James Conner

James Earl Conner (born May 5, 1995) is an American football running back for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers.

He committed to play college football at the University of Pittsburgh in August 2012.

Conner was ranked the 12th best running back available in the draft by Sports Illustrated and the 15th best running back by DraftScout.com.

As a true freshman in 2013, Conner played in 12 of 13 games.

He made his collegiate debut during the Panthers' season opening loss to Florida State and had eight carries for 34 yards.

The following week, he scored his first career touchdown against New Mexico and finished the win with 12 carries, 119 rushing yards, and a season-high two touchdowns.

On December 26, 2013, Conner had a season-high 26 carries for 226 yards and a touchdown during a 30–27 victory over Bowling Green in the Little Caesars Bowl, He was named the 2013 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl MVP.

He led the team in rushing yards with 799 and rushing touchdowns with eight.

Conner's 229 rushing yards broke Tony Dorsett's school record for rushing yards in a bowl game.

Conner started his sophomore season rushing for 153 yards on 14 carries and scored a season-high four touchdowns in the season-opening 62–0 win over Delaware.

In 2014, he garnered AFCA first-team All-American honors and was awarded the ACC Player of the Year.

On November 1, 2014, Conner rushed for a career-high 263 rushing yards on a career-high 38 attempts and scored three touchdowns during a 51–48 double-overtime loss to No. 24 Duke.

The next game, he passed 200 yards rushing for a second consecutive game with 30 carries for 220 yards and career-high-tying four touchdowns in a loss to North Carolina.

In his sophomore season in 2014, Conner rushed for 1,765 yards on 298 attempts and set an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) record with 26 rushing touchdowns.

He led the ACC in rushing yards and ranked 7th in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

At the end of the season, he was named the ACC Player of the Year and garnered American Football Coaches Association first-team All-American honors.

On September 5, 2015, Conner tore his MCL during the Panthers' season opening 45–37 victory over Youngstown State.

He finished the game with eight carries for 77 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns but missed the rest of his junior season.

He was also diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma during the rehab process and was finally cancer-free during the off-season.

Conner played in the Panthers' season-opener against Villanova and finished the victory with 17 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown while also accounting for three receptions for 15 yards and scored his first career touchdown reception.

The next game, Conner had 22 attempts for 117 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a 42–39 victory over Penn State.

He also had four receptions, 29 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception against Penn State.

On September 17, 2016, Conner had a season-high 24 carries for 111 rushing yards and a touchdown during a 38–45 loss to Oklahoma State.

On October 27, 2016, he had 19 carries, a season-high 141 rushing yards, and three touchdowns in a 36–39 loss to No. 25 Virginia Tech.

On December 10, 2016, Conner announced via Twitter that he intended to apply for early eligibility for the 2017 NFL Draft as an underclassman and forgo his senior year at Pitt.

He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Conner attended McDowell High School in Erie, Pennsylvania.

He was a running back and defensive lineman on the Trojans football team.

As a senior, he rushed for 1,680 yards on 155 carries and 26 touchdowns.

Underclassmen had to apply for the draft by January 16, 2017.

Conner attended the NFL Scouting Combine, but chose to perform only the 40-yard dash, broad jump, vertical jump, and bench press.

He completed the three-cone drill, short shuttle, and positional drills at Pitt's Pro Day to finish his combine performance.

At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Conner was projected to be a fifth or sixth round pick by NFL draft scouts and experts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Conner in the third round with the 105th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Conner was the eighth running back selected in the draft.

He had the top selling NFL jersey throughout July, beating all rookies, as well as Marshawn Lynch, Von Miller, Dak Prescott, and Tom Brady.

On May 11, 2017, the Steelers signed Conner to a four-year, $3.16 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $706,288.

Conner entered training camp competing with veterans Knile Davis and Fitzgerald Toussaint for the vacant backup running back position left by DeAngelo Williams.

Davis and Toussaint were released during final roster cutdowns, and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin named Conner the backup to Le'Veon Bell to begin the regular season.