Joshua Kelley facts for kids
Kelley with the UCLA Bruins in 2019
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | November 20, 1997 Inglewood, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Eastside (Lancaster, California) | ||||||||||
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| NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 4 / Pick: 112 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
Joshua Tyler Kelley (born November 20, 1997) is an American professional football player. He plays as a running back, which means he carries the ball and tries to run past defenders. Joshua started his college football journey with the UC Davis Aggies. Later, he moved to the UCLA Bruins team.
While playing for the Bruins, Kelley ran for over 1,000 yards in two different seasons. In 2019, he was recognized as a second-team all-conference player in the Pac-12. The Los Angeles Chargers picked him in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft. He has also played for the New York Giants and the Tennessee Titans.
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Early Life and High School Football
Joshua Kelley was born in Inglewood, California. His mom, Jacqueline, raised him and his older brother Daniel. She worked as a speech pathologist at an elementary school. Joshua grew up in Lancaster, which is in Los Angeles County. He was a big fan of the UCLA team from a young age. His mom volunteered at the University of California, Los Angeles. Plus, his aunt and uncle went to UCLA, and his uncle even played on the Bruins baseball team.
Kelley went to Eastside High School. In his last two years there, he ran for an amazing 1,903 yards. He also scored 22 touchdowns for his team, the Lions. As a senior, he was named first-team all-conference in the Golden League. He was also chosen as the conference's best running back that year.
College Football Journey
Joshua Kelley was a two-star recruit, meaning he was a good player but not one of the top-ranked ones. He started his college career at the University of California, Davis, which was the only school that offered him a spot. This team plays in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).
Playing for UC Davis Aggies
At UC Davis, Joshua dealt with some injuries. He also shared playing time with another good running back. In his first year, he was younger than most of the other freshmen. He didn't get a full scholarship until his second year. However, he decided to leave after that season. This happened when the head coach and other coaches were let go. Even though the new coaches wanted him to stay, Joshua wanted to challenge himself. He aimed to play at the highest level of college football. He finished his time at UC Davis with 1,139 yards and seven touchdowns over two seasons. When he left, he was only allowed to transfer to two schools in California: UCLA and USC.
Joining the UCLA Bruins
Kelley joined the Bruins as a walk-on player. This means he wasn't on scholarship at first. UCLA plays in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), which is the highest level of college football. In 2017, he spent the year on the scout team. He also had to sit out due to transfer rules, which is called being a redshirt.
Before the 2018 season, UCLA got a new coach, Chip Kelly. This new coach gave Joshua a scholarship! As a redshirt junior, Joshua didn't play much at the start of the season. But in Week 4, he got his chance against Colorado. He ran for 124 yards on 12 carries. After this, he became one of the best running backs in the country for the rest of the season. He had six games where he ran for over 100 yards. UCLA's scoring also got better with him on the field.
In Week 6, UCLA won their first game of the season against California. Joshua ran for 157 yards and scored three touchdowns in that game. Later, against USC, Joshua had an amazing game. He ran for a career-high 289 yards on 40 carries. This helped the Bruins win against their rival, the Trojans, for the first time in four years. It was the most rushing yards by any player in the history of that rivalry! He scored two touchdowns, including a fantastic 61-yard run.
Joshua finished the 2018 season with 1,243 rushing yards. This was the 10th-highest single-season total in UCLA history. He ran for at least one touchdown in his last eight games, finishing with 12 touchdowns. He was named to the All-Pac-12 honorable mention team by the conference coaches. The Associated Press even put him on their first team. He was also named the Bruins' most valuable player.
In 2019, Joshua decided to return for his senior year instead of entering the NFL Draft. He hurt his right knee in practice and missed most of training camp. He also missed the first game of the season. On October 26, against Arizona State, Joshua ran for 164 yards and a career-high four touchdowns. This helped UCLA upset the No. 24 Sun Devils. The next week, he ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns against Colorado. In his final college game, Joshua ran for 76 yards against Cal. He finished the season with 1,060 yards. This made him the eighth player in UCLA history to run for 1,000 yards in two seasons in a row. He was named second-team All-Pac-12. He ended his UCLA career with 2,303 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also played in the Senior Bowl, where he ran for 105 yards. This helped improve his chances for the NFL draft.
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
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| 5 ft 10+5⁄8 in (1.79 m) |
212 lb (96 kg) |
31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.49 s | 1.61 s | 2.65 s | 4.28 s | 6.95 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
23 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Los Angeles Chargers (2020–2023)
The Los Angeles Chargers picked Joshua Kelley in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft. He was the 112th player chosen overall. He competed to be the backup running back behind the Chargers' main player, Austin Ekeler.
In his first NFL game in the 2020 season, Joshua ran for 60 yards and scored his team's only touchdown. This helped the Chargers win 16–13 against the Cincinnati Bengals. The next week, he ran for over 60 yards again. He had 113 total yards from scrimmage (64 rushing, 49 receiving) in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. However, he had some tough moments after fumbling the ball in two close games. This affected his confidence and led to less playing time.
In the 2021 season, Joshua played in 10 games. He finished with 102 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards.
For the 2022 season, Joshua worked hard to get stronger. He started the season playing behind Sony Michel. In a Week 5 win against the Cleveland Browns, Joshua had a great game. He ran for 49 yards and scored a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 33 yards. In Week 6, he hurt his MCL and was placed on injured reserve. He returned to play on November 26.
New York Giants (2024)
On August 15, 2024, Joshua Kelley signed with the New York Giants. He was released by the team on August 25, 2024.
Tennessee Titans (2024)
On October 15, 2024, Joshua Kelley signed with the Tennessee Titans practice squad. He was moved to the main team on November 2, 2024. Joshua played in three games during the 2024 season.
Personal Life
Joshua Kelley is a Christian. He is married to Mikaela Kelley.
