NFL CAREER – Selected by the Saints in the third round (67th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft, Kamara played in all 16 games and totaled 120 rushes for 728 yards (NFL-best 6.1 avg.) and eight touchdowns, and 81 receptions for 826 yards (10.2 avg.) and five touchdowns for a club-best 1,554 total yards from scrimmage. Selected to the Pro Bowl as an Associated Press second-team All-Pro and Offensive Rookie of the Year, he will look to build on an impressive rookie campaign in his sophomore campaign.
CAREER TRANSACTIONS –Signed to a four-year contract, 6/2/17; Selected by the Saints in the third round (67th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
HONORS – 2017: Pro Bowl; FedEx Ground Player of the Week (Week Nine); Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week (Weeks 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 and 17); NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month (November); Second-team Associated Press All-Pro (flex position); PFWA All-NFC and All-Rookie; NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (AP and Sports Illustrated); PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year (co-winner); NFL Rookie of the Year (The Sporting News and Pepsi NFL).
2017 – Kamara played in all 16 games and started in three. He totaled 120 rushes for 728 yards (NFL-best 6.1 avg.) and eight touchdowns, and 81 receptions for 826 yards (10.2 avg.) and five touchdowns and brought back 11 kickoffs for 347 yards with a club-record 106-yard touchdown. Set club receiving yardage record for a running back, club rookie touchdowns record (14) and combined with Mark Ingram for the only RB duo in NFL history each with 1,500 total yards from scrimmage (Ingram-1,540 and Kamara-a team-leading 1,554). In two postseason contests led team with 66 yards rushing and one touchdown and caught five passes for 72 yards with one touchdown, while bringing back two kickoffs for 50 yards…At Minnesota, Sept. 11, carried seven times for 18 yards, had four receptions for 20 yards and returned a kickoff 20 yards…Vs. New England, Sept. 17, carried once for three yards, had three receptions for 51 yards and returned three kickoffs for 71 yards…At Carolina, Sept. 24, carried twice for 37 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown, his first career NFL score and added three receptions for five yards…At Miami, Oct. 1, carried five times for 25 yards, caught 10 passes for 71 yards with a touchdown and returned a kickoff 23 yards…Vs. Detroit, Oct. 15, started and carried 10 times for 75 yards. Added three receptions for 12 yards…At Green Bay, Oct. 22, played on offense and carried nine times for 57 yards and caught five passes for 50 yards…Vs. Chicago, Oct. 29, carried eight times for 28 yards with one touchdown and caught three passes for 48 yards…Vs. Tampa Bay, Nov. 5, carried ten times for 68 yards with a touchdown and had six receptions for 84 yards, including a 33-yard TD, for career-high two total TDs and game-high 152 total scrimmage yards…At Buffalo, Nov. 12, carried career-high 12 times for career-high 106 yards with a touchdown and added five receptions for 32 yards to finish with team-high 138 total scrimmage yards, combining with Ingram to have only the third dual 100-yard rushing game in team history, the first since 2006…Vs Washington, Nov. 19, he finished with eight carries for 42 yards. Also reeled in six catches for 74 yards and a TD. Also rushed for his first career two-point conversion and the first by Saints in 2017 to tie contest…At Los Angeles Rams, Nov. 26, started in two-RB set and finished with five carries for 87 yards (17.4 avg.), including career-long 74-yard touchdown and six receptions for career-high 101 yards with one TD for a team season-high and career-high 188 total scrimmage yards, tying career-high with two total TDs. Became first Saints rookie to score a TD in five straight contests and the first player since Herschel Walker in 1986 to have both 500 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving in his first 11 NFL games. Joined Gale Sayers (1965) as only the second rookie in NFL history with multiple games of 150 scrimmage yards, a rushing TD and a receiving TD and was selected NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month…Vs. Carolina, Dec. 3, started and carried nine times for 60 yards with a career-high two rushing touchdowns, career-high tying two total TDs and caught five passes for 66 yards. Joined former Washington WR Charley Taylor (1963) and Detroit RB Billy Sims as only the third rookie in NFL records to record 600 yards rushing and 600 yards receiving…At Atlanta, Dec. 7, played on offense and carried once for two yards and caught three passes for 25 yards before leaving with concussion…Vs. New York Jets, Dec. 17, finished with 12 carries for 44 yards and six receptions for 45 yards, including a ten-yard touchdown…Vs. Atlanta, Dec. 24, played on offense and special teams and carried 12 times for 32 yards, caught a team-high seven passes for 58 yards and returned two kickoffs for 72 yards…At Tampa Bay, Dec. 31, played on offense and special teams, carrying nine times for 44 yards with a seven-yard touchdown, catching six passes for 84 yards with career-long 40-yard reception and returning four kickoffs for 155 yards, including a 106-yard touchdown return, the longest play in team history. Finished with game-high 128 scrimmage yards and game-high and career-high 283 all-purpose yards…In NFC Wild Card Playoff vs. Carolina, 1/7/18, started and carried ten times for 23 yards with a fourth quarter two-yard touchdown and caught one pass for ten yards…In NFC Divisional Playoff at Minnesota, 1/14/18, carried 11 times for 43 yards, caught four passes for 62 yards and a fourth quarter 14-yard touchdown grab and returned two kickoffs for 50 yards.
