Saeed Blacknall
Saeed Raashad Blacknall[Pro Football Focus|] is an American football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He played college football at Penn State, where he was given the nickname, "Megatron, Jr.", after former Detroit Lions wide receiver, Calvin Johnson.
Early years
Blacknall attended high school at Manalapan High School in Englishtown, New Jersey, where he also lettered in running track and field other than football accolades.While playing football at Manalapan he helped his team to a combined 32-5 record during final three seasons and compiled nearly 2,000 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns.
Blacknall was rated as a four-star recruit and committed to Penn State University to play college football. He originally committed to Rutgers before changing to Penn State.
He was rated a four-star recruit by all four major recruiting services. ESPN.com, Scout.com and 247Sports.com ranked him among the top-150 recruits nationally. ESPN.com rated him a top-five recruit in New Jersey at, Rivals.com and 247Sports.com.
College career
Blacknall played four seasons for the Nittany Lions, playing in 48 games and starting 15 games, under the guidance of James Franklin.Freshman season
, he appeared in 13 games with one start. He scored 11 catches for 112 yards and one touchdown. He made his collegiate debut against UCF in only the fifth football game to be held in the Emerald Isle Classic at the Croke Park Classic inDublin, Ireland since its first game in 1988 during the 2014 NCAA Division I football season. He had his first career catch against UMass. Made first-career start at Michigan Stadium against Michigan Wolverines where he had four catches. Penn State chipped the Buckeyes' lead to 17–14 early in the fourth quarter on a touchdown pass from Christian Hackenberg to Blacknall who scored a 24-yard touchdown against Ohio State Buckeyes. Also in 2014, Nittany Lions participated in the Pinstripe Bowl against Boston Eagles at Yankee Stadium during the Non-CFP bowl games.
Sophomore season
, played in 13 games with three starts. He gained eight catches for 248 yards and onetouchdown. Totaled four catches for 101 yards against San Diego Aztecs on September 26 at Beaver Stadium where he hauled in a 46-yard pass. Blacknall gained a 25-yard touchdown reception again against Michigan Wolverines and recorded a 59-yard catch. As a sophomore, spent time on the field as a running back and sometimes a safety.
Junior season
, participated in 9 games with 7 starts, totaled 15 catches for a career-high 347 yards with three touchdowns. Achieving six catches of 20-or-more yards. Blacknall had a 42-yard catch against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross–Ade Stadium. Blacknall garnered a 19-yard TD pass while playing against Iowa Hawkeyes. He caught a 43-yard pass against Indiana Hoosiers on November 12 at Memorial Stadium. He set a record by gaining six receptions for 155 yards and two touchdowns in the Big Ten Football Championship Game against the Wisconsin Badgers in the Lucas Oil Stadium and hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and a career-long 70-yard catch-and-run for a touch down in the third quarter. His yardage total broke the Big Ten Championship Game record and 70-yard catch became the third-longest in Big Ten Championship Game history. As a junior, racked up 1,359 all-purpose yards with 16 touchdowns.Senior season
, appeared in all 13 games with four starts and recorded a career-high 17 receptions for 289 yards and two touchdowns. He had three catches for 64 yards with a 35-yard TD reception against Georgia Panthers on September 16. Made first start of the season and had an 18-yard reception against Indiana Hoosiers and scored four passes in one game with 74 yards against Northwestern Wildcats at Ryan Field, helping his team earnPro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week honors. A 27-yard touchdown reception was recorded in a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Blacknall made his first-career special teams tackle against Pittsburgh Panthers on September 9. As a senior, totaled 52 receptions for 707 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, Blacknall didn't play at the 2017 Rose Bowl due to suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules.
By the end of his college career, Blacknall had totaled 50 career receptions for 979 yards with seven touchdowns. He had become a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection. During his college career he had caught 40 passes for 743 yards, recorded 10 carries for 114 yards and returned kicks for 502 yards. As a two-time all-state selection, while earning first-team all-region, all-district and All-Shore Conference honors for three-straight years. He was selected to play in the Semper Fidelis All-American Game and the USA U-19 All-American Game.
Career statistics
Professional career
Oakland Raiders
After going undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft, Blacknall signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2018, along with Penn State teammate Jason Cabinda. He scored a 45 yard touchdown in the fourth week during the preseason against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. He was waived on September 1, 2018 and was signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 14, 2018. He was waived on November 19, 2018 and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Raiders on January 1, 2019. He was waived on July 18, 2019.Miami Dolphins
On July 19, 2019, Blacknall was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins. He played in the first two games with the team during it's 2019 preseason. He was waived on August 20, 2019, with an injury designation. He was placed on injured reserve after clearing waivers the next day, then was waived with an injury settlement on August 25. The Green Bay Packers hosted Blacknall for a workout on September 16.Arizona Cardinals
Blacknall was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad on December 4, 2019. His practice squad contract with the team expired on January 6, 2020.Los Angeles Wildcats
Blacknall was drafted by the Los Angeles Wildcats in the 2020 XFL Supplemental Draft held on November 22, 2019. He signed with the team on January 6, 2020.During the 2020 XFL season, Blacknall scored his first pro touchdown with a 42 yard touchdown on February 29 against New York Guardians during the second half of the game at MetLife Stadium. Blacknall scored a 17 yard touchdown on March 8 against Tampa Bay Vipers during at Dignity Health Sports Park. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.