Jonathan Dwyer

Jonathan Avery Dwyer (born July 26, 1989) is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia Tech.

Early years
Dwyer was highly recruited coming out of Kell High School in Marietta, Georgia. He was a four star prospect and many of the top NCAA Division I football programs expressed interest. He ran a 10.81 in the 100 meter dash, the second best time in the state of Georgia, and recorded a 4.48 in the 40 yard dash. Dwyer was awarded Georgia's Player of the Year (football). He initially made a soft verbal commitment to the Florida Gators but then decided that he preferred to stay closer to his family and committed to Georgia Tech.

2007
After committing to Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Dwyer got plenty of playing time as the backup running back to senior Tashard Choice. He played in all thirteen games during his freshman year. Choice battled leg injuries during the course of the 2007 season, which led to Dwyer rushing for 436 yards on 82 attempts and nine touchdowns. He was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.

2008
Dwyer was named as a candidate for the Doak Walker award, an award given to the nation's best running back. Through the first four games of the 2008 season, Dwyer had 389 rushing yards on just 48 attempts with four touchdowns. Against Mississippi State, he recorded the longest touchdown from the line of scrimmage in Georgia Tech history, running for an 88-yard touchdown. He continued to have a good season with 147 yards against a tough Florida State defense, with a 36-yard touchdown run and a 66-yard touchdown. The following week, in a disappointing loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels, Dwyer recorded 157 yards on the ground, 85 of them coming in a long touchdown run where he again displayed his speed. Against Miami in a Thursday night game, Dwyer had 10 carries for 128 yards on the ground with runs of 35 yards and a 58-yard touchdown. The following week, he had a 60-yard touchdown, as well as a 23-yard touchdown against Georgia. He ended the game with 144 yards on the ground against a tough SEC defense and proved that he was one of the top backs in the country. He was the ACC player of the year and was a unanimous first-team selection as well as being the #1 rusher in the ACC with 1,328 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns.

2009
Former Yellow Jackets running back Tashard Choice said that Dwyer would have a great season in 2009: "He's going to be among the leading rushers in the country next year, and if he stays healthy, he could lead the nation in rushing. He's that good." On January 11, 2010, Dwyer announced he will enter his name in the 2010 NFL Draft and forgo his senior season.

College awards and honors

 * Parade All-American
 * 2007: ACC rookie of the week (September 9, 2007)
 * 2007 ACC All-Freshman team
 * 2008 preseason candidate for the Doak Walker Award
 * 2008 ACC Player of the Year
 * 2008 Pro Football Weekly 1st-Team All-American
 * 2008 Consensus 1st-Team All-ACC
 * 2009 Pre-Season All American
 * 2009 2nd-team All-ACC
 * 2009 ACC Champions(football)

Pre-draft
Dwyer entered the 2010 NFL Draft and was at one point considered to be a top 30 prospect and in the top 3 running backs in the draft according to Todd McShay. Dwyer was questioned if he could adjust to playing in a pro-style offense, due to the fact that Dwyer spent most of his college career playing in a flexbone spread option offense at Georgia Tech. Dwyer's stock began to fall as questions about his weight and conditioning arose, including notably after the NFL combine (40 yard dash: 4.59, 3-Cone Drill: 7.56, 20-yard shuttle: 4.67, Bench: 15 reps). Dwyer tested positive for amphetamines at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine, however it was later ruled exempt by the NFL after it was found that the positive test stemmed from his attention deficit disorder (ADD) medicine.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Dwyer was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round (188th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. On September 5, Dwyer made the team's final roster cut.

2010 Season
Dwyer made his professional debut in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns after the Steelers had built a commanding first half lead and rested Rashard Mendenhall in the second half. Dwyer rushed for 28 yards on 9 carries in the game.

2011 Season
Dwyer again made the final roster cut after a strong showing in the pre-season. In the final game of the pre-season he rushed for 88 yards and got reps with the first team offense.

With Rashard Mendenhall nursing a hamstring injury and backup Mewelde Moore out with a foot injury, Dwyer made his 2011 debut against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5. He had a strong performance, rushing for 107 yards on 11 carries, including a 76-yard dash to set up a short Ben Roethlisberger TD pass. He and Isaac Redman combined for over 170 yards rushing on the day and the Steelers rolled to a 38-17 victory, despite Tennessee entering the contest with the best scoring defense in the league.

2012 Season
At the start of the 2012 season, Dwyer came to training camp overweight, and was in question of making the team for his third season. However, Dwyer was able to bring down his weight and make the final roster cut for the Steelers.

With Rashard Mendenhall and Issac Redman out with injuries in a week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Dwyer started the game for the Steelers. Dwyer rushed 17 times for 122 yards in the game. The following week, with 17 carries for 107 yards against the Washington Redskins, Dwyer became the first Steelers running back since Willie Parker in the 2008-2009 season to have consecutive 100-yard games. On November 27, Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin announced that Dwyer had earned the starting job for the remainder of the season. In the December 2 game against the Baltimore Ravens, Dwyer scored is first career touchdown on a 16-yard run.

Personal
Dwyer is the son of Tony and Keely Dwyer. While attending Georgia Tech he majored in management. Dwyer is a member of class of 2007 at Carlton J. Kell High School.