One of the most heralded prep receivers in the state of Arkansas, Jamaal Anderson proved to be a very disruptive force for the Razorbacks on the opposite side of the ball. With his long arm reach, explosive burst, strength and size, he was a nightmare for opposing offensive tackles in unsuccessful attempts to keep him out of their backfield the last two seasons.
Despite starting only 19 of 36 games at Arkansas, Anderson ranks sixth on the school's career-record list with 17 1/2 quarterback sacks and is tied for ninth with Marcus Adair (1993-95) and NFL Hall of Fame member Dan Hampton (1975-78) with 32 tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Anderson was a standout receiver and defensive end at Parkview High School. The Morning News rated him as the No. 19 prospect in Arkansas, and he was ranked as the No. 11 prospect in Arkansas by Super Prep. Max Emfinger rated him as the No. 50 flanker in the nation. He added All-Junior Arkansas honors in addition to receiving All-Conference accolades. Anderson was also voted the most outstanding receiver on his team.
He left as the all-time leading receiver at Parkview High after eclipsing the mark held by former Green Bay Packers tight end and current Arkansas Razorback Sports Network color commentator Keith Jackson. Anderson racked up 85 catches for 1,620 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also owns career school records for most receptions and most touchdown catches.
Arkansas won a recruiting battle with Alabama, Colorado, Florida and Mississippi for Anderson's services. As a true freshman in 2004, he appeared in 11 games as a reserve defensive end. He produced 18 tackles (12 solos) with two stops for losses and a pair of pressures. He also blocked a kick and deflected a pass.
In 2005, Anderson shared right defensive end duties with Anthony Brown before taking over that position full-time for the final five games when Brown was lost due to an injury. The sophomore made the most of this opportunity, accounting for 34 of his 47 tackles (28 solos), 8 1/2 of his 10 1/2 stops behind the line of scrimmage and three of his four sacks in his five starts.
Anderson was named All-American second-team by The NFL Draft Report and was a consensus All-Southeastern Conference choice as a junior in 2006. He ranked third in the nation and led the SEC with 13 1/2 sacks and finished 12th nationally and second in the league with 19 1/2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He registered 26 pressures, caused a fumble and deflected six passes.
In 36 games at Arkansas, Anderson started 19 times. He recorded 130 tackles (84 solos) with 17 1/2 sacks for minus-128 yards and 32 stops for losses of 167 yards. He was credited with 35 quarterback pressures and eight pass deflections. He blocked one kick, caused a pair of fumbles and recovered another.
COMPARES TO: Aaron Schobel -- Buffalo ... It is evident that Anderson is a great speed rusher coming off the edge or when stunting. Like Schobel, he needs to demonstrate better hand usage to keep blockers off his body, but both have the lateral range, second gear and explosion to be a disruptive force in the backfield. While Anderson is taller and heavier that Schobel, both rely on their quickness for most of their success at getting to the quarterback.
AGILITY TESTS: Campus: 4.76 in the 40-yard dash ... Bench presses 225 pounds 22 times ... 320-pound power clean ... 34-inch vertical jump ... 33 5/8-inch arm length ... 9 7/8-inch hands.
