Jimmy Graham

Jimmy Graham (born November 24, 1986) is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played only one year of college football for the University of Miami after playing four years of college basketball, and was drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

In his second season in the NFL, Graham had 99 receptions for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns. That year he made his first Pro Bowl appearance and was selected as an All-Pro player at his position. He became the first tight end in Saints history to have more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Graham set the Saints franchise record for receptions in a season while also tying the Saints franchise record for touchdowns in a season (tied with Marques Colston and Joe Horn). According to the 2012 NFL Top 100 annual player poll which ranks the 100 greatest players in the NFL, based on NFL players voting on their peers, Jimmy Graham was ranked 14th overall in the NFL. Graham is also second all-time for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season.

Early years
Graham had a difficult upbringing; at age 11 he was placed in a group home where he was physically beaten by older children. In high school, with help from a church youth counselor who took him into her home, he improved his grades, became a basketball star as a senior at Community Christian in Wilson, North Carolina and at Charis Prep in Goldsboro, North Carolina, and earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Miami.

College career
Graham played basketball for the Miami Hurricanes men's basketball team from 2005 to 2009. Graham graduated from Miami in May 2009 with a double major in marketing and management, then stayed at Miami to take graduate classes while playing a season of football. He played tight end and finished the season with 17 receptions for 213 yards and five touchdowns.

2010 NFL Draft
According to scouts Graham was "extremely athletic, with an outstanding combination of size and speed for the tight end position," yet he was considered very raw since he only had one year of college football experience. Graham was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, with the 95th overall selection. He signed a four-year $2.445 million rookie contract on July 28, 2010.

New Orleans Saints
In his rookie season in 2010 Graham only started in 5 games, playing behind veteran tight end Jeremy Shockey. In a Week 9 game at Carolina - his first NFL game in his home state - Graham caught a 19-yard touchdown pass to score his first NFL touchdown, contributing to a 34-3 Saints rout. Graham finished the 2010 season with 31 catches for 356 yards and 5 touchdowns.

In 2011 - his first full year as a starter - Graham had 99 receptions for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns and made his first Pro Bowl. He became the first tight end in Saints history to have more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season. He set the franchise record for receptions in a season while also tying the Saints franchise record for touchdowns in a season (Marques Colston in 2007, and Joe Horn in 2004, are the other receivers in Saints history with 11 touchdown catches). During the Saints week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers, Graham broke Kellen Winslow's NFL record of 1,290 receiving yards in a season by a tight end. However, the record was broken later that day by New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, who finished with 1,327 yards. In the Divisional Round against the 49ers Graham had a 66 yard touchdown to give the Saints the lead but the Saints would lose 36-32 on an Alex Smith pass to Vernon Davis.