Ameer Abdullah

At 30 years old, Ameer Abdullah has this physical status:

Ameer Abdullah (born June 13, 1993) is an American football running back for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL).

In the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, he was drafted by the Detroit Lions.

He played college football at Nebraska.

Abdullah ran for 1,690 yards in 2013, the fourth most for a single season in University of Nebraska history.

He decided not to draft at the end of his junior year but rather return for his senior season.

He was named a candidate for the 2014 Heisman Trophy. He is a native of Homewood, Alabama.

Personal life

Abdullah was born in Homewood, Alabama, on June 13, 1993. He is the son of Kareem and Aisha Abdullah and the youngest of nine children. In college, he was a History major. Kareem's father, who is also a religious advisor to his son, is an imam and works as a religious advisor.

Abdullah is a Muslim. During Ramadan, he prays five times a day and fasts, including during football season. Fasting during Ramadan aids his results, according to Abdullah, who said that "it gives a lot of Muslim athletes the opportunity to concentrate on your mental toughness and discipline." It's awesome that it's during OTAs (organized team activities) and comes right before training camp because it helps me to go into camp physically fit and with a clear mind.

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High school career

Abdullah's senior year of high school had 1,800 yards receiving, 515 yards receiving, and four punt returns for touchdowns for Homewood High School. He was named as the best player of the 2010 South region of the year. He scored the winning touchdown in overtime during the 2010 Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Classic.

He ran a personal record of 11.15 seconds in the 100 meters at the 2011 AHSAA 6A Section 3 Championships, placing 7th in the prelims. He also competed in the long jump; he had a career-best leap of 6.60 meters.

College career

Abdullah was offered football scholarships from several universities, but Alabama and Auburn wanted him to play cornerback, not running back. Bo Pelini, Nebraska's coach, who made no promises, told him that they would place him in a situation that would maximize his potential. Pelini's perspective was the deciding factor in choosing Nebraska.

In the 2011 season, Abdullah was one of six true freshman to play for Nebraska. He had 228 return yards against Fresno State, his best game was against them. He had 211 kickoff return yards, including a 100-yard touchdown return. Abdullah's total kickoff return yards tied for the first time in Nebraska. His highest running total was 36 yards and his longest run was 24 yards, both against the Wyoming Cowboys. He scored his first collegiate touchdown against Penn State on November 12, his first collegiate rushing touchdown. He had 150 passing yards, three touchdowns, 26 kick returns for 763 net yards and a touchdown, and 15 punt returns for 107 net yards in the 2011 season.

Abdullah played seven games after Rex Burkhead was hospitalized. He made his first appearance against UCLA, rushing for 119 yards and two touchdowns. In a 167-yard and two-touchdown victory over Arkansas State, his longest run was for 45 yards. He had a punt return touchdown against Idaho State in the next game. He had 252 all-purpose yards against Wisconsin, which included five kickoffs for 142 yards, 10 rushes for 70 yards, and 22 yards receiving. For the first time in his college career, he rushed for 116 yards and 1,000 passing yards against Penn State. His average of 134.5 all-purpose yards was ranked fourth in the Big Ten Conference, with his per game average of 81.2 rushing yards ranked ninth, while his per game average of 81.2 rushing yards was ranked ninth. He finished the 2012 season with 1,137 passing yards, eight rushing touchdowns, 24 receptions, 178 receiving yards, two touchdowns, and a punt return touchdown.

In 11 of 13 games (including the Gator Bowl), Abdullah rushed for over 100 yards (including the Gator Bowl). During the regular season, he finished fourth in Nebraska school history. He began the season with 114 passing yards against Wyoming on August 31. He had 114 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the next game against Southern Miss. He had 139 passing yards and a touchdown against South Dakota State after going for 98 yards against UCLA. He had a career-high rush against Illinois of 225 yards. In the game against Purdue, he finished with 126 rushing yards and a touchdown. He had 165 passing yards in his next game at Minnesota. In the win over Michigan, he had 105 passing yards, one rushing touchdown, and a touchdown. He had 123 passing yards and a 12-yard receiving touchdown in the next game against Michigan State. He had 147 passing yards and 18 receiving yards in the following game against Penn State. He rushed for an average of 130.7 yards per game in the Big Ten and seventh nationally this season. He had 232 yards in pass plays and averaged 154.9 all-purpose yards per game, which also ranked him second in the Big Ten. Both the conference's coaches and journalists had him place him on the All-Big Ten first team. He was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. In the Gator Bowl, he finished the season with 122 passing yards and a rushing touchdown victory over Georgia. In the 2013 season, he had 1,690 passing yards, nine touchdowns, 26 receptions, 232 receiving yards, and two intercept touchdowns.

