Braylon Edwards

Braylon Edwards

Edwards signing an autograph for a fan in February 2008
Cleveland Browns
Career information
College:	Michigan
NFL draft:	2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3
Career history
Cleveland Browns (2005-present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Fred Biletnikoff Award (2004) Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year Pro Bowl selection (2007) Second-Team All-Pro selection (2007)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 13, 2008
Receptions: 215 Receiving Yards: 3,382 Touchdowns: 28

Braylon Jamel Edwards (born on February 21, 1983 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League.

His father, Stan Edwards, played football at the University of Michigan (1977-1981) and with the Houston Oilers (1982-1986) and Detroit Lions (1987).

High School years

Edwards graduated from Bishop Gallagher High School in Template:City-state after transferring from Martin Luther King High School in Template:City-state. During his three years he made 63 receptions for 740 yards with eight touchdowns and played a variety of positions.

College career

Edwards followed his father's footsteps to Michigan, where he played from 2001-2004. During his senior year in 2004, Edwards set Michigan season records for receptions (97) and yards (1,330), and career records for receptions (252), yards (3,541), and touchdowns (39); the career touchdown mark is also a Big Ten Conference record. Edwards also set the Michigan record for the most games with 100 or more receiving yards (17). That year Edwards won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's top wide receiver, and was named the Big Ten Conference MVP. He was also a consensus All-America selection.

Edwards is the only wide receiver in Big Ten history, and the third in NCAA Division I-A annals, to gain 1,000 or more receiving yards in three consecutive years. At Michigan, Edwards wore jersey number 80 during his freshman and sophomore years, but changed to wear number 1 jersey during his junior and senior years. Edwards concluded his college career by recording three touchdown catches in the 2005 Rose Bowl against Texas, tying a record for that game. Braylon's Michigan career did not entirely eclipse Jack Clancy's who still holds the Michigan single game receptions yardage at 197, while Edwards remains third for his 189 yard effort in 2004. Edwards also fell just short of eclipsing Clancy's 10 game single season records of 76 receptions and 1077 yards by recording 76 and 1049 in 10 games on his way to his record setting 97 reception 1330 yard 12 game efforts of 2004. Edwards also ran track and his indoor 200 meter time of 21.81 was the third fastest in Michigan history when he completed his career. It is now sixth fastest.

NFL career

2005 NFL Draft

Edwards was selected in the first round (3rd overall) in the 2005 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

Pre-draft measureables Wt 40y 20ss 3-cone Vert BP Wonderlic 210 lb 4.40s 4.02s 6.83s 38" 22* 27* (* represents NFL Combine) Cleveland Browns 2005 As a Brown, Edwards followed a current trend among NFL receivers by wearing a number in the tens, 17. Edwards began his rookie season as Cleveland's third wide receiver - he would have started higher, but a hold-out caused him to miss the beginning of training camp. Early in the season Edwards revealed that he had a staph infection, and missed a few weeks as a result of it. He moved into the starting lineup by midseason. He made his NFL debut versus the Cincinnati Bengals on September 11 and caught his first NFL touchdown at the Green Bay Packers on September 18. He amassed 512 receiving yards and three touchdowns before suffering a season ending knee injury. Edwards had surgery in the offseason, and while rehabilitating bonded with Kellen Winslow II. Both were determined to make a full and speedy recovery. 2006 Edwards, like Winslow, had a successful rehabilitation that enabled him to be ready to play in the team's opening game in 2006. Edwards became the top receiver for the Browns after an injury to Joe Jurevicius that season. Edwards totaled 61 receptions for 884 yards and six touchdowns on the season. At the end of the season, Edwards announced he would give $500,000 to the University of Michigan for a scholarship endowment for football players. Edwards also had an infamous altercation with Charlie Frye on the sidelines of a game in 2006. He said "and they're talking about video games." His immaturity also showed during the season where he called out Mike Minter and Chris Gamble and other talented defensive backs of the Carolina Panthers. He also attended the annual Michigan-Ohio State rivalry game after being advised not to go by several veteran captains. Unfortunately, Edwards was late getting back from Columbus and was late to a team meeting. On May 15, 2007, Edwards pledged US$1 million in college scholarships for students in Cleveland who keep at least a 2.5 GPA through high school. Edwards' foundation will select 100 eighth-grade students for the program. 2007 Edwards had a breakout season in 2007 and made his first Pro Bowl, becoming the first Browns receiver to make the Pro Bowl since Webster Slaughter in 1989. Edwards broke franchise records for receiving yardage with 1289 receiving yards compared to Slaughter's record of 1236 in 1989 and receiving touchdowns with 16 compared to Gary Collins's 13 in 1963. Edwards' 16 touchdowns was also second in the league behind only Randy Moss who set an NFL record with 23 touchdowns. 2008 Edwards and the Browns struggled during pre-season and the beginning of the regular season, coming off of their by-week with a 1-3 record. During the Browns-Giants game on October 13th, Edwards broke out of his slump, catching five passes for a career-high 154 yards and a touchdown. CANT CATCH THE BALL! Statistics Year Team Games Starts Receptions Yards Average Touchdowns 2005 Cleveland 10 7 32 512 16 3 2006 Cleveland 16 15 61 884 14.5 6 2007 Cleveland 16 16 80 1,289 16.1 16 2008 Cleveland 14 14 50 837 16.7 3 Totals 56 52 223 3522 15.8 28 See also Lists of Michigan Wolverines football receiving leaders Notes External links Official website The Braylon Bunch The Braylon Edwards Foundation Browns Player Bio