Taiwan Jones

Not to be confused with Taiwan Jones (linebacker).
Taiwan Jones

refer to caption

Jones in 2011
No. 22Oakland Raiders
Position: Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1988-07-26) July 26, 1988
Place of birth: San Francisco, California
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school: Antioch (CA) Deer Valley
College: Eastern Washington
NFL Draft: 2011 / Round: 4 / Pick: 125
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2016
Total tackles: 40
Forced fumbles: 2
Rushing yards: 183
Receptions: 15
Receiving yards: 214
Total touchdowns: 1
Player stats at NFL.com

Taiwan Asti Eric Jones (born July 26, 1988)[1] is an American football running back for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Raiders in the 4th round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Eastern Washington.

High school career

Born in San Francisco, Jones graduated from Deer Valley High School in Antioch, California in 2007. He was the Contra Costa Times Player of the Year and also earned first team San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro honors as a running back. Jones was also named MVP of the Bay Valley Athletic League and was his team’s MVP on offense. He set his school’s single season record with 19 touchdowns as a two-way starter. He rushed for 1,466 yards (9.3 yards per carry) and 13 touchdowns, and also scored three touchdowns receiving and two on punt returns. On defense, Jones had 37 tackles with a sack and three interceptions. One of his interceptions he returned for a score. He led the Wolverines to a 10-0 regular season record and their first league title.

In addition to football, he was also a standout athlete for the school's track team. At the prelims of the 2007 CIF State Track & Field Championships, he ran career-best times of 10.53 seconds in the 100 meters and 21.32 seconds in the 200 meters, placing 2nd and 7th, respectively.[2]

College career

Jones signed with Eastern Washington in 2007 as a cornerback and was redshirted. Jones started four games at cornerback in 2008 after missing much of the first part of the season with a broken fibula suffered in the first week of preseason practices.

In 2009, Jones was moved to running back, the position he played in high school. Jones scored on an 87-yard run on his first collegiate carry and went on to earn third team All-America honors from both the Associated Press and The Sports Network. He was also a first team All-Big Sky Conference selection. Jones finished with 1,213 rushing yards in 2009 to rank as the sixth-most in school history. He ranked in the top 10 in FCS in rushing (ninth, 101.1 yards per game), scoring (sixth, 9.50 points per game) and all-purpose yards per game (second, 195.4 yards per game). His 2,345 all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, returns) were the second-most in school history, and his 19 touchdowns and 114 total points both rank fourth. Jones also returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown against Northern Colorado.

Jones finished the 2010 season with 1,742 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns during Eastern Washington's national championship season. Jones missed the semifinal and championship games with a broken foot suffered in the Eagles' FCS quarterfinals game against North Dakota State. During said game, Jones managed to rush for 230 yards. Jones was named a first team All-American and was also named the Big Sky Conference Co-Offensive Player of the Year.

Professional career

After his junior season, Jones announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2011 NFL Draft.[3] Jones did not participate in the NFL Combine due to his foot injury, but he fully participated in all drills during his pro day in mid-April.

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 1 in 196 lb29 1/2 in8 3/4 in 4.33 s 1.58 s 2.54 s 4.08 s 6.90 s 39 1/2 in 11 ft 0 in 13 reps

Jones was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the 4th round (125th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.[4] He debuted during Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs, and saw action both running and receiving the ball, as well as on special teams.[5]

In 2013, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie stated that Jones will switch from running back to cornerback.[6]

On February 24, 2014, Jones and the Raiders agreed on a three-year contract extension.[7]

At the beginning of the Raider's 2015 offseason activities, it was announced that new head coach Jack Del Rio had switched Jones back to running back.[8]

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/11/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.