Abdullah considered entering the 2014 NFL Draft as an underclassman following the Gator Bowl. He decided to remain in Nebraska for his senior season on January 9, 2014, despite the fact that he did not know that he was at Nebraska.

Abdullah was one of the top ten candidates for the Heisman Trophy in 2014, according to Sporting News, who named Abdullah as the number 4 returning contestant.

Eric Galko and Ian Wharton of Sporting News analyzed his running abilities in late September 2014. They found that even though his 40-yard time is not below 4.4 seconds and he does not have the most speed when running, he is a complete running back. He runs very poorly, below the pad level of defenders, making him extremely difficult to combat. Abdullah has a great balance, vision to find holes, and patience to wait for his blockers to those open holes. These running characteristics, as well as his burst, shiftiness in space, and his ability to keep his legs moving when they were struck, make him "the most well-rounded tailback in the country".

Nebraska sent out AA batteries to sports news media followers early in September 2014 and built a website for Abdullah to advertise his Heisman campaign. Jameis Winston, the Heisman Trophy winner, and Abdullah were both active at the Birmingham, Alabama, same gym. Abdullah was named in December 2014 as the best senior college football player in Division I based on classroom success, community involvement, personal character, and athletic achievements. Players were selected based on polls from FBS football coaches, journalists, and supporters.

In a 5–7 victory over Florida Atlantic, Abdullah had a career-high 232 passing yards on 21 runs for an average of 11 yards per carry. His longest run was 47 yards for a touchdown. He also caught one pass for 9 yards. On September 1, he became the week's best offensive player of the week.

In a 31–24 victory over the McNeese State Cowboys, Abdullah ran for 67 yards on 17 runs for an average of 3.2 yards per carry. His longest run was 19 yards. Since his last catch with 20 seconds remaining in the game, Nebraska was up by a touchdown and was the game-winning score, he caught 3 passes for 96 yards and his 58-yard run. In a 55-19 victory over the Fresno State Bulldogs, Abdullah ran for 110 yards on 19 carries for an average of 5.8 yards per carry. He had a 57-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter.

In a 41–31 victory over the Miami Hurricanes, Abdullah ran for 229 yards on 35 passes for an average of 6.5 yards per carry with two touchdowns. His 35 carries were a career high, with his last touchdown sealing the victory. His longest run was 26 yards, but he only had one pass for three yards and a touchdown. Abdullah's total yards total stands at 313, which tied for 313 yards, beating Nebraska's 1972 Heisman Trophy champion Johnny Rodgers' record of 5,586 career all-purpose yards. Abdullah's total yards in his career was 5,762 yards. Abdullah was a Big Ten co-offensive player for week four on September 22, 2014, exchanging awards with Melvin Gordon.

In a 45-14 victory over the Illinois Fighting Illini, Abdullah ran for 208 yards on 22 runs for an average of 9.5 yards per carry with three touchdowns. He was rushing for 196 yards by halftime. He had four runs of 20 yards or more before halftime, and his longest run was 28 yards. Abdullah was named Best Ten offensive player of the week on September 29, 2014. In a 27-22 loss to the Michigan State Spartans, Abdullah was held to 45 yards on 24 attempts for an average of 1.9 yards per carry and two touchdowns. He had two pass receptions for 22 yards as well.

In a 38–17 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats, Abdullah ran for 146 yards on 23 passes for an average of 6.3 yards per carry with four touchdowns. At halftime, he was held to 39 yards, but he rushed for 107 yards in the second half, including a 50-yard rush at the start of the fourth quarter that set up his third touchdown. He also had four pass receptions for 13 yards.

In a 42-24 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Abdullah ran for 225 yards on 191 yards for an average of 11.8 yards per carry with four touchdowns. Abdullah had runs of 53 and 48 yards on two consecutive sequences in the first half. On the first play of the half, he ran for 49 yards on the first play of the half, and Tommy Armstrong Jr. threw a touchdown pass for a touchdown. Abdullah ran 23 yards for his third touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. He also caught two passes for 26 yards and two kickoffs for 90 yards. At Nebraska, his 341 all-purpose yards set a new record for all-purpose yards.

Abdullah was named Big 10 offensive player of the week for the fourth time in the 2014 season on Monday, October 27. For the third time during the 2014 season, he was named to the Paul Hornung Award honor roll. Athlon Sports also named Week 9 player of the week.

