Jamaal Anderson (born February 6, 1986) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons eighth overall in the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Jamaal Anderson
refer to caption
Anderson during his tenure with the Atlanta Falcons
No. 98, 90, 92
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1986-02-06) February 6, 1986 (age 38)
Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:282 lb (128 kg)
Career information
High school:Little Rock (AR) Parkview
College:Arkansas (2004–2006)
NFL draft:2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:132
Sacks:7.5
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:1
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Anderson also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, and Chicago Bears.

Early life edit

Anderson grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas with parents Glenn and Karen Anderson and a sister, Danielle. His father, Dr. Glenn Anderson, was a professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The senior Anderson was the first deaf African-American to receive a doctoral degree in the United States.[1] Jamaal was a two-sport athlete at Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School in Little Rock before focusing on football as a wide receiver his senior season. Arkansas Razorbacks football coach Houston Nutt and brother Danny Nutt, who had a hearing-impaired father, used American sign language during a recruiting visit; Jamaal committed to Arkansas shortly thereafter on January 15, 2004.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jamaal Anderson
WR
Little Rock, AR Parkview 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jan 15, 2004 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   Rivals:    247Sports: 

College career edit

The Razorbacks switched him to defensive end when Anthony Brown was injured during Anderson's sophomore season. Anderson excelled in his new position. Anderson recorded 17.5 quarterback sacks in his time at Arkansas, with those sacks going for minus 128 yards. He also recorded 130 tackles, with 84 solos. He had 32 stops for losses of 167 yards. He had 35 quarterback pressures, 8 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 20 starts. For his role on the 2006 Arkansas Razorbacks football team, Anderson recorded first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors and honorable mention All-America honors. Anderson chose to forgo his senior season at Arkansas, and entered the NFL Draft.

Professional career edit

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5+38 in
(1.97 m)
279 lb
(127 kg)
33+58 in
(0.85 m)
9+78 in
(0.25 m)
4.75 s 1.59 s 2.73 s 4.22 s 6.88 s 34 in
(0.86 m)
9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)
22 reps
Values were taken at Pro Day.[3][4]

Atlanta Falcons edit

Anderson was drafted in the first round with the eighth overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2007 NFL draft.[5] The pick used to select Anderson was previously acquired from the Houston Texans in a trade that sent Matt Schaub to Houston. Anderson earned the position of Falcons' starting right defensive end during training camp and started 15 regular season games. He finished the 2007 season with 30 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 3 pass defenses, and 0 quarterback sacks.

Anderson recorded his first sack against Chicago Bears quarterback Kyle Orton on October 12, 2008. He finished the 2008 season with 27 tackles, and two sacks. He moved to defensive tackle after a few games in 2009 due to injuries to the Falcons defensive line and his struggles at end.

On July 29, 2011, he was released by Atlanta.[6] Anderson played in 60 games over four seasons for Atlanta, with 47 starts.

Indianapolis Colts edit

On August 1, 2011, Anderson signed with the Indianapolis Colts. In a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 25, 2011, Anderson recovered a Ben Roethlisberger fumble caused by Dwight Freeney and returned it 47 yards for his first and only NFL touchdown.

Cincinnati Bengals edit

Anderson signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on March 23, 2012,[7] and was released on July 10, 2013.[8]

Chicago Bears edit

Anderson signed with the Chicago Bears on July 25, 2013 for a one-year deal.[9] He was released on August 17, 2013.[10]

NFL statistics edit

Year Team GP COMB TOTAL AST SACK FF FR FR YDS INT IR YDS AVG IR LNG TD PD
2007 ATL 16 30 26 4 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2008 ATL 15 27 24 3 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2009 ATL 13 27 17 10 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
2010 ATL 16 21 16 5 2.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2011 IND 15 24 12 12 3.0 0 1 47 0 0 0 0 1 1
2012 CIN 2 3 1 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career 77 132 96 36 7.5 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 10

[11]

References edit

  1. ^ THV 11 Staff (July 19, 2013). "Arkansan, NFL player speaks to students with disabilities". Little Rock, Arkansas: KTHV. Retrieved January 15, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Friend, Tom (April 9, 2007). "Jamaal Anderson knows every day is Father's Day". ESPN. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Jamaal Anderson". NFL Draft Scout. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
  4. ^ "Jamaal Anderson prospect profile". NFL. Archived from the original on July 1, 2007.
  5. ^ "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Ledbetter, D. Orlando. "Falcons release former first-rounders Anderson, Jenkins". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
  7. ^ Bengals scoop up Jamaal Anderson
  8. ^ Bengals release Jamaal Anderson
  9. ^ "Bears sign Anderson with Ellis retiring". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. July 25, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2013.
  10. ^ Sessler, Marc (August 17, 2013). "Jamaal Anderson cut after short Chicago Bears stint". NFL.com. Retrieved August 18, 2013.
  11. ^ "Jamaal Anderson Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved March 5, 2014.

External links edit