Wendell Smallwood

Wendell Smallwood

refer to caption

Smallwood with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016
No. 28 Philadelphia Eagles
Position: Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1994-01-20) January 20, 1994
Place of birth: Wilmington, Delaware
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight: 208 lb (94 kg)
Career information
High school: Elkton (MD) Eastern Christian
College: West Virginia
NFL Draft: 2016 / Round: 5 / Pick: 153
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2016
Rushing attempts: 31
Rushing yards: 135
Receptions: 1
Receiving yards: 14
Total return yards: 189
Total touchdowns: 2
Player stats at NFL.com

Wendell Lynn Smallwood Jr.[1] (born January 20, 1994) is an American football running back for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at West Virginia, and was selected by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Early years

Smallwood attended Red Lion Academy in Bear, Delaware before transferring to Eastern Christian Academy in Elkton, Maryland for his senior year.[2] He was rated by Rivals.com as a three-star recruit and committed to West Virginia University (WVU) to play college football.[3]

College career

As a true freshman at West Virginia in 2013, Smallwood played in 12 games and rushed for 221 yards on 39 carries with one touchdown. He also served as a kick returner, returning 30 kickoffs for a total of 541 yards.[2] As a sophomore he played in all 13 games and made nine starts. He had 722 rushing yards on 148 carries and two touchdowns.[4] He also recorded 31 receptions, fifth most in school history for a single season.[2] As a junior in 2015, Smallwood rushed for 1,519 yards on 238 carries with nine touchdowns. After the season, he entered the 2016 NFL Draft.[5][6] While at West Virginia, he majored in criminology with a minor in communications.[2]

Career statistics

WVU Mountaineers statistics
Season Rushing Receiving Fumbles
Year Team GP GS Car. Yards Avg TD Long Rec. Yards Avg. Long TD Fum Lost
2013 WVU 12 1 39 221 5.7 1 38 11 132 12.0 30 0 0 0
2014 WVU 13 9 148 722 4.9 2 35 31 326 10.5 50 0 0 0
2015 WVU 13 12 238 1,519 6.4 9 52 26 160 6.2 15 0 0 0
Career 38 22 425 2,462 5.8 12 52 68 618 9.1 50 0 0 0

Source:[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
5 ft 10 in 208 lb30½ in9¼ in 4.47 s 1.57 s 2.63 s 4.28 s 6.83 s 33½ in 10 ft 00 in 14 reps
All values from NFL Combine.[7][8]

Philadelphia Eagles

Smallwood was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft with the 153rd overall pick. He signed his rookie four-year contract on May 4, 2016.[9]

On September 25, 2016 Smallwood scored his first career rushing touchdown in a 34-3 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Due to an ankle injury limiting starter Ryan Mathews to only 2 carries, Smallwood was the featured back for the Eagles, racking up 89 yards and the touchdown on 17 carries.

Personal life

Smallwood is the son of Nichelle Barber and Wendell Smallwood. Growing up, he was a Philadelphia Eagles fan, his favorite player being Duce Staley, who became his position coach upon Smallwood being drafted by the Eagles.[2]

In July 2014, Smallwood was arrested in Delaware on charges of witness tampering.[10] Smallwood was accused of trying to get a witness to recant statements they made implicating a friend of Smallwood's, Zakee Lloyd, charged with first-degree murder.[11][12] Two weeks later, the chargers against Smallwood were dropped when Lloyd pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.[13][14][15][16]

References

  1. ↑ Wells, Adam (July 15, 2014). "West Virginia RB Wendell Smallwood Accused of Witness Intimidation". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Wendell Smallwood Eagles bio" (PDF). PhiladlephiaEagles.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Wendell Smallwood Running back". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  4. ↑ Chatmon, Brandon (July 28, 2015). "Versatile Wendell Smallwood could be a key to West Virginia's offense". Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  5. ↑ "West Virginia RB Wendell Smallwood declares for NFL draft". ESPN.com. January 7, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  6. ↑ Taylor, Allan (January 6, 2016). "Wendell Smallwood opts for NFL draft after all". WVMetroNews.com. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  7. ↑ "*Wendell Smallwood, DS #14 RB, West Virginia". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Wendell Smallwood Draft Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  9. ↑ Sheridan, Phil (May 4, 2016). "Wendell Smallwood, four other draft picks sign with Eagles". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  10. ↑ "RB Wendell Smallwood arrested". ESPN.com. July 15, 2014. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  11. ↑ Brown, Robin (July 15, 2014). "West Virginia's Wendell Smallwood accused of witness intimidation". USAToday.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  12. ↑ Huguenin, Mike (July 15, 2014). "WVU's Wendell Smallwood faces charges of witness intimidation". NFL.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  13. ↑ Taylor, Allan (July 29, 2014). "Delaware charges dropped against WVU's Smallwood". WVMetroNews.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  14. ↑ O'Sullivan, Sean (July 29, 2014). "Witness intimidation charges against West Virginia RB Wendell Smallwood dropped after securing murder plea against gunman". USAToday.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  15. ↑ Radcliff, John (July 29, 2014). "Charges Against WVU Running Back Wendell Smallwood Dropped". SmokingMusket.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
  16. ↑ Hinnn, Jerry (July 29, 2014). "Charges against West Virginia RB Wendell Smallwood dropped". CBSSports.com. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
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