McKINNEY - Even after catching a touchdown pass at West Virginia late last season, Chris Warren wasn't thrilled with his move from running back to tight end.

"It sucks not playing the position that I feel like I can play, that I feel like I can contribute at," Warren said after a Texas win. "But I want to win more than I care about whatever stats I'm getting."

As Warren trains for the NFL draft at Michael Johnson Performance, he still views himself as a running back but has relaxed his stance for future employers.

"I do remember that," Warren said of the comments in Morgantown. "At that time, I did want to play running back and I wanted to help the university as a running back and I feel like I could have.

"Regardless, now it's a business. I want to play running back and I really feel like I can play running back but if an NFL coach tells me I have to play H-back or fullback or tight end, I'll have to do that."

It's been an often interesting, sometimes confounding journey for Warren, a former Rockwall standout.

At 6-3 and 250 pounds, he arrived at Texas as a power back with a high ceiling.

At times he was remarkably productive, like one eight-game stretch from 2015-17 where he had five 100-yard rushing performances. At times, he was hurt, like the season-ending knee injury he suffered after four games in 2016. And at times, he was in the doghouse (or at it least it seemed) like this past season.

After the position switch, Warren announced plans to transfer, then switched gears to enter the NFL draft. He declined to go into much detail about the change.

"Coming out, some things happened and then I figured it would be best for my family if I came out instead of going back to school for another year," Warren said. "Originally I was just trying to leave the university, trying to get somewhere else, I just feel I wasn't going to be put in a position where I would want to shine."

Warren choose his words carefully about coach Tom Herman and his staff, saying he saw progress in the program, citing a No. 3 ranked recruiting class this spring.

"Coach Herman and his staff have definitely instilled a huge work ethic in the guys there," Warren said, "and I do believe the guys coming in are really good players and they can help the team. I think that Texas can get back to where they should be."

Chris Warren III, center, works out during an annual media day at Michael Johnson Performance in McKinney, Texas, Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (Jae S. Lee/The Dallas Morning News) (Jae S. Lee / Staff Photographer)

At the same time, he suggested not everything meshed in Herman's first year. After the Texas Bowl victory over Missouri, several players said that Herman had won over the team during the bowl practices.

"Like the team and coaches were coming together but I do feel like there also was a disconnect somewhere along the line," Warren said. "If something came to where the coaches and team were coming together, that helped them in their bowl game."

Despite his lack of production this year - 314 yards on 71 carries and six touchdowns - Warren was one of those 30 running backs invited to the NFL combine that begins at the end of the month in Indianapolis. He acknowledged that bloodlines as the son of Chris Warren - who racked up four 1,000-yard seasons with the Seahawks - might have helped.

"It's a great opportunity," Warren said. "It tells me one of two things. Either they recognize that I can do some things at the running back position or they want to see what my dad's son has and what he's capable of doing."

Twitter: @ChuckCarltonDMN

Breaking down RB Chris Warren:

Height: 6-3 Weight: 250

RockwallTexas

1,150 yards on 204 attempts and 13 touchdowns in three seasons.

Ran for 276 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman against Texas Tech. ... Had five career 100-yard games. ... Was splitting carries with eventual Doak Walker winner D'Onta Foreman in 2016 before season-ending knee injury. ... Moved to tight end late in 2017 season.