Former Vanderbilt RB Ralph Webb looks to impress in 2nd chance with Steelers

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Former Vanderbilt RB Ralph Webb looks to impress in 2nd chance with Steelers

Chris Adamski | Thursday, June 6, 2019 2:50 p.m.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 fourth round draft pick running back Benny Snell Jr., right, does through ball retention drills with undrafted free agent running back Ralph Webb during NFL football rookie camp, Friday, May 10, 2019, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic) Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 fourth round draft pick running back Benny Snell Jr., right, does through ball retention drills with undrafted free agent running back Ralph Webb during NFL football rookie camp, Friday, May 10, 2019, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

One of the dark horse candidates for a Pittsburgh Steelers roster spot at the back end of the running back depth chart was a highly productive rusher at a lower-profile SEC East school.

And there’s Benny Snell, too.

Snell, a rookie fourth-round pick, had a school-record 3,873 rushing yards at Kentucky. But he left the SEC 305 yards — and six spots — on the conference career rushing list behind Ralph Webb.

Webb, who went undrafted out of Vanderbilt last year, is back with the Steelers in 2019. And with 4,178 college rushing yards (sixth-most in SEC history) on his résumé, Webb’s chances of making the roster should not be summarily dismissed too easily.

Ralph Webb gets carried off the field at Neyland Stadium. pic.twitter.com/o8qDxKcgiX

— Marshall Hughes (@marshallhughes) November 26, 2017

“This is my second (set of NFL spring workouts), so I got a lot more time to adjust and learn the playbook and just get a feel for the guys and develop that team chemistry,” Webb said after an organized team activity session this week. “I feel a lot more confident now.”

Despite his gaudy stats in the consensus top college conference, Webb went undrafted because he isn’t viewed as having NFL-requisite speed and athleticism. He signed with the New England Patriots last year, and he had three touchdowns among his 36 touches over four 2018 preseason games.

We may not have Dion Lewis anymore, but we do have Ralph Webb ? pic.twitter.com/yISuwn9K1R

— Patriots Militia (@PatsMilitia) August 10, 2018

He made the Patriots practice squad but was released a month into the season. He’d later spend three weeks with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but was cut off their practice squad Dec. 3.

A day later, the Steelers scooped him up for their practice squad, where he spent the rest of the season before signing a reserve/future deal two days after it ended.

“It’s solid body of work from when I came here late last year in December,” Webb said. “Developed enough tape for them to bring me back, and I am just going to build on top of that.

Webb, who never missed any of Vanderbilt’s 49 games during his time there, caught 68 passes in college. He added five more for the Patriots in the preseason last August.

“Making sure I catch the ball well out of the backfield, I think that could be big for me,” Webb said. “And working on speed, those are two biggest things I have been working on in the offseason.”

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