Raheem Mostert is an American professional football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. Born on April 9, 1992, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, Mostert attended New Smyrna Beach High School, where he played football and was also a member of the school’s track and field team. At the time, Mostert was used mostly as a return specialist on special teams with minimal opportunities as a running back. Mostert, however, displayed his innate skills as a kickoff returner by returning nine kickoffs and one punt for a touchdown. Mostert was selected by went undrafted in the 2015 NFL draft and signed as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles. Throughout his NFL career, he has played with several teams including Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, now again with the Dolphins.
While in high school, the Florida native was an excellent sprinter, hurdler, and jumper. Highly competitive and lightning-fast on the track, Mostert has earned several victories as a sprinter. His accomplishments and ability on the track have paved the way for his skills on the turf where he is still amongst the fastest players in the NFL.
Also Read: Raheem Mostert Contract
Raheem Mostert College
Raheem Mostert attended Purdue University. He received football scholarships from several colleges including the University of Illinois, the University of Miami, Rutgers University, the University of Central Florida, Wake Forest University, and more. However, Mostert eventually settled on Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.
In 2011, which was his freshman year, Mostert was used mostly as a return specialist and had limited rushing carries. The highlight of the year for Mostert was his 99-yard touchdown return in that season’s Little Caesars Pizza Bowl.
Over the course of the next two years, his production slipped a bit both as a running back as well as a return specialist. Nonetheless, when he entered his senior year in 2014, Mostert was completely transformed into the running back role. For the first time in his college career, Mostert had 96 rushing attempts on the season in which he recorded 529 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns. He also added 34 kickoff returns for a total of 731 yards.
Raheem Mostert College Achievements
- All-Conference Honors: Selected to All-Conference teams during college career.
- Conference Champion: Part of the team that won the conference championship.
- Team Captain: Served as a captain during senior year.
- All-American Recognition: Earned All-American honors.
- Single-Season Rushing Leader: Led the conference or team in rushing touchdowns or yards in at least one season.
- Academic Achievements: Named to academic honor rolls or teams for maintaining high academic standards while playing.
Raheem Mostert Draft
Raheem Mostert entered the 2015 NFL Draft after completing his four years of college at Purdue University. Unfortunately though, with limited production throughout his college football career, Mostert went undrafted through the entire seven rounds of the NFL Draft that year.
While going undrafted can be a huge setback and nerve-wracking for any prospering athlete, Mostert was fortunate enough to be able to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2015.
The number one overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft was quarterback Jameis Winston taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Other players from this draft include some excellent players who took the field such as wide receivers Amari Cooper, Tyler Lockett, and Stefon Diggs, defensive end Frank Clark, linebacker Za'Darius Smith, amongst others. Todd Gurley was the first running back to be selected with the 10th overall pick.
Raheem Mostert NFL Journey
Being able to play in the NFL is a dream come true for so many individuals. This sport is a passion for many but only a handful of us are lucky enough to experience the journey, life, and career that comes from it.
For Raheem Mostert, there could have been no better joy than learning that he was being selected by the Eagles even after the draft was over. As an undrafted free agent, Mostert quickly took the opportunity he was handed in the 2015 preseason by totaling the highest yards from the line of scrimmage. However, as fate would have it, he was cut and signed to the practice squad after the 53-man roster was out.
From there on, Mostert’s journey kept getting more and more difficult. At one point in time, he had joined no less than six different teams as he went from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Miami Dolphins followed by the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and the New York Jets in 2015 and 2016 featuring in just 13 games as a kick returner.
Finally, in 2016, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers and it looked like his team-hopping days were behind him. He still had very limited game time in 2016 and 2017 but 2018 was the year he almost broke out. Having had a couple of good games under his belt, he had to leave the game after fracturing his forearm which again halted his progress.
But, Mostert has weathered the storm and since 2019 things have turned around for the 31-year-old who has had much better production. In fact, he ended his 2023 NFL regular season by rushing for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. Now, it remains to be seen whether he can continue his upward trend in the years to come.
FAQs
Raheem Mostert ran his 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds.
Raheem Mostert has three kids with his wife Devon Mostert.
Raheem Mostert wears jersey number 31 for the Miami Dolphins.
A.He played with the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, now again with the Dolphins.
The 2023 NFL season is the first season in which Raheem Mostert has crossed 1,000 rushing yards. He also led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns.