Will Fuller

Not to be confused with William Fuller (American football).
Will Fuller
No. 15 Houston Texans
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: (1994-04-16) April 16, 1994
Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight: 186 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school: Philadelphia (PA) Roman Catholic
College: Notre Dame
NFL draft: 2016 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21
Career history
Roster status: Unsigned draft pick
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

William Fuller Jr. (born April 16, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Texans in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame.

High School

Fuller attended Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a senior, he was named the MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League 4A, recording 57 receptions in 2012 for 932 yards and eight touchdowns.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, he was rated as the 19th best wide receiver prospect of his class.[1] He originally committed to play college football at Penn State on June 3, 2012 after receiving a scholarship offer while on a visit at the school.[2] However, Fuller would go on to switch his commitment to Notre Dame on August 5, 2012.[3]

Name Home town High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Will Fuller
WR		 Philadelphia, PA Roman Catholic HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 168 lb (76 kg) Aug 5, 2012 
Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 73
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 22 (WR), 3 (PA), 3 (regional), 179 (national)   Rivals: 19 (WR), 7 (PA), 176 (national)  ESPN: 31 (PA)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

Freshman

Fuller played sparingly as a freshman, catching only six passes. He scored his first touchdown on a 47-yard pass from Tommy Rees against Air Force. He recorded 160 receiving yards, averaging 26.6 yards per catch, which led the team.

Sophomore

Fuller emerged as a starter following an impressive off-season, following that up by having a breakout season for the Irish.[4] He recorded 76 receptions for 1,094 yards with 15 touchdowns, tying Golden Tate for the school single season record. His 15 touchdowns were tied for 3rd in FBS, behind Colorado State's Rashard Higgins and Alabama's Amari Cooper.[5]

In a game versus Northwestern, he caught nine passes for 159 yards and 3 touchdowns; all career highs. He was recognized as an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated following the season.[6]

Junior

Fuller started off the season with a two touchdowns on 7 receptions for 142 yards versus Texas. The following week, against the Virgina Cavaliers, Fuller caught 5 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winning touchdown pass with 12 seconds left from DeShone Kizer.[7] He had 6 receptions for 131 yards and a touchdown against Georgia Tech in Notre Dame's third game of the season, a 30–22 victory.[8]

Against USC, he recorded 3 receptions for 131 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown to beat USC, 41–31. At Pitt, Fuller caught 7 passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns leading to 42–30 victory.[9]

His three touchdowns allowed him to surpass both Golden Tate and Jeff Samardzija on the career touchdown list with 28, leaving him only second behind Michael Floyd's 37. Fuller caught 6 passes for 113 yards, including a 81 yard touchdown, in a losing effort against Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. Fuller finished the season with 62 catches, career high 1,258 yards with 14 touchdowns. He was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press.[10]

On January 3, 2016, Fuller announced he would forego his remaining eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL Draft.[11] He finished his career with 144 receptions for 2,512 yards (17.4 avg) and 30 touchdowns.

Career statistics

Year Team Receiving
Rec Yards Avg TD Long Avg/G
2013 Notre Dame 6 160 26.1 1 47 12.3
2014 Notre Dame 76 1,094 14.4 15 75 84.2
2015 Notre Dame 62 1,258 20.3 14 81 96.8
Total 144 2,512 17.4 30 81 64.4

Professional career

At the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, Fuller ran a 4.32 official forty yard dash, the best time among wide receivers.

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 0 in 186 lb 4.32 s 1.51 s 2.51 s 33.5 in 10 ft 6 in
All values from NFL combine.[12]

Houston Texans

On April 28, 2016, Fuller was selected in the first round (21st overall) by the Houston Texans in the 2016 NFL Draft.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "William Fuller profile". Sports.yahoo.com. 2011-04-20. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  2. ↑ "Philly Receiver Will Fuller Commits to Nittany Lions". Statecollege.com. 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  3. ↑ "Will Fuller decommits from Penn State Nittany Lions, picks Notre Dame Fighting Irish". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  4. ↑ "Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller's star is on a lightning-fast rise". Elkhart Truth. 2014-09-10. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  5. ↑ "2015 FBS (I-A) College Football Individual Statistics Leaders for Receiving – ESPN". Espn.go.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  6. ↑ Blazek, Nicholas D. (2014-12-19). "Notre Dame's Will Fuller All-American Honorable Mention". Slapthesign.com. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  7. ↑ "No. 9 Notre Dame beats Virginia 34–27 on last-second TD pass". HeraldNet.com. 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  8. ↑ "Prosise scores 3 TDs as Irish shut down Ga. Tech". espn.com. 2015-09-19. Retrieved 2015-09-19.
  9. ↑ "Will Fuller scores thrice in Notre Dame victory over Pitt". Notre Dame Insider.
  10. ↑ AP All-America Team, List, collegefootball.ap.org; accessed April 28, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Notre Dame's Will Fuller will enter 2016 NFL Draft". NFL.com.
  12. ↑ http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/will-fuller?id=2555346
  13. ↑ Ganguli, Tania. "Texans select Will Fuller in first round of 2016 NFL Draft.". http://espn.go.com. ESPN. Retrieved April 28, 2016. External link in |website= (help)

External links

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