Darrius Heyward-Bey

Darrius Heyward-Bey

At a game in Denver in October, 2010.
No. 85     Oakland Raiders
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: April 11, 1987 (1987-04-11) (age 24)
Place of birth: Silver Spring, Maryland
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
College: Maryland
NFL Draft: 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7
Debuted in 2009 for the Oakland Raiders
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2009–present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
2008 All-ACC honorable mention 2006 All-ACC second-team 2006 Sporting News first-team freshman All-America
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2011
Receptions	62
Receiving Yards	924
Receiving Average	14.9
Receiving TDs	3
Stats at NFL.com

Darrius Heyward-Bey (born February 26, 1987) is an American football wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Raiders seventh overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Maryland.

Early years

Heyward-Bey attended the McDonogh School in Owings Mills, Maryland, where he played football as a wide receiver and linebacker. During his senior year, he earned first-team all-state honors and was named a PrepStar All-American. In track and field, he finished fifth at nationals as a junior and was the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.^[1] He also ran a 60 meter indoor time of 6.83 his junior year and 6.82 his senior year, the joint 6th and joint 4th fastest times in the nation respectively.^[2]

College career

Heyward-Bey greets Maryland fans in 2008.

Heyward-Bey was recruited by Alabama, Boston College, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, and Virginia, before ultimately choosing to attend Maryland.

He spent 2005 on redshirt status. In 2006, he ran a 4.23-second 40-yard dash, which set the school record for a wide receiver. That season, he was considered one of the top rookies in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and earned first-team freshman All-America from the Sporting News and Rivals.com. He led the Terps with 45 receptions, and set a school record for a freshman with 694 receiving yards.^[3]

In 2007, Heyward-Bey was placed on the Biletnikoff Award watchlist. He led Maryland in receptions, with 51, and receiving yards, with 786. His 63-yard touchdown reception in the 2007 Emerald Bowl against Oregon State stands as the second-longest in Maryland bowl history. At season's end, Heyward-Bey was awarded the team's Most Valuable Offensive Player honor.^[1]

During his junior season in 2008, he made 42 catches for 609 yards and five touchdowns, and earned an All-ACC honorable mention. On January 7, 2009, Heyward-Bey announced that he would forgo his senior season to enter the NFL Draft.^[4] He finished his career at Maryland second in school history in career receiving yards with 2,089, third in receptions with 138 and tied for third in touchdown catches with 13. In just three years, he was second only to Jermaine Lewis in receiving yards.^[5]

College statistics

Maryland		Receiving					Rushing
Season	Games	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lg	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	Lg	TD
2006	13	45	694	15.4	96	5	5	14	2.8	9	0
2007	13	51	786	15.4	63	3	5	110	21.4	54	1
2008	12	42	608	14.5	80	5	15	202	13.5	76	1
Total	37	138	2,089	15.1	96	13	25	326	13.0	76	2

Professional career

2009 NFL Draft

In the 2009 NFL Draft, Heyward-Bey was selected by the Oakland Raiders as the seventh overall pick. As the first wide receiver selected, he was picked earlier than most projections, and before Michael Crabtree and Jeremy Maclin, who most analysts thought would precede Heyward-Bey.^[6] At the 2009 NFL Combine, he had recorded the best 40-yard dash time of 4.3 seconds.^[7]

Pre-draft measureables

Ht	Wt	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
6 ft 1½ in	210 lb	4.25 s	1.44 s	2.50 s	4.18 s	6.80 s	38½ in	10 ft 6 in	16 rep
All values from NFL Combine[8]

Oakland Raiders

During Organized Team Activities following the draft, Heyward-Bey practiced early but was plagued by multiple hamstring injuries. On July 30, 2009, the Oakland Raiders agreed to terms on a five-year deal with Heyward-Bey.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Player Bio: Darrius Heyward-Bey, University of Maryland.
2. ^ http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/lists/2005/prep_in_m.html
3. ^ Freshman Record for Receiving Yards
4. ^ Heyward-Bey to skip senior season, ESPN, January 7, 2009.
5. ^ Heyward-Bey to Forgo Senior Year, University of Maryland, 7 January 2009.
6. ^ Raiders take Heyward-Bey over Crabtree, Maclin, CBS Sports, April 25, 2009.
7. ^ Michael Crabtree falls to 49ers at tenth overall, says he's best wide out, New York Daily News, April 26, 2009.
8. ^ "Darrius Heyward-Bey Draft Profile", NFLDraftScout.com, http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=56743&draftyear=2009&genpos=WR, retrieved March 3, 2010 .

External links

• Darrius Heyward-Bey on Twitter
• Oakland Raiders bio
• Maryland Terrapins Bio
• Baltimore Sun article