By Nick Wagoner
Senior Writer

Growing up in St. Louis, Laurence Maroney’s dreams of one day playing in the NFL seemed so distant.

After all, he went to Normandy High School, not exactly an area power such as Hazelwood East or Edwardsville. At Normandy, it would be difficult to draw much in the way of recruiters to see him play.

But Maroney made it clear early in his high school career that he was dead set on making it to the highest level of football.

“Coming from Normandy, I always felt like I had to work twice as hard as the next guy because it’s not a football school,” Maroney said. “I felt like I had to do twice as much. A lot of colleges don’t look at Normandy.”

And Maroney did do twice as much. In addition to carrying the load at running back, Maroney played defensive end and racked up sacks like he racked up rushing touchdowns. That drew plenty of attention from recruiters and when all was said and done; Maroney accepted a scholarship to the University of Minnesota.

The Golden Gophers had plenty of running back talent, but Maroney was given an immediate chance to go in and compete. As a freshman and sophomore, Maroney shared time with current Dallas back Marion Barber III. Last season, he shared time with Gary Russell.

Some might point to the fact that Maroney hasn’t spent much time carrying a full load as a weakness, but considering the numbers he posted in a split situation; it might actually work to his advantage.

“It was fun to play with a talented guy like Marion Barber,” Maroney said. “We both brought something different to the table. We gave defenses a different look when we came in the game and we had fresh legs when we came in. It was never a problem. We never complained. I never said he had the ball too much and he never said I had the ball too much.

“It helped me out a lot. This year sharing with Gary Russell, I had a bigger bulk. It helped me out because I didn’t have the wear and tear on my body.”

The lifespan of most running backs isn’t long. In fact, many backs are out of the league within three years because of the beating they take on a weekly basis. But, while Maroney posted 3,933 rushing yards (second in Gophers’ history) and set a school record for rushing yards with 1,464 yards as a junior, he doesn’t have nearly the tread of many backs that enter the draft.

That performance has positioned Maroney to be one of the first running backs selected in the first round of the draft. USC’s Reggie Bush will certainly be the first back selected, probably the first pick in the draft. After Bush goes off the board, Maroney is part of a cluster of three backs that has yet to define itself.

Along with Memphis’ DeAngelo Williams and USC’s LenDale White, Maroney has been battling for the spot as the draft’s second-best back for the better part of the past few months.

At February’s scouting combine, Maroney was unable to participate in the workouts because of a strained hamstring suffered in mid-January while working out in Arizona. That injury forced him to postpone his workouts and running the 40-yard dash.

A slashing, powerful back with excellent speed, Maroney is viewed as a perfect fit for a zone blocking team such as Atlanta or Denver. But one team believed to have plenty of interest in Maroney is Indianapolis.

After losing Edgerrin James to Arizona in free agency, the Colts are in desperate need of help at running back. Who better to replace James than the man who is most often compared to him?

“He has a nice little swagger about himself,” Maroney said. “He's shifty. He's a downhill runner, and has good hands, speed, and feet.”

While the comparisons of Maroney and James are valid, Maroney does need work as a receiver, especially if he wants to fit into the Colts offense. Maroney caught 18 balls as a junior, but has been working to improve his hands so that he can be a complete back in the NFL.

“Catching was one of the major things a lot of scouts wanted to see,” Maroney said. “It wasn't that the running backs couldn't catch (at Minnesota); it just wasn't a part of our package. We were just used specifically for running.”

Maroney spent his down time finding ways to improve his hands and it worked well as he had a solid outing during his pro day at Minnesota. Maroney ran the 40 in the upper 4.4 range and displayed the type of hands that should land him in the first round, perhaps ahead of Williams and White.

That effort should make him the first St. Louisan to go in the first round since defensive lineman Wendell Bryant went to Arizona in 2002.

“Hopefully, I'll go in the first round,” Maroney said. “It would be a blessing if I did.”