Idris Jamal Reynolds (born February 20, 1979) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for three seasons during the early 2000s. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

, and was recognized as a

unanimous All-American The College Football All-America Team is an honorific college football all-star team compiled after each NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season to recognize that season's most outstanding performers at their respective positions. ...

. The

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

chose him in the first round of the

2001 NFL draft The 2001 NFL Draft was the 66th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible professional football players. The draft, which is officially referred to as the "NFL Player Selection Meeting," was held at the ...

Early life

Reynolds was born in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

. He attended Aiken High School in Aiken, South Carolina. His brother, Rashad Reynolds, helped Aiken High School win a

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

state championship in 1992.

College career

Reynolds attended

, and played

for coach Bobby Bowden's

Florida State Seminoles football The Florida State Seminoles football team represents Florida State University (variously Florida State or FSU) in the sport of American football. The Seminoles compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Colle ...

team from 1997 to 2000. Following his 2000 senior season, he earned first-team All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC) honors, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. He also won the Lombardi Award, and was a finalist for '' College Football News Defensive Player of the Year award. As a senior, Reynolds accumulated a career high 12 sacks and 58 tackles.

Professional

His strong college pedigree led the

to select him with the 10th overall selection in the 2001

NFL draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

. The Packers acquired the draft pick from the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

, in exchange for

Matt Hasselbeck Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College and was drafted in the sixth round ...

and the 17th overall selection in the draft. Injuries and the emergence of

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila Muhammed-Kabeer Olanrewaju Gbaja-Biamila, Sr. (; born September 24, 1977), nicknamed "KGB", is a former American football defensive end who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at San Diego State ...

, however, prevented Reynolds from playing the first ten games of his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season. He finished his rookie season with four tackles and two sacks. On July 8, 2004, after two seasons in which Reynolds totaled only three sacks and played in only 13 games, the Packers attempted to trade Reynolds to the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. However, the trade was declared void after Reynolds failed the Colts'

physical examination In a physical examination, medical examination, or clinical examination, a medical practitioner examines a patient for any possible medical signs or symptoms of a medical condition. It generally consists of a series of questions about the patien ...

. Ten days later, the Packers released Reynolds, and he was picked up by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

, who hoped to salvage the still-young Reynolds' career. Reynolds was cut by the Browns before the beginning of the 2004 season, and has not played in the NFL since.

References

External links

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Online: Jamal Reynolds Scouting Report

Packers press release: Reynolds Trade to Indianapolis Voided Due To Failed Physical
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Jamal 1979 births Living people All-American college football players American football defensive ends Florida State Seminoles football players Green Bay Packers players Players of American football from Augusta, Georgia