By now, everyone knows the magical story of Missouri running back Cody Schrader’s journey from walk-on to one of the best running backs in the country. Finishing the 2023 season with 1,627 rushing yards and 191 receiving yards, Schrader racked up quite the trophy case. He will go down in Mizzou football history, but Schrader hopes his story is far from over.
The Truman State transfer sees a future in the NFL and is using the 2024 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama to continue to show NFL teams why he should be the newest addition to their city.
The first team All-American was also joined by three Mizzou teammates in Mobile, including Kris Abrams-Draine, Darius Robinson and Javon Foster.
“Seeing everyone eat off the success we had, we knew that if we won as a team that everyone was going to have success in the NFL and chasing their dreams after our time at Mizzou,” Schrader said.
Schrader impressed during the first two days of Senior Bowl practice, lining up mainly as a back, but also showing off his pass catching abilities. During a drill on day two, Schrader added a hesitation move into his route with quick feet that caused the defender to stop in his tracks and trip over:
Something to Prove has been the Tigers motto all season, and Schrader believes simply proving he is a football player is the main goal of his trip down south to Mobile.
“That’s my number one goal, my number one thing. I’m not the biggest, fastest, strongest guy but I’m a football player and a dang good football player at that,” Schrader said.
What Scharder lacks in size, he makes up for in his technique and workhorse motivation. Schrader showed all season he can make the big plays when it’s needed, but he can also continually push through traffic for the important short gains. In the passing game, Schrader has been great at adding yards after catch, something very valuable to NFL franchises.
Schrader’s agility and speed is what led to his huge success on the field during his 2023 breakout season. Working under first-year offensive coordinator Kirby Moore, he was able to make improvements to get him into open space more frequently.
“My quickness, my ability to hit to open a hole and explode through it is something I’ve heard that kinda jumps off tables when they watch my game,” Schrader said.
Size has come up as a possible issue for Schrader’s NFL future, but it is something he is addressing in the following months leading up to the draft.
“Continue training, getting faster. Bigger, faster, stronger. Going to the combine here in a few weeks, excited about that,” Schrader said. “Excited to finish out this week strong. Excited to show teams I can play this game at a high level.”
Schrader will play in the Senior Bowl game as a member of the American Team on Saturday, Feb. 3 at noon, before heading to Indianapolis at the end of February to participate in the NFL Combine.