Najeh Davenport

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Najeh Trenadious Monté Davenport (born February 8, 1979 in Raleigh, North Carolina) is an American football running back currently playing for the Green Bay Packers, where he backs up all-pro Ahman Green.

Many NFL scouts consider Davenport to be a good pure runner (some even commented on him possibly leading the league in rushing someday). Unfortunately, like Green, Davenport has a problem with fumbles.

Possibly the greatest deterrent noted by scouts was Davenport's durability. Davenport's abilities exceed a fourth round selection, but to the accord of many scout's predictions, Davenport has been plagued by injuries throughout his career. In his rookie campaign, Davenport rushed for a respectable 4.7 yards per carry average before fracturing his left eye socket.

In 2003, injuries were minimal and he rushed for 5.45 yards per carry, good for the second highest in the NFL, and 30.1 yards per kick return. However, in 2004, Davenport started the season with a lingering hamstring injury that kept him out of for a month. On Nov 29th 2004, Davenport, in his first NFL start, rushed for 178 yards, third highest deput start yardage in the NFL for the past 20 years. Later that year, Najeh broke his ribs, resulting in playing at far less than 100%.

In 2005, after Ahman Green went down with a quadricep injury, Davenport took over as starter. In what would be his only start of the season, versus the New Orleans Saints, Davenport scored two first-half touchdowns before breaking his ankle. He was subsequently placed on IR, effectively ending his season.

He achieved a small measure of infamy before joining the Packers by allegedly defecating in the closet of a Barry University woman's dorm room. In a plea bargain, the felony charge of second-degree burglary and a misdemeanor count of criminal mischief were dropped in exchange for 100 hours of community service.^{[#endnote_perv]}

Davenport attended the University of Miami, where he played primarily as a fullback. He won a national championship as a member of the Hurricanes in 2001. He was chosen by the Packers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft with the 135th overall pick.

Notes

↑ "Davenport decides it's time to move on", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 31, 2002

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