Stevan Ridley

Stevan Todd Ridley (born January 27, 1989) is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU. He was selected in the third round (73rd overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots.

High school and college career
Ridley attended Trinity Episcopal Day School in Natchez, Mississippi prior to attending Louisiana State University. At LSU, Ridley rushed for a career high of 1,147 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2010 while also serving as permanent team captain. He left LSU after his junior season and declared for the 2011 NFL Draft.

Professional career
Ridley was drafted in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft with the 73rd overall pick by the New England Patriots, a round after the Patriots drafted another running back, Shane Vereen.

2011 Season
Ridley scored his first NFL touchdown in Week 4 of his rookie season, in the Patriots' 31–19 win over the Oakland Raiders; he had 97 yards on 10 carries (for an average of 9.7 yards per carry), including a 33-yard touchdown run, and a 3-yard reception.

2012 Season
During week 1 of the 2012 NFL season, Ridley had his best game of his early career in a 34-13 win over the Tennessee Titans. Ridley had 125 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown, and also grabbed three catches out of the backfield for 27 yards. In week 5 of the 2012 NFL season, Ridley topped his Week 1 performance with 151 yards rushing, with 1 touchdown, against the Denver Broncos. In his second year, he proved to be a dependable running back in the NFL after racking up 1,263 total yards on 290 carries, while also scoring 12 rushing touchdowns. His 82 first down rushes ranked 3rd in the league amongst all NFL running backs. During the AFC Championship game against the Baltimore Ravens on January 20, 2013, Ridley suffered a concussion after a head-to-head collision with Bernard Pollard, which also resulted in a fumble and a turnover. The Patriots lost the championship to the Ravens 13-28.