Jawan Jamison: 5 Things You Need to Know About Rutgers RB

Every year a few redshirt sophomores make the leap from the collegiate ranks to the National Football League.

This year one of the youngsters taking that plunge is tailback Jawan Jamison of Rutgers, who gained 1,075 yards on the ground en route to being named a second team All-Big East selection in 2012.

Here's a quick look at everything you need to know about the 5'7" 203-pounder from Stark, Florida.

Background

Hometown: Stark, Florida

High School: The Bolles School (Jacksonville, Florida)

Major: Labor Studies

Year: Sophomore (Redshirt)

Jawan Jamison led The Bolles School in Jacksonville to consecutive 2A championships in 2008 and 2009, rushing for over 1,700 yards as a senior. A three-star recruit according to Rivals.com, Jamison chose Rutgers after also being recruited by Florida Atlantic and Northern Illinois.

Now Jamison has decided to jump to the NFL early, in part to help support his family following the death of his father in 2010.

Jamison's mother was also diagnosed with breast cancer last year, leading the youngster to tell Josh Katzowitz of CBS Sports that “It weighs heavily on me. It also makes me work that much harder. That weight makes me work harder. I feel like I needed to step up and be the man in the family and take care of her.”

Statistics

Jawan Jamison redshirted in 2010, but by the 2011 season he was not only on the field but also playing a prominent role in the Rutgers offense, carrying the ball well over 200 times.

Despite the fact that Jamison battled an ankle injury for much of the season his numbers increased in almost every category in 2012, with Jamison establishing himself as one of the Big East's top ball-carriers.

Year	Games	Att.	Yards	Avg.	TD	Rec.	Yds.	TD
2011	12	231	897	3.88	9	8	62	0
2012	13	255	1,075	4.22	4	28	323	2

Draft Process

Measurables

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 203 pounds

Arm Length: 29"

Hand Size: 8.375"

Combine Results

40-Yard Dash: 4.68 seconds

Bench Press: 20 reps

Broad Jump: 9'3"

Vertical Jump: 29"

Pro Day Results

40-Yard Dash: 4.6 seconds

20-Yard Shuttle: 4.52 seconds

Three-Cone Drill: 7.28 seconds

Jamison's relatively sluggish 40 times at both the NFL Scouting Combine and Rutgers' pro day likely haven't done anything to help his 2013 draft stock.

For his part Jamison isn't overly concerned, telling Tom Liucci of The Newark Star-Ledger that “I feel I helped myself. I ran a better first 10 [at the pro day]. At the Combine I didn’t do well at that, although I finished well there. I feel like I saw it all the way through today.”

Combine results courtesy of NFL.com. Pro day results courtesy of SNYRutgers.

Interesting Facts

Some things you may (or may not) know about Jawan Jamison.

Jamison was a three-year letterman and two-year starter at The Bolles School, although he averaged only about 10 carries a game as a senior, sitting in many second halves with the game in hand.

On November 19, 2011, Jamison became only the third freshman in Rutgers history to gain 200 yards in a game, rushing for 200 yards on 34 carries against the University of Cincinnati.

Jamison opened his sophomore season with five straight 100-yard games, topping the century mark against Tulane, Howard, South Florida, Arkansas and Connecticut.

After learning that Jamison was going pro, former Rutgers and current Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice sent Jamison words of encouragement. According to Josh Katzowitz of CBS Sports, Rice texted Jamison, writing “Just go with what you feel. If you feel you need to go, go. You can use me as a tool and as a resource."

Observations

Here's a look at what some leading draftniks have to say about Jamison.

Rob Rang, CBS Sports: "Versatile back who can provide production as a runner between the tackles and as a receiver out of the backfield. Elusive runner who isn't afraid of contact. Compares to Ray Rice, RB, Ravens. Jamison has a build and game similar to his fellow former Rutgers star, demonstrating the elusiveness expected of a back his size and the hard-running mentality of one much bigger."

Sigmund Bloom, Bleacher Report: "Although Jamison was a quality three-down back in college, it's hard to picture him being more than the third-most physically talented running back on his NFL team. He projects as depth and a special teams contributor at the next level, but he could be productive if injuries ever get him on the field for a power running team."

Tom Melton, Tom Melton Scouting: "Jamison makes a lot of sense in the 4^th-5^th round range. He could even slip to round 6 because of the depth of this class. But I think he will be an effective NFL back, he just may never be a featured starter because of his lack of straight line speed."