Jerome Felton
refer to caption
Felton at the 2012 Pro Bowl
No. 45, 42
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born: (1986-07-03) July 3, 1986 (age 37)
Düren, West Germany[a]
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:248 lb (112 kg)
Career information
High school:Sequoyah
(Madisonville, Tennessee)
College:Furman (2004–2007)
NFL draft:2008 / Round: 5 / Pick: 146
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:178
Rushing average:3.2
Receptions:50
Receiving yards:421
Total touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Jerome Jean-Marie Felton (born July 3, 1986) is an American former football fullback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He previously played for the Minnesota Vikings, where he had been a fundamental part of Adrian Peterson's success, including Peterson's 2,097 rushing yards season in 2012.[1] He played college football at Furman, and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills.

Early years

Felton is a 2004 graduate of Sequoyah High School, Madisonville, Tennessee, where he was a two-way starter at fullback and middle linebacker.[2][3] He rushed for over 3,000 yards and compiled over 300 tackles in his three-year career. He was a three-time team offensive MVP, All-County, and All-Region selection, served as team captain, rushed for 1,300 yards, and finished second on his team with 104 tackles in 2003.[citation needed]

College career

Felton attended and played college football at Furman.[4] Felton was all-conference as a senior, in 2007, and closed out his career as Furman's all-time record holder in scoring with 414 points. In 2006, he was named first-team All-SoCon and helped lead Furman to an 8–4 record, earn a playoff berth, and finish ranked No. 12 in The Sports Network national poll. In 2005, he helped Paladins to an 11–3 record, NCAA I-AA semifinal playoff finish, and No. 3 final national ranking. He led in rushing with 940 yards and scored a team leading 20 touchdowns and set a school single season scoring record with 124 points. In 2004, he began the season in a reserve role but by midseason took over the starting fullback job, beating out a pair of seniors in the process.[citation needed]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m) 		241 lb
(109 kg) 		4.68 s 1.56 s 2.64 s 4.46 s 7.20 s 32+1⁄2 in
(0.83 m)		 9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)		 30 reps 28
All values from NFL Combine

Detroit Lions

Felton was drafted by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft with the 146th overall pick.[5] He became the Lions starting fullback as a rookie, playing in 13 games, starting six and catching nine passes.[6] In the 2009 season, he started in eight games and appeared in 13. He totaled 15 carries for 46 rushing yards and 13 receptions for 133 receiving yards.[7] In the 2010 season, he appeared in all 16 games and started two.[8] On August 30, 2011, he was waived by the team.[9]

Carolina Panthers

Felton was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers on September 1, 2011.[10] After the Panthers waived Tony Fiammetta, Felton was named starting fullback of the Panthers, just three days after being claimed off waivers. Felton was waived by the Panthers on November 25.[11]

Indianapolis Colts

Felton was claimed off waivers by the Indianapolis Colts on November 28, 2011.[12] In the 2011 season, he appeared in nine games and started one with Carolina and appeared in five and started two for Indianapolis.[13]

Minnesota Vikings

On March 20, 2012, Felton was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Vikings.[14] On December 26, 2012, Felton was selected to his first NFL Pro Bowl.[15] Felton appeared in all 16 games and started seven in the 2012 season.[16]

On March 12, 2013, Felton was re-signed by the Vikings with a three-year, $7.5 million contract.[17] On August 14, 2013, Felton underwent an appendectomy.[18] On August 26, 2013, Felton was suspended for three games for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy.[19] Felton appeared in 13 games and started nine in the 2013 season.[20]

In the 2014 season, Felton appeared in 16 games and started three.[21] In Week 14, against the New York Jets, he scored a touchdown on an offensive fumble recovery in the 30–24 overtime victory.[22]

Buffalo Bills

On March 11, 2015, Felton signed with the Buffalo Bills.[23] Felton started in eight games and appeared in all 16 games in the 2015 season.[24]

Felton was released on September 2, 2016, as part of final preseason roster cuts.[25] On September 12, 2016, he re-signed with the Bills.[26] He started in four games and appeared in 15 in the 2016 season.[27]

On December 15, 2017, Felton announced his retirement from the NFL.[28]

NFL statistics

Year Team Games Car Yds YPC FD
2008 DET 13 2 4 2.0 0
2009 DET 13 15 46 3.1 7
2010 DET 16 22 76 3.5 3
2011 CAR 9 3 10 3.3 3
2014 MIN 16 4 27 6.8 4
2015 BUF 16 1 2 2.0 1
2016 BUF 15 8 13 1.6 5
Career 132 55 178 3.2 21

Notes and references

  1. ^ Currently Germany
  1. ^ "Minnesota Vikings: Adrian Peterson glad to have Jerome Felton back". Twin Cities. September 25, 2013. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  2. ^ "2012 NFL players from Tennessee". MaxPreps.com. February 4, 2013. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  3. ^ "Ex-Vols, East Tennesseans in NFL". Knoxville News Sentinel. September 13, 2014. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "Jerome Felton (2013) - Furman Athletics Hall of Fame". Furman University. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "2008 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "Jerome Felton 2008 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  7. ^ "Jerome Felton 2009 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  8. ^ "Jerome Felton 2010 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  9. ^ Snyder, Matt (August 30, 2011). "Detroit Lions Cut Fullback Jerome Felton". Detroit Jock City. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  10. ^ Dator, James (September 1, 2011). "Panthers claim FB Jerome Felton off waivers". Cat Scratch Reader. Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  11. ^ "Vikings Free Agency 2012: Fullback Jerome Felton Agrees To Deal With Minnesota". SB Nation Minnesota. March 20, 2012. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  12. ^ "Colts Claim Felton". Colts.com. November 28, 2011. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  13. ^ "Jerome Felton 2011 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  14. ^ Craig, Mark (March 20, 2012). "Vikings sign FB Jerome Felton". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  15. ^ "2012 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  16. ^ "Jerome Felton 2012 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  17. ^ Pelissero, Tom (March 14, 2013). "Jerome Felton's 3-year deal with Vikings included a $2M signing bonus". 1500ESPN.com. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013.
  18. ^ Breech, John (August 14, 2013). "Vikings FB Jerome Felton undergoes emergency appendectomy". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  19. ^ Smith, Michael David (August 26, 2013). "Vikings' Jerome Felton suspended three games". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  20. ^ "Jerome Felton 2013 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  21. ^ "Jerome Felton 2014 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  22. ^ "New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings - December 7th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  23. ^ Alper, Josh (March 10, 2015). "Jerome Felton shuffles off to Buffalo". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on March 11, 2015. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
  24. ^ "Jerome Felton 2015 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  25. ^ Hirschbeck, Zac (September 2, 2016). "Bills release pair of veterans in Felton and Moore". Buffalo Rumblings. Archived from the original on May 17, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  26. ^ Culley, Stephen (September 12, 2016). "Bills to re-sign FB Jerome Felton". Bills Wire. Archived from the original on December 3, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  27. ^ "Jerome Felton 2016 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  28. ^ Gantt, Darin (December 15, 2017). "Jerome Felton ready to retire, unless someone needs him soon". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2023.

External links

Detroit Lions 2008 NFL Draft selections
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