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RB Najeh Davenport, Pittsburgh Steelers

HT: 6-1, WT: 247, Born: 2-8-1979, College: Miami, Drafted: Round 4

2008 Projections

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Davenport saw time primarily on third downs, where he converted four for first downs on the afternoon, and put the Steelers in a position to convert another on fourth down. His effectiveness in this role may allow him to stay in that role and keep Willie Parker fresh for first and second downs. In addition to his use on third downs, the Steelers utilized Davenport to run out the clock in the fourth quarter.

Week 2 - Davenport had one carry for no gain early in the third quarter. During the Steelers' final possession, he took five consecutive handoffs and gained 46 yards to close out the game. He caught two screen passes for eleven yards.

Week 3 - Davenport had two carries prior to garbage time. He gained a first down on a third and one play. He ran for 46 of his yards on three consecutive carries with the Steelers trying to run out the clock. He found a seam on the last of those carries and went 39 yards for a score. Davenport exhibited enough speed to outrun the defense once he broke through the hole.

Davenport returned one kickoff for 12 yards.

Week 4 - Both Davenport runs came on third and long situations.

Week 5 - Davenport looked unstoppable on his 45 yard run, and nearly every time he touched the ball, Seattle had trouble taking him down. He appears to have cemented his role as third down back, as well as being the first consideration for goal line carries.

Week 7 - Davenport had his lowest output of the season, only earning two carries and seeing no targets in the passing game.

Week 8 - Davenport got quite a bit of work in the fourth quarter to help close out the game. He moved the chains on short yardage plays a couple of times.

Week 9 - Davenport had two carries for 17 yards in the first half. He had a lot more carries in the second half as the Steelers pulled there starters, and tried to run down the clock. He had nine carries for 17 more yards in the second half.

Week 11 - Davenport actually had a better YPC average than Willie Parker, 4.9 to 2.5, and also caught four passes for 22 yards. He is a punishing runner who can break tackles and provide a powerful change of pace to the speedier Parker.

Week 12 - Davenport had three carries, two of them ending unhappily. In the second quarter, Davenport was dropped for a loss on fourth and short at the Miami 40, and in the third quarter, he was dropped for another loss on third and one at the Miami 25. Davenport also committed a holding penalty on a second quarter play that would have resulted in a 19 yard completion to Hines Ward.

Week 13 - Despite practicing all week and not being listed on the injury report, Davenport was inactive for this game due to what was initially reported as a foot injury. It was reported during the game that head coach Mike Tomlin stated that "other issues" contributed towards him being out of this contest.

Week 14 - Davenport was a key component of the Steelers offense, converting a fourth and one situation and then later on a third and one. He also caught a 32 yard touchdown pass in the end zone for the Steelers' only touchdown of the game.

Week 15 - Davenport's only attempt was a draw play on a third down and 15 play. Davenport had no chance and was immediately swallowed up for a four yard loss. He had two three yard receptions.

Davenport returned two kickoffs for 42 yards.

Week 16 - Davenport saw a lot more action then usual because starter Willie Parker got hurt very early in this game. Davenport who is a bigger and more physical runner then Parker, ran the ball well early, chewing up chunks of yards on each run, including a nice 14 run up the middle. He caught a 32 yard pass on a fake punt in the first quarter on what was a perfectly executed play. Davenport caught a 12 yard touchdown pass when QB Ben Roethlisberger checked down to him and he was able to break a tackle and cross the goal line. The Steelers were able to pound the ball on the Rams with Davenport in the first half as he had 12 carries for 65 yards. He also added 44 yards receiving and a touchdown for a big first half. Davenport got his second touchdown of the game on the Steelers opening drive of the second half with a one yard plunge into the end zone. He had 31 yards on that scoring drive, including an 18 yard run that was the biggest play of the drive. He looked comfortable as Pittsburgh's primary ball carrier and did a good of moving the chains. Davenport came out of the game early in the fourth quarter after it looked like he twisted his ankle. He would return to the game a few plays later after getting his ankle re-taped and ran effectively, including a 16 yard gain.

Week 17 - Although some other Pittsburgh starters sat out the regular season finale, RB Najeh Davenport saw a significant amount of playing time in the first half in order to obtain some rhythm for the upcoming playoffs. Davenport has been the backup running back for much of the year but will be the featured back in the postseason for Pittsburgh because of RB Willie Parker's injury. Davenport was mediocre against the Ravens but the entire Steelers team looked unenthusiastic in the loss.

Davenport needed three tries from one yard out to rush for his only score of the day. His last action came on the first drive of the second half for Pittsburgh.

Week 18 - Davenport could not get much going on the night. He tried to run directly at the strength of the Jaguars' defense, and only gained 25 yards on 16 carries. He did however score two touchdowns on short runs.