Jalen Rasheed Nailor (born March 2, 1999), nicknamed "Speedy",[1] is an American professional football wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State.
 Nailor with Bishop Gorman in 2017 | |||||||||
| No. 83 – Minnesota Vikings | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 2, 1999 Palmdale, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nevada) | ||||||||
| College: | Michigan State (2018–2021) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2022 / round: 6 / pick: 191 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Early life
editNailor attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. In high school, Nailor played football and ran track, winning four state titles.[2] Nailor recorded 28 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards in his high school career including 12 touchdowns, 41 receptions, and 807 yards in his senior year.[3] After originally being committed to Arizona State, Nailor decommitted after Sun Devil's head coach Todd Graham was fired.[4] Nailor, a three-star recruit, would instead choose to play at Michigan State University.
College career
edit.jpg)
In 2020, Nailor led the Big Ten Conference in yards per catch while being the runner-up in 2021.[5] In 2021, in a game against Rutgers, Nailor put up a career high 221 yards with three touchdowns.[6] In his college career, Nailor played in 28 games with Michigan State. Throughout his career, Nailor tallied stats of 86 receptions, 1,453 yards, and 12 touchdowns.[7] At the end of his collegiate career, Nailor declared for the 2022 NFL draft.[8][9]
| Season | GP | Receiving | Rushing | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2018 | 8 | 8 | 138 | 17.3 | 2 | 9 | 128 | 14.2 | 1 |
| 2019 | 4 | 15 | 106 | 7.1 | 0 | 5 | 27 | 5.4 | 0 |
| 2020 | 7 | 26 | 515 | 19.8 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 |
| 2021 | 9 | 37 | 694 | 18.8 | 6 | 1 | -3 | -3.0 | 0 |
| Career | 28 | 86 | 1,453 | 16.9 | 12 | 17 | 163 | 9.6 | 1 |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+1⁄4 in (1.81 m) |
186 lb (84 kg) |
30+1⁄4 in (0.77 m) |
9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
4.50 s | 1.52 s | 2.58 s | 4.28 s | 7.03 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) |
10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) |
14 reps | |
| Sources:[10][11] | ||||||||||||
Nailor was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round (191st overall) of the 2022 NFL Draft.[12] In Week 4, against the New Orleans Saints, Nailor made his first career catch on a 13-yard fake punt from punter Ryan Wright, in the 28–25 win.[13] In Week 17, against the Green Bay Packers, Nailor recorded his first career touchdown reception, a 47-yard pass from Kirk Cousins.[14] He finished the game with three catches for 89 yards.[15] As a rookie, he appeared in 15 games and recorded nine receptions for 179 yards and one touchdown. In addition, he was a contributor on special teams.[16]
On September 21, 2023, Nailor was placed on injured reserve. He was activated on November 4.[17] In the 2023 season, Nailor had three receptions for 29 yards in six games and one start.[18]
NFL career statistics
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Fumbles | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
| 2022 | MIN | 15 | 0 | 9 | 179 | 19.9 | 47 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | MIN | 6 | 1 | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | MIN | 6 | 3 | 12 | 213 | 17.8 | 33 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 27 | 4 | 24 | 421 | 17.5 | 47 | 4 | 1 | 1 | |
| Source: pro-football-reference.com | ||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Michaelson, Chase (August 28, 2019). "This Michigan State wideout is nicknamed 'Speedy.' And for good reason". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Atkins, Nate (August 19, 2021). "How Jalen Nailor gained the nickname 'speedy' and instilled hope in Michigan State's passing game". Lansing State Journal. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ O'Bleness, Ryan (February 9, 2018). "Commitment Spotlight: Three-star wide receiver Jalen Nailor". The Only Colors. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Wenzel, Matt (May 14, 2018). "How a coaching change, transfers led to WR Jalen Nailor signing with Michigan State". mlive.com. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "The Path to the Draft 2022 with Jalen "Speedy" Nailor – Move The Ball® – Omny.fm". omny.fm. April 19, 2022. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Alter, Marlowe (October 9, 2021). "Michigan State football's Jalen Nailor torches Rutgers in record-breaking fashion". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on October 9, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Solari, Chris (January 3, 2022). "Michigan State football WR Jalen Nailor declares for NFL draft". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on January 10, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Lounsberry, Matthew (January 3, 2022). "Michigan State WR Jalen Nailor declares for 2022 NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ Wenzel, Matt (January 3, 2022). "Michigan State WR Jalen Nailor declares for NFL draft". mlive.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
- ^ "Jalen Nailor Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ "2022 Draft Scout Jalen Nailor, Michigan State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
- ^ Peters, Craig (April 30, 2022). "Vikings 2022 NFL Draft Round 6 Recap: Illinois T Vederian Lowe & Michigan State WR Jalen Nailor". Vikings.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ Linsner, Cory (October 3, 2022). "WATCH: Jalen Nailor makes first NFL catch on fake punt". Spartans Wire. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ Peters, Craig (January 1, 2023). "Vikings at Packers Game Observations: Slip Ups on Field Mean No. 1 Seed Slides Away". Vikings.com. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – January 1st, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ "Jalen Nailor 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ Peters, Craig (November 4, 2023). "Vikings Activate Jalen Nailor, Announce Roster Moves". Vikings.com. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Jalen Nailor 2023 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- Minnesota Vikings bio
- Michigan State Spartans bio