COLLEGE – Kamara played in 24 games in two seasons at Tennessee and rushed 210 times for 1,294 yards (6.2 avg.) with 16 touchdowns, caught 74 passes for 683 yards (9.2-average) with seven TDs and brought back a punt for a score. Finished his senior campaign with a team-high 1,188 all-purpose yards (596 rushing, 392 receiving, 184 punt return, 16 kickoff return) and 13 total touchdowns. Tied for third in SEC in touchdowns and ranked seventh in all-purpose yards...312 all-purpose yards at Texas A&M (10/8/16) set a Tennessee record. All-purpose yardage total was the second-most by an FBS player in 2016. Matched career-high with three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving). With 127 yards on career-high 18 carries and 161 yards on career-high eight catches, joined Jamal Lewis (128/105 at Kentucky in 1997) as only two Vols to record 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in same game. Added eight punt return yards and a 16-yard kickoff return...Scored on a 16-yard touchdown catch and totaled 138 all-purpose yards in comeback victory at Georgia (10/1/16). Tied career-high with 16 carries for 62 yards, caught three passes for 26 yards and a touchdown and returned three punts for 50 yards…After transferring from a season at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, played in all 13 games with one start in 2015, rushing for 698 yards with seven touchdowns. Second on squad in receptions (34 for 291 yards and three TDs). As a punt returner, eight returns for 100 yards (12.5 avg.) with a touchdown. 6.5 yards per carry average ranked third in the SEC and was tied for eighth with 11 touchdowns...Gained 151 yards of total offense in regular-season finale win vs. Vanderbilt (11/28/15) with 99 rushing yards and two catches for 52 yards...Ripped off career-long 63 yard rush at Kentucky (10/31/15) as part of 70 rushing yards along with two catches for 13 yards and a 15-yard punt return...Caught two touchdowns as Vols rallied from 24-3 deficit to beat 19th-ranked Georgia (10/10/15), finishing with five catches for 31 yards. Second Vol in school history with a rushing touchdown and punt return for touchdown in same game (other was Stanley Morgan in 1975) with two-yard rushing TD and 50-yard punt return TD vs. Western Carolina (9/19/15); TD for punt return was first return of his career in high school, junior college or college; also ran for 47 yards…Rushed for 144 yards, a UT-record for most rushing yards in a debut and two touchdowns vs Bowling Green (9/5/15)…In 2014, named KJCC Offensive Player of the Year at Hutchinson. In nine games, ran for 1,211 yards with 18 touchdowns…Led team with 1,469 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns. In 2013, he redshirted at Alabama.
PERSONAL – Produced a highlight reel of a 2012 senior season at Norcross (Ga.) HS when he rushed for 2,264 yards and 26 touchdowns (7.5 avg.) and adding 22 receptions for 286 yards and five scores…Earned Georgia Mr. Football honors from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution...Class AAAAAA Player of the Year and garnered first-team All-State honors from the Georgia Sports Writers Association…Added 1,300 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns as a junior in 2011…Visited students at Pontchartrain Elementary School in Mandeville in the 2018 offseason…Alvin Mentian Kamara was born July 25, 1995 in Atlanta, Ga.
