Jalen Saunders
| No. -- Free agent | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | September 30, 1992 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Stockton, California | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 165 lb (75 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Pleasant Grove (CA) Elk Grove | ||||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2014 / Round: 4 / Pick: 104 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2014 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Jalen Saunders (born September 30, 1992) is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oklahoma.
High School
Saunders attended Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, California. He averaged nearly 19 yards per catch and scored 11 receiving touchdowns on 46 receptions as a senior with 871 yards receiving in 10 games. He also rushed for 410 yards and averaged eight yards per carry and scored six touchdowns.
He was also an outstanding sprinter, who clocked a 10.54 time in the 100 meters and a 21.41 in the 200 meters as a junior.[1]
He was considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.[2]
College career
Saunders accepted a scholarship from Fresno State. As a freshman, he was third in the team in receptions with 27 for 441 yards and three touchdowns, and also had 14 carries for 109 yards on sweeps and reverses. In 2011, he was named first team All-WAC after he had 1,065 yards on the year on 50 receptions, the ninth 1,000-yard receiving season in Fresno State history. He led the WAC with 12 touchdown catches, which tied for the third-most in program history.
On May 8, 2012, he announced he was transferring to the University of Oklahoma, citing a change in offensive philosophy at Fresno State as the reason for his transfer.[3] After originally being told he'd have to sit one year, he was cleared by the NCAA to play in 2012.[4]
In his premier season with Sooners, Saunders played in nine games with eight starts. Despite sitting out the first four games due to transferring, he totaled 62 receptions for 829 yards and three touchdowns. He tied a school record with 15 catches for 181 yards and set a school record with eight catches in the first quarter vs. Notre Dame (10/27). In 2013, he started all 13 games and was named second-team All-Big 12. He recorded 61 receptions for 729 yards and eight touchdowns, highlighted by a winning performance against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl, in which he recorded 5 receptions for 75 yards and two touchdowns.
Professional career
2014 NFL Draft
He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round (104th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft.[5]
New York Jets
In 3 games with the Jets, Saunders returned 6 punts for 26 return yards. He was released by the Jets on September 29, 2014.[6]
Arizona Cardinals
Saunders was signed to the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad on October 1, 2014.[7]
Seattle Seahawks
He was signed to the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad on November 4, 2014.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints signed Saunders to their 53-man roster on November 19, 2014, just one day after placing fellow rookie Brandin Cooks on injured reserve.
New England Patriots
On September 1, 2015, the Saints traded Saunders to the New England Patriots for a conditional draft pick. He was released on September 5, 2015.[8]
Chicago Bears
He was signed to the Chicago Bears' practice squad on September 7, 2015. Saunders was not offered a futures contract by the Bears after the 2015 NFL season.
Saunders was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2016 NFL season for violating the substance abuse policy.
References
- ↑
- ↑ Jalen Saunders - Yahoo Sports
- ↑ Fresno State's Saunders Transferring To Oklahoma
- ↑ OU's Saunders Cleared To Play in 2012
- ↑ New York Jets draft speedy receiver Jalen Saunders
- ↑ Cosentino, Dom (September 29, 2014). "Jets cut rookie Jalen Saunders, sign WR T.J. Graham". NJ.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2014. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- ↑ Urban, Darren (October 1, 2014). "Bishop brought back to roster". Arizona Cardinals. Archived from the original on October 2, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2014.
- ↑ "Patriots release 11 players; Place Brandon LaFell on PUP". Patriots.com. September 5, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2016.