NFL Draft
4/14/25
4 min read
Corey Kiner 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Cincinnati Bearcats RB
Height: 5085 (verified)
Weight: 208lbs (verified)
Year: Senior
Pro Comparison: Kelvin Taylor
Scouting Overview
Cincinnati Bearcats running back Corey Kiner is a physical runner with a no-nonsense style. He is a north/south runner with a low set of pads that pose challenges for would-be tacklers with his physical running style.
Kiner lacks juice and is a statistical outlier with abnormally small hands (under 8”), which brings his viability as a secure ball-handler into question. But inside zone heavy teams that want to add competition for the end of their running back room would be well served taking a look here late.
2025 NFL Combine Results
| Position | Name | School | 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Split | Broad Jump | Vertical Jump | 3-Cone Drill | 20-Yard Shuttle | Bench Press |
| RB | Corey Kiner | Cincinnati | 4.57 | 1.59 | 19 |
Positives
- Forced a whopping 82 missed tackles in 2024, spotlighting his contact balance
- Shows good vision and ability to quickly set himself on a net-positive track with the ball
- Offers an easy-to-like aggression in all phases of the position
Negatives
- Posted three fumbles across 204 carries in 2024
- Is missing the necessary short-area explosiveness to create yards and break pursuit angles
- Does not offer significant appeal on passing downs — minimal college production
Background
Kiner is from Cincinnati, OH, and played high school football at Roger Bacon HS. There, he was a star player who posted more than 7,000 career rushing yards and 125 total touchdowns while being named Ohio’s Mr. Football in 2020. Kiner was ranked as a 4-star recruit (247 Sports) and one of the top 30 running back recruits in the country.
Kiner enrolled at LSU as a member of their 2021 recruiting class and played the 2021 season with LSU. He played in 11 games as a true freshman before entering the transfer portal as a 4-star transfer (247 Sports) before returning to Cincinnati.
He played in 10 games as a sophomore before assuming a featured back role for the Bearcats starting in 2023. Across those two seasons, Kiner rushed nearly 400 times and posted 2,200 yards across his junior and senior seasons combined.
Tale Of The Tape
Kiner is a physical, downhill runner who will force defenders to make business decisions in the hole. His low center of gravity, dense frame, and well-developed lower half help him earn yards after contact and plow through soft tackle challenges.
Kiner boasted more than 4 yards after contact per carry during his senior season at Cincinnati — a testament to how well he can maul defenders and fall forward.
He is a limited player, however. He’s missing the juice and explosiveness necessary to be a marquee talent and even when forcing missed tackles, he will be more dependent on available yards than a typical NFL starter. He does not have the quickest feet, so Kiner will struggle with trash piled up along the line of scrimmage, which forces him to redirect his track before he can build some momentum and burst through the pile.
The blockades for Kiner’s profile as a player lie in the ancillary bits of the position. He’s got sub-8-inch hands, which spring up with his ball security. And given his lack of suddenness and burst, he is not an attractive fit to run routes out of the backfield and create separation against linebackers.
As such, the projection lies in a rotational/depth role as an early down runner. With no more than 10 special teams snaps in any season, Kiner does not appear to be primed to fill ancillary roles for his new team.
It leaves him at a disadvantage while already swimming upstream with the positional value stereotype stacked against him. Still, Kiner can be a productive runner, especially when he’s not given the task of stretching out the point of attack, and he is allowed to press between the tackles and use his vision to quickly identify a crease.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Kiner projects best to an inside zone scheme at the next level. There, his contact balance and vertical running approach can be paired with his plus vision to create tough, hard-earned yards between the tackles as a depth player in an NFL running back room.
Grade: 69.00/100.00, Sixth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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