RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars

HT: 5-8, WT: 205, Born: 3-23-1985, College: UCLA, Drafted: Round 2

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 6th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: R Gronkowski (22), S Ridley (23), Maurice Jones-Drew (24), D Murray (25), P Harvin (26)
Position: C Johnson (20-RB12), S Ridley (23-RB13), Maurice Jones-Drew (24 - RB14), D Murray (25-RB15), S Jackson (27-RB16)
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PPR Average draft position

Current as of May 6th. [Full PPR ADP list]

Overall: R Gronkowski (18), D Thomas (19), Maurice Jones-Drew (20), C Johnson (21), A Rodgers (22)
Position: A Morris (16-RB10), M Forte (17-RB11), Maurice Jones-Drew (20 - RB12), C Johnson (21-RB13), D Murray (26-RB14)
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Outlook

Maurice Jones-Drew has been the cornerstone of the Jaguars franchise ever since he joined the league back in 2006. That being said, the 2012 season was not a kind one to Jones-Drew, as he struggled on the field to open the season, and then was placed on injured reserve to end his season before he could turn things around. With 7 years of playing running back at the NFL level and now turning 28 years old, Jones-Drew will have to prove that his body can continue to handle such a heavy workload. If you look at his average rushing attempt average over the past three seasons it has went from 4.4 (2010), 4.7 (2011) , to 4.8 (2012). So even with the NFL grind and age working against him, Jones-Drew has continued to only get better in his ability to gain that extra yard. 2013 is a big year for the Jaguars and Jones-Drew, as he is the veteran star on the team and if they are going to turn things around in Jacksonville it will have to be with the ball in his hands.

Latest News

Jaguars | Maurice Jones-Drew continues to make progress (Mon May 13, 02:44 PM) - Jacksonville Jaguars RB Maurice Jones-Drew (foot) said he is making progress in his rehab from foot surgery. He was able to run at 75 percent Monday, May 13.

Our View: Jones-Drew had surgery to repair his Lisfranc injury in late December 2012. No word on what his status will be for training camp in August. We imagine the team will bring him along slowly during that time so the injury is not aggravated. Jones-Drew should be near 100 percent healthy by the start of the regular season.
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2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - For a guy who missed all of camp and most of the preseason, Jones-Drew carried a full load of carries effectively throughout the game. He never saw the end zone, but looked like the time off did him good as he had plenty of spring in his step and burst through the hole. The Vikings struggled against the run at times last year and look like they still have their down moments, even though they have improved overall. Jones-Drew looks like someone who will keep his job as lead back in the weeks going forward.

Week 2 - With Rashard Jennings ailing, Jones-Drew reclaimed his starting tailback role for the Jaguars in week 2 against the Texans. He started quickly in accumulating 20 yards on the ground during the Jaguars first offensive series. However, as would become a theme on the day, the Jaguars passing attack failed them at every turn leaving Jones-Drew little chance to build any momentum on the day. His best run came on a dash up the middle in the first quarter that resulted in a 12 yard gain. On the play, Jones-Drew took the handoff quickly and got to the line of scrimmage before the edge pass rush could change course and wrap him up. While Jones-Drew may still need to work himself back in to football shape, he certainly seemed quick and powerful against the dominant front seven of the Texans. Jones-Drew did catch a short touchdown pass from Blaine Gabbert while the game was still close early in the third quarter. On the play, Jones-Drew chipped his man out of the backfield and swung to the sideline. He caught the delayed screen pass from Gabbert and turned upfield for the short touchdown.

Week 3 - Last season's leading rusher was in top form against the Colts as he rumbled for 177 yards on 28 carries. Jones-Drew benefited all day from excellent run blocking from his offensive line, despite the group playing without Eben Britton. Jones-Drew repeatedly made defenders miss and always got forward momentum. He seemingly never made a bad decision despite never hesitating at the line. Jones Drew ran for 20 yards untouched up the middle before then going untouched again for a 59 yard touchdown run. Jones-Drew's touchdown run was a result of excellent blocking and a great understanding of the scheme from the running back. Jones-Drew took advantage of a trap to the right hand side by jinking inside before sprinting away to the endzone. Jones-Drew repeatedly jinked while running through the interior of the defense, but never was he caught dancing. His ability to shift his weight in tight spaces while keeping completely aware of his surroundings is a very underrated aspect of his play. The only negative on Jones-Drew's performance was a fumble that came very late in the fourth quarter. Jones-Drew ran into his own blocker who knocked the ball free. It was completely the fault of the running back who wasn't carrying the ball tight enough to his body.

Week 4 - It was a pretty non-descript day for Jones-Drew. Whether it was inside or out, running lanes were hard to come by for the star back. His best run of the day came on third-and-short when he blasted through multiple defenders on his way to a key first down. Jones-Drew salvaged a decent PPR-scoring day with his regular involvement in the passing game. Two of his catches, accounting for most of his yards, came when the Jaguars were down big and the defense allowed quite a bit of room in long-yardage situations.

Week 5 - Maurice Jones-Drew felt like it was involved in a significant portion of the Jacksonville offense in this game, yet he finished the game with just 13 touches for less than 60 yards. He dropped on pass that was thrown his way, and really didn’t have much of an impact running the ball in the first half, aside from a nice 20 yard run late in the 1st quarter. Jones-Drew broke to the outside and once he pushed past the defense, he hugged the sideline and burst up field for a big 20 yard gain. By the time the 4th quarter started though, MJD had just 10 carries for 26 total yards. After the TD catch to Alshon Jeffery, Jones-Drew broke another big 27 yard gain after exploding up the guy, and cutting back to the outside for a huge run. He was stuffed on the next play for only 2 yards and it was his last run of the day. He was targeted later in the half on a short dump-off, but the ball was thrown too far out in front and skipped off of his hands into the waiting arms of Lance Briggs who returned it for Chicago’s second pick-six of the day. Jones-Drew was pulled for Rashad Jennings late in the 4th when the game was well out of reach.

Week 7 - It was a hard luck day for MJD, who was playing his first professional game in Oakland, his hometown. He looked like his usual self for the opening two carries of the game, delivering punishing hits to opposing linebackers and defensive backs, but after his second carry, it looked like Lamarr Houston rolled up on his foot. He looked all set to come back after getting it taped on the sideline, but eventually had to be taken to the locker room. By the start of the second half, he was in a walking boot and crutches on the sideline. As of Monday afternoon, he had already been ruled out for Week 8, but it’s still not clear as to the extent of the damage to his foot. The dreaded “Lisfranc” injury hasn’t ruled out. It’s hard luck for the NFL’s leading rusher from 2011.