Former West Virginia University running back Noel Devine has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, according to a report on Tuesday evening.

Devine posted huge numbers in his first three years with the Moutaineers, averaging over six yards per carry in each and racking up 1,289 yards rushing as a sophomore and 1,465 as a junior. He struggled a bit as a senior, however, and was slowed by a toe injury, posting just 936 yards for the year.

He's had a tough life - his parents both died of AIDS, and various adults (including, briefly, Deion Sanders, who went to the same high school as Devine) watched over him after that. As a teenager, he saw a friend of his be shot and killed. Despite the struggles, Devine found success on the field and in college at West Virginia.

He's very small, listed at 5-foot-8, 180 pounds (and he might be even smaller than that). But he has excellent speed, and he might be capable of helping the Eagles on returns and on third downs. At his size, he isn't likely to be a featured back, but it's not often that one expects to find that sort of player as an undrafted free agent anyway. At the time of the NFL Draft, Devine looked likely to be a late-round pick, so the Eagles have done well to grab him as a free agent.

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