Jammal Lord
Position: Safety/Running Back
Drafted: Round 6, 175th Overall
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 220
College: Nebraska
Birthdate: January 10, 1981
NFL Comparison: Eric Crouch
Strengths: Lord has been the starting quarterback in Nebraska’s option offense for the last two seasons. He has the size, strength, and speed to make the transition to either safety or running back in the NFL, and is a more physical runner than most quarterbacks. Lord is a very instinctive player with the vision to find running lanes in traffic.
Lord does not have the passing ability to be a conventional NFL quarterback, but he could be used as a situational quarterback on short yardage downs or as a change-of-pace. He could also be dangerous running the halfback pass play that the Texans have used in their first two seasons.
Lord has the athletic ability that he may also be able to play other positions in the NFL. He has the size and speed that he could be tried at receiver or H-back and on kick returns. Lord was an all-state defensive back as New Jersey high school player, so he should get his best look at safety.
Areas of Concern: Lord is a project, having never played running back at any level and not having played defensive back in ages. He will have to adjust to taking handoffs and catching passes instead of taking snaps, and he has no experience as a blocker. Some running college quarterbacks have struggled to make the transition to NFL running back because as quarterbacks they were not asked to do much straight-ahead running and breaking of tackles. Lord had some fumble problems at Nebraska, so he will need to improve his ball security if he is going to play for Dom Capers. As a defensive back, he’ll need to learn how to quarterback Capers’ 3-4 scheme.
2004 Expectations: Lord will have to make the adjustment to a new position, so he should not be expected to contribute immediately, other than in special situations where his quarterback background would be an asset. He is not a sure thing to make the roster, and may end up spending some time on the practice squad and perhaps next spring in NFL-Europe.
by Warren DeLuca
YEAR G ATT YDS AVG TD 2003 13 215 948 4.4 10 2002 14 251 1,412 5.6 8 TOTALS 39 516 2,573 5.0 24 
Jammal Lord Home
