Jeremy Maclin
Encyclopedia
2009 NFL Draft
Maclin was considered a top National Football LeagueNational Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
prospect following his second season, and roommate Sean Weatherspoon
Sean Weatherspoon
Franklin De'Sean "Sean" Weatherspoon is an American football linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He played college football at University of Missouri...
hoped to convince Maclin to return for his junior year instead of leaving Missouri for the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. Weatherspoon’s efforts were unsuccessful, and on January 9, 2009, Maclin declared for the 2009 NFL Draft. Draft analyst Mel Kiper projected Maclin to go to the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
with the seventh pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, but that was after Michael Crabtree
Michael Crabtree
Michael Alex Crabtree is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the 49ers with the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football for Texas Tech, where he received recognition as one of the nation's...
, another highly-regarded prospect at wide receiver, measured in at 6'1", two inches shorter than his published height. Crabtree also suffered a broken bone (Jones fracture
Jones fracture
A Jones fracture is a fracture of the diaphysis of the fifth metatarsal of the foot. The fifth metatarsal is at the base of the small toe. The proximal end, where the Jones fracture occurs, is in the midportion of the foot. Patients who sustain a Jones fracture have pain over this area, swelling,...
) in his left foot prohibiting him from working out at the NFL Combine. Maclin’s personal best in the 40-yard dash was 4.31 seconds, but he wanted to lower that to 4.29 seconds in the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
. He tripped and fell during a passing drill at the NFL Scouting Combine on February 22, 2009, hyperextending his left knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
, and wasn’t running at full speed, but previously to his fall, unofficially ran the 40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds and 4.4 seconds that morning. He ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in 4.45 sec., but the earlier unofficial times conflicted with other reports that said he ran the dash first in 4.34 seconds and then 4.44 seconds.
After originally believing he had to get an MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging , nuclear magnetic resonance imaging , or magnetic resonance tomography is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to visualize detailed internal structures...
on his injured left knee, it was reported he would not need one as the knee was healthy by the end of the Combine. He also had a sore right hip because of the fall, but that also proved to be minor. Maclin scored very high for a wide receiver on the Wonderlic Test
Wonderlic Test
The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is a twelve-minute, fifty-question test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving in a range of occupations. The test was developed by industrial psychologist Eldon F. Wonderlic...
with a score of 25, compared to the normal score
Wonderlic Test
The Wonderlic Cognitive Ability Test is a twelve-minute, fifty-question test used to assess the aptitude of prospective employees for learning and problem-solving in a range of occupations. The test was developed by industrial psychologist Eldon F. Wonderlic...
of 18 for wide receivers.
2009 season
Maclin went further down in the draft2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
than expected, but was eventually drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the first round at 19th overall.
On August 3, after eight days of disagreements with the Eagles front office, Maclin signed a 5-year, $15.5 million deal ($9.5 million guaranteed).
Maclin started
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
in his first NFL game on September 27, 2009 against the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
in week 3 in place of the injured Kevin Curtis
Kevin Curtis
-St. Louis Rams:Curtis was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 3rd round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Curtis was inactive for the first five games of 2003 after suffering a broken fibula in the final preseason game at Buffalo. In 2004, Curtis played in all but one game, totaling 32 catches for 421...
. He caught four passes for 33 yards in that game.
On October 11, 2009 Jeremy Maclin scored his first NFL career touchdown on a 51-yard reception from Donovan McNabb
Donovan McNabb
Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...
as the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
33-14. Maclin also recorded his second NFL touchdown reception later in the game.
On December 27, 2009, In a home game against the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and with the score tied 27-27, Maclin made a decisive catch on the sideline to extend a crucial late drive for the Eagles. McNabb threw a tight spiral to the sideline and Maclin caught it while toeing the line. Initially the catch was ruled incomplete, but upon further review was ruled a catch and first down. Three plays later Eagles Kicker David Akers
David Akers
David Roy Akers is a left footed American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 1997. He played college football at Louisville....
kicked the game winning field goal, sealing victory for Philadelphia 30-27. For this he received Rookie of the Week honors.
On January 9, 2010, in the Eagles’ NFC Wildcard game against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, Maclin became the youngest player to score a touchdown in NFL postseason history, aged 21 years and 243 days. In the second quarter, he caught a 76 yard pass from Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
, Vick’s longest career touchdown pass and Maclin’s longest career touchdown catch. With 146 yards, Maclin broke the Eagles record for receiving yards in a playoff game, breaking Keith Jackson's record of 142 yards set during the 1988 NFC Divisional Game
Fog Bowl (American football)
In American football, the Fog Bowl was the name given to the December 31, 1988 National Football League playoff game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears. A heavy, dense fog rolled over Chicago's Soldier Field during the 2nd quarter, cutting visibility to about 10-20 yards for the...
against the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
2010 season
On August 3, 2010, Maclin was carted off the training camp practice field with a leg injury. Further evaluation showed that he suffered a bone bruise. Maclin has since returned and caught 70 passes for 964 yards the longest for 83 yards. He has scored 10 touchdowns.2011 season
Maclin was placed on the active/non-football illness list on August 3, 2011. On August 5, Andy ReidAndy Reid
Andrew Walter "Andy" Reid is the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, a post he has held since 1999. Since 2001, he has also been the team's executive vice president of football operations...
said that he expected Maclin to be healthy for the regular season. It was revealed on August 17 that Maclin was held out of training camp because of a lymphoma
Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. Typically, lymphomas present as a solid tumor of lymphoid cells. Treatment might involve chemotherapy and in some cases radiotherapy and/or bone marrow transplantation, and can be curable depending on the histology, type, and stage...
scare. An inflammatory virus was determined as the cause of the symptoms he showed and he did not have cancer. He was activated from the active/non-football illness list on August 27.