Jamaal Charles brief time in the NFL has thus far been mostly in the shadow of other running backs, Larry Johnson and Thomas Jones. However, when given a chance Charles has proven what an electric weapon he can be with the ball in his hands, and what Chiefs fans can hope to see for many seasons to come.
After a stellar high school career in the Houston area, for which he was named a Parade All-American, Charles attended the University of Texas. As a true freshman in 2005, he scored 11 touchdowns and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. He was part of the 2005 National Championship team led by Vince Young - making Charles the first player on this list to be a champion at the collegiate or professional level (4 major sports).
His accolades on the football field at Texas speak for themselves, but those were not his only collegiate accomplishments. He was a standout sprinter for the Longhorns track team. In 2006 he was named an All-American in 4 separate events. Following his sophomore year, Charles gave up track to focus solely on football, and that obviously paid dividends.
In his junior year he rushed for more than 1400 yards and picked up an average of more than 6 yards per carry. In a game against Nebraska his junior year, Charles rushed for 290 yards on the day, 216 coming in the fourth quarter alone!
After his tremendous junior year, Charles entered the NFL draft in 2008. He was selected in the 3rd round, 73rd overall, by the Kansas City Chiefs. He started his NFL career as a backup to the troubled and struggling Larry Johnson. Despite limited carries, Charles performed well and left many wondering when Johnson would be shown the door. The wait lasted until week 9 of 2009 when Larry Johnson was finally released giving way to Charles who did not disappoint becoming the only player in league history to rush for more than 1,100 yards with fewer than 200 carries.
2009 went very well for Charles, but the Chiefs signed Thomas Jones in the off-season, again putting Charles in at least a somewhat limiting role. For most fans it was clear who was the most dynamic runner, but throughout much of the season Charles was splitting carries with Jones. Nonetheless, Charles made the most of his game-breaking speed to the tune of 1,467 rushing yards and 5 scores in only 230 carries. He led the league with his 6.38 yards per carry which is 2nd all-time only to Jim Brown. Not too shabby. As if his speed with the ball in his hands wasn't enough, Charles is also a developing threat as a receiver out of the backfield, and a great weapon for Matt Cassel on the check-downs. He caught 45 passes for 468 yards and 3 scores.
He helped the Kansas city Chiefs make the playoffs in 2010, and The Chiefs rewarded him with a 5 year deal in December worth $32.5 mil, $13 guaranteed. He also just played in his first (probably of many) pro-bowls.
Chiefs fans are probably hoping that Charles continues to improve in 2011 and that the Chiefs will make him more of a Chris Johnson type feature speed back. It's time to give this guy the reigns in KC.
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