Mark Jermaine Clayton (born July 2, 1982) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
wide receiver who played professionally 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). Clayton 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
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
from 2001 to 2004. He was drafted by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
in the first round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...
and also played for the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
.
Education
Mark Clayton obtained his communications degree in 2010 through the university's degree completion program.
College career
After
redshirting in Oklahoma's 2000 national championship season, Clayton's college career began in 2001, when he started 8 of Oklahoma's 13 games, and made 46 catches for 524 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Sooners won the
Cotton Bowl Classic
The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...
. In 2002, he made only one start, but managed 26 receptions for 416 yards, including 5 touchdowns, which tied for the team lead among receivers. In that year, the Sooners won the
Big 12
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...
championship as well as the
Rose Bowl, a first for any Big 12 team.
His profile exploded in 2003, as he garnered
All-American and
All-Big 12 honors after a junior season in which he took aim on the school record book. His 83 receptions, 1,425 yards, and 15 touchdowns all smashed previous marks (66, 1,034, and 7, respectively).
The quarterback who threw the passes,
Jason White, won the
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...
, and the Sooners advanced to the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
before losing to national champion
LSU
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...
. Clayton was a
Biletnikoff Award
The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...
finalist.
Several of Clayton's "highlight reel" catches during this season demonstrated his ability to gain large numbers of yards after the catch (YAC).
Clayton's 2004 senior year again netted
All-America
The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...
and All-Big 12 recognition, though his 66 receptions, 876 yards, and 8 touchdowns were not quite as eye-popping as the previous season. The Sooners again won the Big 12 championship and played for the national title against
USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
, though they lost in the
Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...
. Clayton set the record for career receiving yards with 3,241.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Baltimore Ravens
Clayton was the 22nd overall selection in the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...
by the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
. He started his rookie season slowly due to various injuries but picked up speed during the latter part of the season; a major part of his rehabilitation process was guided by his best friend Christopher Pannozzo. He finished the year with 44 receptions for 471 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also added 8 rushes for 33 yards and a touchdown.
2006
In his second year, his stats improved significantly, with 67 receptions for 939 yards and 5 touchdowns.
2007
In 2007, Clayton had 48 receptions for 531 yards, down from his impressive 2006 season. He dealt with various injuries throughout the 2007 season, but was active for most of it.
2008
In 2008, Clayton had some bright spots during the year. He had 4 catches for 87 yards and a touchdown against 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 ( ...
, 5 catches for 164 yards and a touchdown against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
, and 4 catches for 128 yards against the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
. The Ravens won each game. Clayton had receptions of 70, 48, and 53 yards.
In Week 13, at the division rival Cincinnati Bengals, Clayton had what was arguably the best game of his career. He had five receptions for 164 yards, which included a 70-yard receiving touchdown, the second longest touchdown of his career. He also had one pass attempt on a trick
end-around
The end-around is a play in American football in which an end or wide receiver crosses the backfield towards the opposite end of the line and receives a handoff directly from the quarterback. The receiver then may proceed to do one of two things ...
play, which he completed for a 32-yard touchdown pass to fellow wide receiver
Derrick Mason
Derrick James Mason (born January 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for fifteen seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Tennessee Oilers in the fourth round of the ...
, the only touchdown pass of his career. Clayton helped the Ravens rout the Bengals 34–3.
Clayton finished the season with 695 yards on 41 receptions, 3 receiving TDs, 1 rushing TD, and 1 passing TD.
2009
Mark Clayton had his least productive year as a full-time, healthy starter in 2009, as QB
Joe Flacco
Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Baltim ...
targeted WR Mason, TE
Todd Heap
Todd Benjamin Heap (born March 16, 1980) is a former American football tight end who played 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).
After playing college football for Arizona State University, he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in ...
, and RB
Ray Rice
Raymell Mourice Rice (born January 22, 1987) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football at Rutgers, where he received first-t ...
more than Clayton. In fact, Rice led the team in receptions for much of the year. Clayton finished the season with 34 receptions for 480 yards, and 2 scores.
St. Louis Rams
2010
On September 6, 2010, Mark Clayton was traded to the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arri ...
along with a 7th round pick in the
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...
in exchange for a 6th round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. In his first game as a Ram and having only been with the club less than a week Clayton caught 10 passes for 119 yards (two touchdowns) to lead the team in both categories. In Week 5, Clayton was placed on injury reserve with a torn patellar tendon in his right knee, which ended his season. Before the injury, he had emerged as a valued veteran presence on the team, and rookie
Sam Bradford
Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the P ...
's top receiving target. He was re-signed by the Rams on August 31, 2011.
2011
In the 2011 season, Clayton played in two games, starting one, and caught three passes for 26 yards.
Retirement
In May 2013, Clayton announced his retirement from football. He finished his career with 260 receptions for 3,448 yards and 14 touchdowns.
NFL career statistics
Entrepreneur
Mark Clayton is the founder of
Livv Headphones. He also founded a
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
based clothing line called MyChristianT (MCT).
References
External links
MyChristianT.com Business websiteCatchClayton89.com Official websiteOfficial bio at BaltimoreRavens.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Mark
1982 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Oklahoma City
African-American players of American football
American football wide receivers
Oklahoma Sooners football players
Baltimore Ravens players
St. Louis Rams players
Players of American football from Oklahoma
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people