Missouri Football: Damarea Crockett declares for 2019 NFL Draft

At times, Missouri Tigers running back Damarea Crockett was a force to be reckoned with. In 2019, the Tigers backfield will look a little different, as Crockett hopes to be on an NFL roster.

As a late-comer to the fandom of Missouri football, Damarea Crockett is one of the Tigers’ running backs whom I grew quite fond of. I appreciated his style of running between the tackles, as he fought for those extra inches to push Mizzou ahead. He was a bruiser for the Tigers.

On Monday, Crockett, who just completed his junior season with the Tigers, declared for the 2019 NFL Draft. Some may not be surprised by his decision, but I was a little taken by surprise. Missouri has a talented, dual-threat quarterback in Kelly Bryant, and a lot of the Tigers’ offense will return in the fall.

With little doubt, Crockett seemed to have thoroughly considered his decision, and it’s the best for him and his family. Undoubtedly, I wish him the best in his future, wherever it may lead. I find it difficult to believe he will not make an NFL roster, even in a complementary role.

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A silent leader on the Tigers’ offense, Crockett was extremely productive for Mizzou. He had his biggest year as a freshman, rushing for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2017, an injury hampered his production, but he still managed 481 yards on the ground.

Late in the 2016 season, Crockett was arrested for possession of marijuana, but was later allowed to return to the team, and became a leader on the Tigers’ offense.

At the end of the 2017 season, it seemed that in 2018, Crockett would have a similar year as his first year,  even though he would share carries with running back Larry Rountree, but in 2018, freshman running back Tyler Badie stole some of that fire with some magnificent plays of his own.

In 2018, Crockett finished his career at Mizzou with 709 yards and 7 touchdowns. Considering the Tigers used a “running back by committee” approach, he still handled a bulk of the carries for Mizzou.

With Crockett’s pending departure, it will be interesting to see if anyone steps into the rotation to be the team’s third running back, or if we will see Rountree and Badie get the lion’s share of carries for Missouri.