At first glance, RB Cameron Artis-Payne does not seem like someone with a ton to gain at the Senior Bowl. His resumé more or less speaks for itself,  as he ran for over 1,600 yards and scored 13 touchdowns as a senior. Those are impressive numbers, especially given the quality of the competition in the SEC.

But Artis-Payne was as excited as any prospect for the opportunity to showcase his wares at the annual pre-draft event in Mobile, Ala.

“It’s a great opportunity to work with an NFL coaching staff before you make it to the NFL, just to see what the practices are going to be like, what the expectations are at the next level and to find out what you really need to work on as a player,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity. Then, on top of that, you get to play against some of the top players in the country and you get to form a relationship with some of the top players in the country.”

There are a couple other reasons Artis-Payne is chomping at the bit for this opportunity.

First, there are some questions about his ability to catch the ball, as he had just 14 receptions over the last two seasons combined. It’s not that he has shown bad hands, but he did not get many opportunities as a receiver in Gus Malzahn’s offense.

“I can catch the ball, it just wasn’t an emphasis in our offense for the running back to catch the ball, but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it,” he said. “I think I’ve shown that a little bit this week; I’ve caught the ball with my hands, not my body. I’m looking forward to the rest of this week to showcase things I didn’t have the opportunity to showcase at Auburn.”

Another thing Artis-Payne wants to prove is he is a better athlete than most people realize. That is a quest that will continue after the Senior Bowl, as he will go back down to Boca Raton, Fla., to train with Tony Villani at XPE. He hopes all the hard work will allow him to shine at the NFL Combine the same way he has shown out in Mobile.

“I want to shock some people,” he said. “I feel like they underestimate my athleticism, so I want to shock some people at the Combine.”

The pre-draft process is tough on all prospects, but especially running backs. The running back position has been largely devalued in the NFL over the last few years, a trend that figures to hold true again in this year’s draft. Because running backs have such a short life span, teams are trending towards using a platoon of younger players at the position, often acquired in the middle or later rounds.

While a player with Artis-Payne’s stats and skills likely would have been a first-round pick five years ago, there is a chance he will be available in the third round come April.

“The running game is very important. It’s essential in order to have a good team, in my opinion,” he said. “I don’t get paid to make those decisions, and at the end of the day you can’t worry about what round you’ll go in because you’ll just stress yourself and then you won’t be at your best throughout this process. At the end of the day I just try to keep my head down and focus on what I need to focus on to be the best I can be.”

His goals are certainly set high enough. He is close friends with Eagles RB LeSean McCoy and talks to him often about transitioning to the NFL. Artis-Payne also studies a lot of other running backs around the league, from past greats like LaDainian Tomlinson to current ballers like Marshawn Lynch.

As he explains: “I try to watch every running back playing because you can learn something different from everybody. Everybody is great at something else.”

Artis-Payne does not know who he will most closely resemble when he makes it to the big leagues, nor does he have any inclination of where he might be playing next season. All he knows is that wherever he is tabbed to play on draft day, he is going to be ready to hit the ground running upon arrival.

“Once you figure out where you’re going to be at, you want to be prepared and you want to go in there and have a chance at getting on the field,” he said. “So I’ll be doing some film study and working out [in the meanwhile].”

Want to talk more about Artis-Payne and other draft prospects? Join Michael Lombardo for his weekly NFL Chat on Friday at 2pm EST. But you don’t have to wait until then … ask your question now!