Jaylen Samuels
Jaylen Samuels is an American professional football running back. He was most recently a member of the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League. He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack.
Early life
Samuels attended and played high school football at Mallard Creek High School. While there, he played at the safety and running back positions. He also helped lead Mallard Creek to the 2013 North Carolina 4AA state title, with a perfect 16–0 record.College career
Throughout his college career at North Carolina State, Samuels changed positions, being listed as a running back, fullback, wide receiver and tight end. Best described as a more traditional slotback or H-back. He scored a touchdown in the 2014 St. Petersburg Bowl. After his junior season, Samuels was able to participate in the 2016 Independence Bowl against Vanderbilt, where he caught three touchdown passes, the most in Independence Bowl history. Due to his contribution, he was named the MVP of the Independence Bowl. During his senior season, Samuels set the NC State record for career receptions with 201 during his four years. After this season, Samuels was invited to the 2018 Senior Bowl. Following his senior season, he was honored as First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference as an "All-Purpose" player as well as Third Team Associated Press All-American as a tight end. He finished his college career with 1,851 receiving yards, 1,107 rushing yards, and 47 total touchdowns.Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
2018
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Samuels in the fifth round with the 165th overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. Samuels was the 14th running back drafted in 2018. On May 9, 2018, the Steelers signed Samuels to a four-year, $2.71 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $258,066.Due to a Week 13 injury to starter James Conner, Samuels earned his first career NFL start in Week 14 against the Oakland Raiders. In the game, Samuels rushed for 28 yards on 11 attempts and caught seven passes for 64 yards in a 24–21 loss. The following week against the New England Patriots, Samuels rushed 19 times for 142 yards and caught two passes for 30 yards in a 17–10 win. His 142 rushing yards marked the second most by a rookie in Steelers history, behind only Bam Morris, who rushed for 146 yards against the New York Giants in 1994. He finished the 2018 season with 56 carries for 256 rushing yards to go along with 26 receptions for 199 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in 14 games.