| No. 83, 85, 18 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1972-10-06)October 6, 1972 (age 53) San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Point Loma(San Diego) | ||||||||
| College | UCLA | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1995: 1st round, 10th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Jerel Jamal Stokes (born October 6, 1972) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver for nine seasons in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theUCLA Bruins, earningunanimous All-American honors in 1993. A first-round selection in the1995 NFL draft by theSan Francisco 49ers, he played in the NFL for the 49ers,Jacksonville Jaguars andNew England Patriots. He won aSuper Bowl with the Patriots in 2003.
Stokes was born inSan Diego, California.[1] He attendedPoint Loma High School in San Diego,[2][3][4] where he was part of a talentedhigh school football team that included quarterbackDan White and linemanLa'Roi Glover. The team was coached throughout Stokes' four years by local legendBennie Edens.
While attendingUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Stokes played for theBruins from 1991 to 1994. His breakout season came in his junior year when he was named thePac-10 Offensive Player of the Year. Stokes' junior season was rewarded with a top ten finish in the balloting for that year'sHeisman Trophy, being the only junior recognized. Stokes' junior season ended withunanimous All-American recognition by The Sporting News, AP, UPI, and Kodak. Stokes' senior year began as the nation's leading Heisman contender,[citation needed] but was quickly sidetracked by a severe upper thigh contusion suffered in the season's first game. Stokes still holds UCLA school records for receivingtouchdowns in a season (17 in1993), receiving touchdowns in a career (28), receiving yards in a game (263 vs.USC in1992) and receptions in a game (14 vs.Wisconsin,1994 Rose Bowl), among others.
On October 9, 2009, Stokes was inducted into theUCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+1⁄2 in (1.94 m) | 217 lb (98 kg) | 34+1⁄8 in (0.87 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.51 s | ||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[6][7] | ||||||||||||
Stokes was selected with the first round (tenth overall pick) of the1995 NFL draft by theSan Francisco 49ers.[8] He played for the 49ers from1995 to2002.[9] The 49ers traded up 20 spots to the No. 10 pick in the first round of the draft to select Stokes.[10] After a slow start to his rookie season, the former Bruin ultimately netted 38 receptions for 517 yards and four touchdowns, the last of which was tossed byJerry Rice.
During the 1996 season, Stokes suffered a broken hand and missed most of the season, leading to the emergence of the 49ers' third round pick in the1996 NFL draft, wide receiverTerrell Owens.
In 1997, with Rice sidelined with a tornACL, Stokes and Owens formed a formidable duo for quarterbackSteve Young, with Stokes hauling in 58 passes for 733 yards and four touchdowns. Once Rice returned, Stokes' production did not falter as he would achieve career highs in receptions (63), yards (770) and touchdowns (eight). Stokes was also the recipient ofDenverlinebackerBill Romanowski spitting in his face during aMonday Night Football game in December1997.[11]
Along with the rest of the team, Stokes' production dropped in 1999 as a result of Young's career-ending concussion in a Monday night game in Arizona.Football Outsiders called Stokes "the league's least valuable receiver" in 1999.[12]
The 49ers released him in 2003 and he was initially signed by theJacksonville Jaguars before going to New England. Stokes was rarely used by either team, only contributing 15 catches for 154 yards during the2003 campaign. New England released him and activatedfullbackLarry Centers near the end of the season.[13] However, he was re-signed by the Patriots prior to theAFC Championship Game.[14]
| Legend | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bold | Career high | |
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1995 | SFO | 12 | 2 | 52 | 38 | 517 | 13.6 | 41 | 4 |
| 1996 | SFO | 6 | 6 | 39 | 18 | 249 | 13.8 | 40 | 0 |
| 1997 | SFO | 16 | 16 | 80 | 58 | 733 | 12.6 | 36 | 4 |
| 1998 | SFO | 16 | 11 | 93 | 63 | 770 | 12.2 | 33 | 8 |
| 1999 | SFO | 16 | 4 | 78 | 34 | 429 | 12.6 | 47 | 3 |
| 2000 | SFO | 16 | 3 | 53 | 30 | 524 | 17.5 | 53 | 3 |
| 2001 | SFO | 16 | 16 | 90 | 54 | 585 | 10.8 | 47 | 7 |
| 2002 | SFO | 13 | 8 | 55 | 32 | 332 | 10.4 | 51 | 1 |
| 2003 | JAX | 5 | 3 | 16 | 13 | 116 | 8.9 | 22 | 0 |
| 2003 | NWE | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 19.0 | 31 | 0 |
| 118 | 69 | 559 | 342 | 4,293 | 12.6 | 53 | 30 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1995 | SFO | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 18 | 0 |
| 1997 | SFO | 2 | 2 | 22 | 15 | 188 | 12.5 | 43 | 0 |
| 1998 | SFO | 2 | 0 | 17 | 10 | 134 | 13.4 | 33 | 0 |
| 2001 | SFO | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 52 | 13.0 | 21 | 0 |
| 2002 | SFO | 2 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 34 | 6.8 | 10 | 0 |
| 8 | 4 | 64 | 37 | 432 | 11.7 | 43 | 0 | ||
He worked as a radio host for the ESPN radio affiliate based out ofModesto, California. Currently, he works as an analyst for Fox Sports on UCLA's football games and for high school football on the internet in Southern California. He is currently residing in the Bay Area with his wife and kids.
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