James Conner is an American football wide receiver and currently plies his trade in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals. He was drafted initially by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1st round of the 2021 NFL Draft, before moving to the Cardinals in 2021.

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Who is James Conner?

James Conner was born on May 5, 1995, in Erie, Pennsylvania. He did his high schooling at McDowell High School in Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania where he played as a running back and a defensive lineman. In his senior year, he rushed for 1,680 yards on 155 carries and 26 touchdowns. In August 2012, he committed to the University of Pittsburgh to play his collegiate football for the Pittsburgh Panthers from 2013-16. 

In 2013, his true freshman year, Conner played in 12 games for the Panthers and achieved team-high figures of 799 yards rushed and 8 rushing touchdowns. The following year 2014, his sophomore season, he rushed for 1765 yards and an ACC record 23 touchdowns. This got him named the ACC Player of the Year, and he also achieved AFCA first-team All-American honours. His 2015 campaign was curtailed by injury- a torn MCL, and he was further diagnosed with cancer during his rehabilitation process. He was completely healed by the time the off-season had arrived. 

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In December 2016, Conner announced his intention to apply for the 2017 NFL Draft, and he was picked up by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 3rd round as the 105th overall pick. He was offered a 4-year rookie contract worth $3.16 million and was named backup running back prior to the start of the season. All through July that year, Conner’s jersey was the top-selling NFL jersey in the land, beating all rookies as well as established stars.

He made his debut against the Cleveland Browns in the season opener, contributing to a 21-18 win with 4 carries for 11 yards. His rookie season was cut short in December 2017, however, after he suffered a recurrence of his older MCL injury, which required surgery.

He was named the starting running back at the start of his second season and made his first start in the season opener, once again against the Cleveland Browns, in a 21-21 tie. He finished the 2018 season with 973 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 55 receptions, 497 receiving yards, and 1 receiving touchdown. He was also named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 8, as well as the AFC Offensive Player of the Month for the month of October. 

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In April 2021, Conner signed a 1-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals and finished his first season as the Cardinals’ leading rusher- with 752 yards and a 2nd-in-the-league 15 rushing touchdowns. This earned him a 3-year contract extension with the Cardinals,  in March 2022.