James Develin

James Rittenhouse Develin, Jr. (born July 23, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Brown Bears as a defensive end. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of the Arena Football League (AFL). He most prominently played for the New England Patriots for seven seasons with whom he won three Super Bowls and appeared in a Pro Bowl. Develin was on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad for two seasons and played for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League (UFL).

Early life Develin attended Boyertown Area Senior High School where he lettered in both football and lacrosse. While there, he was named a football team captain, team Most Valuable Player (MVP), First-team All-Area, First-team All-Pac and All-Berks County. He was chosen to play in the Berks County All-star game as well as the NationalAllStars.com Bowl. He was named a National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete. He was awarded the Warren O. Fry Memorial Award as well as the Tall Cedars Football Scholar-Athlete Award.

College career Develin attended Brown University, where he majored in engineering and played on the defensive line for the Bears.

Develin went undrafted in the 2010 NFL draft, as expected. He attended a tryout with the Cleveland Browns, but did not receive a contract offer.

Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz Develin originally signed with the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of the Arena Football League (AFL) and appeared in one game.

Florida Tuskers He then joined the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League (UFL), where he converted from defensive line to fullback. Develin played under Tuskers' head coach Jay Gruden.

On February 3, 2011, Develin was reunited with his former head coach with the Tuskers after Jay Gruden was hired to be the Bengals' new offensive coordinator. Throughout training camp, Develin competed for a roster spot as a fullback against Cedric Peerman and Fui Vakapuna. On September 3, 2011, the Bengals waived Develin, but signed him to their practice squad the next day after he cleared waivers. Develin spent the entire 2011 season on the Bengals' practice squad. On August 31, 2012, the Bengals waived Develin as part of their final roster cuts.

New England Patriots 2012 season On September 2, 2012, Develin was signed to the New England Patriots' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 28, 2012. On December 16, 2012, Develin made his professional regular season debut during the Patriots' 41–34 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 15. Develin was limited to one game as a rookie in 2012.

2013 season Throughout training camp, Develin competed against Ben Bartholomew for a roster spot as a fullback and special teams player. On September 2, 2013, the Patriots released Develin as part of their final roster cuts. On September 6, 2013, he was re-signed after tight end Matthew Mulligan was released. Head coach Bill Belichick named Develin the starting fullback to begin the regular season. The Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX by a score of 28–24 against the Seattle Seahawks. Develin recorded 1 catch for 6 yards in the Super Bowl.

2015 season On September 1, 2015, Develin was placed on season-ending injured reserve after breaking his right tibia in a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers.

2016 season Develin re-signed with the Patriots to a one-year contract on March 7, 2016. On February 5, 2017, Develin was part of the Patriots team that won Super Bowl LI. In the game, he appeared on ten plays on offense and ten on special teams as the Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons by a score of 34–28 in overtime.

2017 season On March 6, 2017, Develin signed a two-year contract extension with the Patriots. The deal included a $300,000 signing bonus, $200,000 in guaranteed salary, and a maximum value of $2.85 million.

On December 19, 2017, Develin was selected to the Pro Bowl as a starting fullback. Develin could not play in the Pro Bowl because of his team advancing to Super Bowl LII. The Patriots lost in the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 41–33 without Develin recording any statistics.

2018 season On June 14, 2018, Develin signed a two-year, $3.8 million contract extension with the Patriots through the 2020 season. He played the second-most snaps of any fullback after the San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Juszczyk. He had career highs in touchdowns, with four rushing touchdowns in a three-game span, and receptions, with 12.

Develin helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl LIII where they defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13–3. Prior to the game, former running back and NFL analyst Maurice Jones-Drew called Develin the most important running back in the game, noting that he provided key blocks in all four of the Patriots' rushing touchdowns in the AFC Championship game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

2019 season On September 23, 2019, Develin was placed on injured reserve due to a neck injury he sustained in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins.

Retirement On April 27, 2020, Develin announced his retirement from the NFL, citing health concerns over his neck injury.

Career statistics

NFL Legend Won the Super Bowl Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg TD Lng Fum Lost 2012 NE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2013 NE 16 6 4 10 2.5 4 1 4 62 15.5 0 31 1 0 2014 NE 16 4 3 5 1.7 5 0 6 43 7.2 0 13 1 0 2015 NE 0 0 Did not play due to injury 2016 NE 16 4 0 0 0 0 0 3 18 6.0 0 13 0 0 2017 NE 16 7 0 0 0 0 0 6 38 6.3 0 0 0 0 2018 NE 16 8 6 8 1.3 2 4 12 61 5.1 0 11 0 0 2019 NE 2 2 2 3 1.5 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 Career 83 31 15 26 1.7 5 5 31 222 7.2 0 31 2 0

Postseason Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2013 NE 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2014 NE 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 3.5 6 1 0 0 2015 NE 0 0 2016 NE 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 13 4.3 13 0 0 0 2017 NE 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2018 NE 3 2 2 5 2.5 3 0 1 9 9 9 0 0 0 Career 14 6 3 5 1.7 3 0 5 29 5.8 13 1 0 0

College

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