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New York Jets Looking to Add Olympic Sprinter Jeff Demps

August 16th, 2012 at 10:24 PM
By Peter Schifani

Now with the 2012 Olympics Games in London in the past, sprinter Jeff Demps, formerly of the Florida Gators football team, is looking to re-start his football career in the NFL. Jeff Demps could have been drafted during the 2012 NFL Draft, but chose then to pursue his sprinting career, culminating in a silver medal in London on July 25.

'SAM_3527' photo (c) 2011, arctic_whirlwind - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Jeff Demps is 22 years old now, stands at 5-7 and weighs around 175 pounds. His speed is what is attracting so much attention from up to eight NFL teams. The New York Jets could certainly utilize him on offense as another playmaker with the speed to get behind the secondary on pass plays, and a change of pace back on run plays, plus possibly a role on special teams as kick or punt returner. He did compile over 2,400 yards in his four seasons at Florida, but his average did drop from a high of 7.8 yards per carry in his freshman season to 5.8 yards per in his senior year.

The biggest question will be if he can come in and contribute right away considering his playing days at Florida, which includes being a teammate of quarterback Tim Tebow, who is likely to give the Jets an edge in recruiting him. Rich Cimini over at ESPN New York explored the connection of Jeff Demps with Tim Tebow in his article. Otherwise, because of his time away from the game will it take Demps more time to acclimate himself and be more of a project like tight end Hayden Smith, coming over from playing rugby.

While Jeff Demps would certainly add more speed and versatility to the Jets offense, the other question that remains is whether he worth adding over any other running backs the Jets currently have on what will be a compact but talented 53-man roster by the end of the preseason. Only time will tell if the New York Jets can land his service and find out for themselves.

Also…

Tags: 2012 NFL Draft, Florida, Football, Hayden Smith, Jeff Demps, New York, New York Jets, NFL, Olympics, Tim Tebow

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