In a 35-14 victory over the Purdue Boilers, Abdullah ran for only one yard on six carries before being stabbed in the first quarter. After the game, Pelini told reporters that Abdullah had suffered a "mild" MCL sprain and bruise as he attempted to recover a fumbled snap on a fourth down at the Purdue one-yard line. When asked, Pelini said he was hopeful that Abdullah would be able to play the Wisconsin Badgers on November 15, but he said he could not say for sure whether he would be able to play.

Abdullah had 69 passing yards and a 26-yard field touchdown in 59-24 loss in the game against Wisconsin. Abdullah had 98 passing yards and a touchdown in the 28–24 loss against Minnesota on November 22, which was the 28th in the 28–24 loss. Abdullah had 13 carries for 106 yards against Iowa in the 37-34 overtime victory, along with two receptions for 13 yards and a receiving touchdown. Abdullah's 45-42 loss in his last collegiate game was 88 passing yards, one rushing touchdown, six receptions, and 61 receiving yards in his 45-42 loss.

Year after year, rushing is back in the spotlight.

Year-end punt, kick return, and all-purpose yardage estimates.

Professional career

In the 2015 NFL Draft, Abdullah was drafted in the second round with the 54th overall pick by the Detroit Lions. He was the fourth candidate to be chosen this year.

The Detroit Lions signed Abdullah to a four-year, $4.15 million deal with $1.85 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.28 million.

Abdullah's rookie season was his third on the Detroit Lions' depth chart behind veterans Joique Bell and Theo Riddick. He made his rookie appearance in the Lion's season opener against the San Diego Chargers, racking for 50 running yards and four touchdowns for 44 receiving yards. On a 24-yard rushing touchdown of the Chargers' 28-33 loss, he scored his first touchdown of his career. He made his first appearance against the Minnesota Vikings this week and was defeated 16–26 for nine yards. In a 12–24 loss to the Denver Broncos on September 27, 2015, Abdullah had eight rushing attempts for 23 yards and made two catches for 19 receiving yards and a touchdown. On a 16-yard pass from Matt Stafford, he received his first career touchdown reception. In Week 12, he made his second appearance and rushed for 63 yards on a season-high 16 carries, while blocking one reception for 12 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. For the remainder of the season, he was still the starting running back. Abdullah had nine tackles for a season-high 77 yards and scored his second rushing touchdown of the season against the New Orleans Saints on December 21, 2015. With nine games and playing in all 16 games, he ended his rookie season with 143 total runs, 597 rushing yards, two touchdowns, 25 tackles, 183 passing yards, and one touchdown. Members of Detroit Sports Media named Abdullah as the Lions 2015 Rookie of the Year Award.

For the second season, he was in his second season as the Detroit Lions' starting running for the first time in the regular season. Abdullah had 12 carries for 63 yards and five touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts in the season's opener, defeating the Colts 37-35. He had six rushing attempts against the Tennessee Titans on September 18, 2016 before suffering a foot injury and leaving the game early. He had to repair a ligament in his left foot and missed the remainder of the season. Abdullah was injured reserve for the Detroit Lions on September 21, 2016.

Abdullah had 17 carries for a then career-high 86 yards against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football on Monday Night Football, defeating them 24–10. In Week 4, he had a career-high 94 rushing yards and a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings, defeating the Vikings 14-7. He scored a touchdown in consecutive games against the Green Bay Packers and the Cleveland Browns in Week 9-10. In the 27–24 victory over the Chicago Bears, he had a receiving touchdown. He finished the 2017 season with 552 passing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 25 tackles, 162 receiving yards, and one touchdown.

Abdullah finished second on the depth chart for the 2018 season, behind veteran LeGarrette Blount. He was quickly defeated by rookie Kerryon Johnson as the starter. He appeared in three games mainly on special teams before being suspended by the team on November 6, 2018.

Abdullah was granted waivers by the Minnesota Vikings on November 7, 2018. He spent the 2018 season with mainly kick return duties.

Abdullah was fired by the Vikings on March 18, 2019. Abdullah played in 16 games and gained 115 passing yards, as well as one receiving touchdown.

Abdullah was re-signed by the Vikings on March 27, 2020. Abdullah also had 100 total scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in the 2020 season.

He was released on August 31, 2021, and the following day, he re-signed to the practice squad. On September 18, 2021, he was promoted to the active roster. He had been three days earlier and had re-signed to the practice squad three days later. On September 25, he was called back to the active roster. He was released on October 19, in a twist.

Abdullah signed with the Carolina Panthers on October 23, 2021. Abdullah's season ended with 51 attempts for 166 yards to go along with 38 receptions for 289 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Abdullah was signed by the Las Vegas Rams on March 18, 2022.

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