Maurice Jones-Drew Career

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Jones-Drew was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was named to the Pro Bowl three times, and led the NFL in rushing yards in 2011. He played his first eight seasons with the Jaguars, through 2013. In his final season in 2014, he played for the Oakland Raiders.

In Their Own Story

In his rookie season of 2006, Jones-Drew was initially used mostly for kick-off returns before establishing himself as the Jaguars' primary third-down running back. On December 10 against the Colts, he set a franchise record with 166 rushing yards and 303 all-purpose yards, which included a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for that performance and broke team records by scoring at least one rushing touchdown in eight consecutive games. By season's end, he had accumulated 2,250 all-purpose yards and averaged an impressive 5.7 yards per carry, the highest for any NFL running back with 100 attempts since Barry Sanders in 1997. He finished tied for second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Vince Young.

Reader's Guide

Born in Oakland, California, Jones-Drew was raised in Antioch and graduated from De La Salle High School in Concord. De La Salle owns the longest winning streak in high school football history at 151 games. The Spartan football teams that Jones-Drew played on never lost a single game during his three-year varsity career. He was an elusive, high-scoring running back and return specialist on offense and a punishing linebacker on defense. Jones-Drew somersaulted into the national consciousness as a high school junior in 2001 when he scored all four of De La Salle's touchdowns in a 29-15 nationally televised victory over Long Beach Poly on October 6. It was the first game that ever matched up the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked high school football teams. On the Spartans' opening drive, Jones-Drew received a short pass in the right flat on third-and-eight from the Poly 25-yard line. He broke a tackle and then sprinted down the right sideline before launching a spectacular forward somersault into the end zone. Drew next scored on a 29-yard reception on fourth down in which he ran a circle route out of the backfield down the left sideline and hauled in an over-the-shoulder touch pass at the goal line from quarterback Matt Gutierrez. Drew's third touchdown came in the second quarter when he burst through the line, shook off two tacklers, before hitting paydirt 17 yards later. Drew's final score salted away the historic De La Salle victory. It was a similar effort to his third touchdown and came on a 22-yard run with just under seven minutes remaining. Drew finished with nine carries for 86 yards and three catches for another 79 yards. During his junior season, Jones-Drew rushed for nearly 2,000 yards, averaged nearly 12 yards per carry, and scored 26 touchdowns. He was rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 1 all-purpose back in the nation in 2003 by Rivals.com. He is pictured outrunning a slew of defenders on the cover of the book When the Game Stands Tall, which chronicles the De La Salle Spartans' all-time-record 151-game winning streak. Jones-Drew also ran track for the De La Salle track team and was a member of the Spartans' 4 x 100 metres relay state championship meet team of 2002, which posted a non-finals-qualifying time of 42.20 seconds during the meet's preliminaries. At the age of 16, he posted a personal best time of 10.80 seconds in the 100

Did You Know?

• Jones-Drew scored all four of De La Salle's touchdowns in a 29-15 victory over Long Beach Poly on October 6, 2001.
• He finished with nine carries for 86 yards and three catches for 79 yards in that game.
• Against the Colts on December 10, 2006, Jones-Drew set a franchise record with 166 rushing yards and 303 all-purpose yards, which included a 93-yard kickoff return for touchdown.
• He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 14 of the 2006 season.

High School Phenom and the Somersault

Maurice Jones-Drew's high school career at De La Salle High School in Concord, California, was defined by an undefeated three-year varsity run that extended the Spartans' historic 151-game winning streak. He served as a dual-threat player, excelling as an elusive running back and return specialist on offense while playing as a punishing linebacker on defense. His national profile skyrocketed on October 6, 2001, during a nationally televised game against Long Beach Poly, the first-ever matchup between the nation's No. 1 and No. 2 ranked high school teams. Jones-Drew scored all four of De La Salle's touchdowns in the 29–15 victory, including a spectacular forward somersault into the end zone after breaking tackles on a short pass. During his junior season, he rushed for nearly 2,000 yards with an average of almost 12 yards per carry and scored 26 touchdowns, earning him a four-star recruit rating as the No. 1 all-purpose back in the nation.

UCLA Record-Setting All-American

Jones-Drew accepted a football scholarship to UCLA, playing under head coach Karl Dorrell from 2003 to 2005. Despite concerns about his size, he became only the fifth player in Bruins history to lead the team in rushing for three consecutive seasons. In 2005, he set an all-time NCAA single-season record with a 28.5-yard average on 15 punt returns, breaking a mark held since 1951. His career average of 23.2 yards per punt return ranks second in NCAA history. A standout performance against Washington saw him rush for a school-record 322 yards and score five touchdowns, including three scores within the first quarter alone on carries of 47, 62, and 58 yards. He finished his collegiate career as a unanimous All-American and became the first Bruin since Jackie Robinson to lead the country in punt returning.

Jaguars Dominance and NFL Rushing Title

Selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft, Jones-Drew spent eight seasons with the franchise before moving on. He was selected 60th overall after being passed on by all other teams due to his height of 5 ft 6¾ in. During his time in Jacksonville, he earned three Pro Bowl selections and led the NFL in rushing yards in 2011. His rookie season featured a franchise-record 303 all-purpose-yard performance against the Colts on December 10, which included a 93-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. He also became one of only two players in the NFL that year to score at least one touchdown rushing, receiving, and returning kicks. After playing his first eight seasons with the Jaguars through 2013, he concluded his nine-year NFL career with the Oakland Raiders in 2014.

Broadcasting Career and Media Presence

Following his retirement from professional football, Jones-Drew transitioned into broadcasting, leveraging his experience to become a prominent analyst. He served as a football color analyst for NFL Now and other shows on NFL Network. Additionally, he hosted the Monday Night studio show for CBS Sports' UK networks. Currently, he serves as the color analyst for the Los Angeles Rams, continuing to provide expert insight into the game long after his playing days ended with the Raiders in 2014.