Jay Finley


Jay Finley is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Baylor.

College career

Finley played his college career for the Baylor University Bears in Waco, Texas. Finley started his career at Baylor sporting the number 32 but finished wearing 23, the number he wore during his early career. Finley graduated in May with a degree in general studies.

Freshman year

Finley finished off his freshman year with 55 attempts for 207 yards, 3.8 yards per carry, with two rushing touchdowns. On top of that he added 18 receptions for 152 yards and another score.

Sophomore year

Finley finished his sophomore year with 149 carries for 865 yards, 5.8 yards per carry and seven rushing touchdowns. He added seven receptions for 141 and two more touchdowns.

Junior year

Although Finley started his third year atop the depth chart at running back, he struggled battling an ankle injury throughout the season. It hampered his production, carrying the ball 79 times for 370 yards, dropping his per carry average to 4.7. His receptions didn't drop much as he had six for 47 yards. He had one touchdown on the season.

Senior year

Finley finally secured his breakout season in his final year of eligibility rushing for 1,218 yards on 195 carries, an impressive 6.2 yards per carry. That is behind only Terrance Ganaway's 1,347 yards for the team's single season record. While the number of receptions Finley had increased to nine, he only had 76 yards. The 12 touchdowns Finley accumulated during the season all came on the ground. He averaged 93.69 yards per game.

Career stats and records

Finley's career at Baylor ended with him first in single season rushing yards, single game rushing yards at 250, third in career rushing yards at 2,660, and fourth in career touchdowns at 22.

Pro day workout numbers

39.5 inch vertical
11 foot broad jump
550 pound squat
14 bench reps at 225 pounds
4.51 forty yard dash
4.36 twenty yard shuttle

Professional career

Finley was drafted with the Cincinnati Bengals' seventh round pick, number 248. Cincinnati.com reported the Bengals had signed running back Jay Finley to a rookie contract on July 30. He was waived on September 3. He was signed to the Seahawks' practice squad on December 6, 2011.