Missouri running back Tyler Badie recently caught the eyes of many scouts when he impressed at the 2022 Senior Bowl and he will most certainly hear his name called during the NFL Draft in late April.
During his four years at Missouri, Badie ran for 2,740 yards and 23 touchdowns and caught 126 passes for 1,149 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 5-foot-8, 194-pound running back posted a monster senior season, rushing for 1,604 yards and 14 touchdowns and catching 54 passes for 330 yards and four touchdowns. Early next month, Badie will try to impress once again at the NFL Scouting Combine in hopes of continuing to raise his draft stock.
Badie was born in New Orleans, but his family was displaced after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. His mother was looking for a new job and ended up moving to Baltimore. Badie attended Friends School of Baltimore from grades 6 to 10 before moving to Memphis. Moving can be a difficult experience for a youngster, but the people who surrounded Badie made it easier.
“Coming from such a tragic background, coming to a place and just being welcomed with open arms, it was just a blessing to be around so many people that just [have] the best interests for you at heart, especially coming off a big situation with the natural disaster and everything,” Badie said on Glenn Clark Radio Feb 11. “Just being situated out there in Baltimore just felt like home.”
During his time in Baltimore, he adapted to a new way of life. Friends was a huge part of his life, helping him gain some new interests that he didn’t have before moving to Maryland, including lacrosse, choir and playing the trumpet. He learned how to play lacrosse at Friends and was immediately drawn to the sport. Badie explained that he not only played for the school team, but he also played for a travel team.
While playing lacrosse, he thought it could be a sport that he could play at the college level, but when he moved to Memphis, he began focusing more on football.
“I tell people all the time, lacrosse was my first love. … I just kind of molded into a lacrosse player, so I like to say I’m a laxer,” Badie said, adding that he “told a lot of people, if I didn’t move to Memphis, I would’ve been playing lacrosse in college.”
Badie finished his high school career at Briarcrest Christian School in Tennessee. He initially committed to playing college football at Memphis but then decommitted in favor of Missouri.
Badie started playing from the moment he stepped on campus at Missouri, which was a huge confidence boost. Being thrown straight into the fire in one of the best conferences in the nation allowed Badie to realize he could reach his goal of playing in the NFL.
Badie recently participated at the Senior Bowl, giving him a chance to show off his skill set to NFL talent evaluators. Badie explained that he just wanted to go down to Mobile, Ala., and show off his versatility.
“It’s a blessing,” Badie said. “It’s much different than what people think. It’s hard work down there. A lot of people think it’s a Pro Bowl game. You go down there and have fun, but when you get down there it’s straight business.”
Many media outlets have reported that Badie was a player who really impressed and made the most of the opportunity. For Badie, this wasn’t really a surprise. The running back is confident in his talent and believes he has the abilities to be a difference maker in the NFL.
“I’ll say they are getting a mismatch nightmare,” Badie said of what a team should expect from him. “You can line me up at slot, you can line me up out of the backfield. I feel like when teams game plan, they’re going to be like, ‘We’re going to have to watch out for Tyler Badie.'”
While the Ravens have some solid running back depth and the position may not be their first thought when the draft comes around, there is always a possibility that they draft a back. Although Badie would be excited about being drafted by any NFL team, the idea of coming back to Baltimore crossed his mind.
“It definitely has,” Badie said. “I had a great conversation with the Ravens down there at the Senior Bowl. I just always think about playing alongside Lamar Jackson, how cool that would be and being back in the city that I grew up in. So that would be pretty awesome, I definitely considered it and I just feel like it would be a great story if that works out.”
For more from Badie, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Mizzou Athletics