| No. 25 – Detroit Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position | Running back |
| High school | Marion County |
| College | East Tennessee State (2018–2022) |
| NFL draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 8, 2000 Jasper, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight | 199 lb (90 kg) |
| Career history | |
| |
Roster status: Active | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Jacob Saylors (born March 8, 2000) is an American professional football running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at East Tennessee State. He was named to the All-UFL team in 2024.
Saylors played college football at East Tennessee State, where he rushed for 3,861 yards, and 33 touchdowns. [1]
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| 2018 | East Tennessee State | 11 | 1 | 86 | 615 | 7.6 | 4 | 23 | 219 | 9.5 | 0 |
| 2019 | East Tennessee State | 11 | 5 | 112 | 653 | 5.8 | 4 | 16 | 150 | 9.4 | 0 |
| 2020 | East Tennessee State | 5 | 0 | 42 | 257 | 6.1 | 0 | 12 | 108 | 9.0 | 1 |
| 2021 | East Tennessee State | 13 | 5 | 143 | 1,019 | 7.1 | 10 | 19 | 143 | 7.5 | 1 |
| 2022 | East Tennessee State | 11 | 11 | 225 | 1,317 | 5.9 | 15 | 21 | 159 | 7.6 | 1 |
| Career | 51 | 22 | 608 | 3,861 | 6.4 | 33 | 91 | 779 | 8.6 | 3 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+1⁄8 in (1.78 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | 29 in (0.74 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.66 s | 1.60 s | 2.67 s | 4.50 s | 7.65 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) | 13 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day [2] | ||||||||||||
After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft, Saylors signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on April 30, 2023. [3] He was waived on August 29, 2023. [4]
On October 18, 2023, Saylors was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. [5] He was waived on January 2, 2024 with an injury settlement. [6]
On February 5, 2024, Saylors signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). [7] He led the league in rushing yards, and was named to the All-UFL team. [8]
On June 18, 2024. Saylors signed with the New York Giants. [9] He was waived on August 12. [6]
On August 22, 2024, Saylors signed with the Cleveland Browns, but was waived later that week. [10]
On November 5, 2024, Saylors re-signed with the Battlehawks. [11]
On July 29, 2025, Saylors signed with the Detroit Lions. [12] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts, and re-signed to the practice squad. [13] [14] He was promoted to the active roster on September 6. [15] In his first NFL regular season game, Saylors primarily played as a return specialist, returning four kickoffs for a total of 92 yards. [16]
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2024 | STL | 9 | 6 | 94 | 461 | 4.9 | 57 | 5 | 23 | 152 | 6.6 | 19 | 3 |
| 2025 | STL | 9 | 9 | 113 | 499 | 4.4 | 25 | 5 | 22 | 245 | 11.1 | 34 | 0 |
| Career | 18 | 15 | 207 | 960 | 4.6 | 57 | 10 | 45 | 397 | 8.8 | 34 | 3 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2024 | STL | 1 | 1 | 14 | 79 | 5.6 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2025 | STL | 1 | 1 | 9 | 45 | 5.0 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 17 | 0 |
| Career | 2 | 2 | 23 | 124 | 5.4 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 39 | 9.8 | 17 | 0 | |