Cam Newton, Richard Dent among Atlanta’s top 10 NFL stars

4. Jamal Lewis, RB, Douglass

The first offensive player on this list is Lewis, and while he may not have quite as many individual accolades that some of the best from Atlanta do, he still was a tremendous pro. Lewis first came on the scene at Douglass High School where he was also a track and field star, putting up big rushing numbers as one of the top running back prospects in the country. Lewis took his talents to the SEC with the Tennessee Vols, bursting on the scene with over 1,600 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns in 1997 as the conference’s freshman of the year. Lewis missed much of the 1998 season due to injury, but returned in 1999 to again tally over 1,000 scrimmage yards. Lewis was one of the best available backs in the 2000 NFL Draft and was promptly selected by the Baltimore Ravens fifth overall. Like in college, Lewis made an immediate impact, rushing for 1,364 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie. The 2000 season also saw the Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV, a game in which Lewis had 103 yards rushing and a touchdown. The Ravens back missed 2001 due to a knee injury but returned to put up similar numbers to his rookie season in 2002. That set the stage for an historic 2003 season in which Lewis ran for a league-best 2,066 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging over 129 yards per contest. The Tennessee product would never reach that pinnacle again, but had two more 1,000-yard seasons with the Ravens and two more after signing with the Cleveland Browns, giving him 10,607 rushing yards in his illustrious pro career.

Jamal Lewis ran wild for 295 yards 17 years ago today. @Jamal31Lewis (Sept. 14, 2003) pic.twitter.com/j8DO8Rx04r

— NFL Legacy (@NFLLegacy) September 14, 2020