Miami Hurricanes History of Consecutive 1st Round Picks ’95-’01
Edgerrin James RB 1999 NFL Draft Selected 4th by Indianapolis
Edgerrin James left Miami as the second-leading rusher in school history and is currently third all-time. In three seasons with the Hurricanes, James finished with 2,960 and 32 touchdowns on the ground. He added 42 receptions for 595 yards and three more touchdowns.
He has the two highest rushing yardage totals for one game. James set the record initially with 271 yards against Boston College in 1997 and followed that up with 299 against a previously undefeated UCLA team in the final game of the regular season a year later.
James became the first and still the only Miami back to rush for back to back 1,000-yard seasons in 1997 and ’98. He also holds the Miami record with 14 100 yard rushing games.
James was the fourth pick in the 1999 draft by the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts had traded star running back Marshall Faulk to the Rams for a second and fourth round pick to pave the way for James.
Many thought the Colts were going to select Heisman Trophy Winner Ricky Williams of Texas. James wound up being the perfect fit for the Colts. He was selected by Indy a year after future Hall of Fame Quarterback Peyton Manning and three years after Hall of Fame Receiver Marvin Harrison.
James adapted to the NFL right away. He led the league in rushing his first two seasons in the NFL. He had 1,553 yards and 13 touchdowns as a rookie, earning the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He topped that number in his second season with a career-high career high 1,709 yards and another 13 touchdowns. He also had 125 combined receptions and nine touchdowns in those two seasons.
James spent seven seasons with the Colts. He shattered the franchise career rushing record with 9,226 yards. He also set the rushing touchdown record with 63 touchdowns. He signed a four-year $30 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals following the 2005 season.
James would rush for over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons with the Cardinals. He 514 yards in his third season with Arizona in 2008. They would suffer a heartbreaking 27-23 loss to the Cardinals in the Superbowl.
James retired after spending the 2009 season with the Seattle Seahawks.