and the eyes of NFL scouts that saw his potential.
He earned invites to both the NFL Combine and the East-West Shrine Game. At the Shrine Game the Jaguars were one of the teams that reportedly spoke to Igwenagu and continued to get exposure and talks with NFL teams when he played in the Senior Bowl the following week.
| Emil Igwenagu |
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Position: Fullback |
Height: 6-1 | ||||
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School: Massachusetts |
Weight: 245 | ||||
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Age: 22 |
Projected Round: 5th-7th | ||||
Pros: Good size for a fullback (size comparable to Greg Jones). Plenty of athleticism including ability to make plays out of the backfield. Good, natural hands away from the body including the ability to keep concentration in traffic. Team captain.
Cons: Level of competition at UMass in the Colonial Athletic Association at the FCS level. Lack of experience at any one given position. Struggled with some blocks during the all-star practices against higher competition.
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At some point in time the Jaguars are going to need to replace Greg Jones at fullback and with Jones due $3.4 million in 2012 at age 30 (turning 31 in April) it might need to be sooner rather than later. Montell Owens is certainly not a blocking fullback and while Brock Bolen is serviceable in the area, he's much more of a special teamer and out of the backfield type of player than a traditional blocking fullback.
Igwenagu offers the potential of a large, blocking fullback in the mold of Greg Jones to take over and fill the role that has allowed the Jaguars to be such a dominant running team over the last decade or so.