Saw action in 14 games with three starts as a rookie…totaled 256 yards on 56 carries (4.6 yards per carry) and added 29 catches for 199 yards and three touchdown receptions. Named Pepsi Rookie of the Week in Week 15 of 2018.

Named Pepsi Rookie of the Week in Week 15 of 2018

Drafted by the Steelers with the second of their two fifth round selections (165th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Named Pepsi Rookie of the Week in Week 15 of 2018.

PRO (14-3/0-0): Drafted by the Steelers with the second of their two fifth round selections (165th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.

2018 (14-3/0-0): Saw action in 14 games with three starts as a rookie…totaled 256 yards on 56 carries (4.6 yards per carry) and added 29 catches for 199 yards and three touchdown receptions.

• 11/8 vs. Carolina: Scored the first touchdown of his NFL career on a 6-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter…finished the game with seven rushing yards on five carries and three catches for 22 yards.
• 12/2 vs. L.A. Chargers: Scored on a 10-yard pass from QB Ben Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter.
• 12/9 at Oakland: Made his first career NFL start totaling 92 yards from scrimmage (64 receiving / 28 rushing).
• 12/16 vs. New England: Recorded the first 100-rushing yard game of his NFL career, tallying 142 on the ground, and adding 30 receiving for a career high 172 yards from scrimmage...averaged 7.5 yards per carry on 19 rushing attempts…Named Pepsi Rookie of the Week.
• 12/23 at New Orleans: Totaled 64 yards from scrimmage (53 rushing / 11 receiving) and hauled in a touchdown catch.

COLLEGE: Set a North Carolina State record for career receptions (202) and finished second in school history in total touchdowns (47), fourth in touchdown receptions (19) and sixth in touchdown runs (28)…his 47 total touchdowns are third-most in the Atlantic Coast Conference…was the only active player in the nation with at least 15 career rushing and 15 career receiving touchdowns, and the first to boast such numbers since at least 2004…caught at least one pass in 41 consecutive games – the fifth-best active streak in the FBS and a program record…started all 13 games in 2017, catching 76 passes en route to earning first-team All-ACC honors as an all-purpose player, and third-team accolades by the Associated Press as a tight end…matched Torry Holt’s school record with 15 catches in the 2017 season opener…honored with jersey No. 1 in 2016, earning third-team All-ACC accolades by the coaches and honorable mention by the media…started 10-of-13 games in 2016, leading the team with 55 catches and being named MVP of the Independence Bowl win vs. Vanderbilt where he scored three touchdowns…a first-team All-ACC honoree and third-team All-American in 2015, starting 10-of-13 games played…hade more catches (65) than any tight end in the nation and totaled 16 touchdowns (nine rushing / seven receiving…earned the Torry Holt Award as the team’s most valuable offensive player…saw action in 13 games (two starts) in 2014, rushing for 143 yards on 15 carries and added six catches for 96 yards and a touchdown…majored in program management.

PERSONAL: Attended Mallard Creek HS (Charlotte, N.C.)…helped team to a perfect 16-0 mark and the NC 4AA state title, gaining 99 rushing yards and scoring three touchdowns while adding five catches for 114 yards and two scores in the championship game…a 2013 Associated Press all-state selection, named the Charlotte Mecklenburg I-Meck Offensive Player of the Year…full name: Jaylen Samuels.