DUECE Jones-Drew is better than his NFL icon dad was at the age of 16 – and has high hopes of making it all the way.
The high school running back grew up idolizing his father Maurice Jones-Drew as he became one of the best players in Jacksonville Jaguars history.
Duece Jones-Drew (right) wants to make it to the NFL and follow his in his dad Maurice Jones-Drew’s (left) footsteps[/caption]
Duece Jones-Drew in action for De La Salle against the NFL Academy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England earlier this month[/caption]
Duece plays for the same De La Salle high school where his dad attended – and made an immediate impact on debut.
He missed his entire freshman year with a shoulder injury, but exploded for a 64-yard touchdown run to begin his sophomore season in August.
Earlier this month he played on the international stage as De Le Salle took on the UK-based NFL Academy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England.
The 16-year-old has blistering speed having ran the 100 meters in 10.8 seconds and is already attracting attention from colleges such as UCLA and Utah.
And the high school sophomore is on a trajectory to be even better than former NFL rushing leader dad Maurice was.
Speaking to The Sun about following in his dad’s footsteps, Duece said, “I would’ve played football anyway.
“I used to get football cards when I was young and spread them out and play with them.
“It’s always just been football, football, football.
“We have a long season ahead but definitely the NFL is the goal and so far it’s been pretty good.”
Duece has already dealt with the agony of injury after being forced into shoulder surgery.
“It definitely sucks being on the side lines just watching,” he admitted.
“I had surgery last year and was out the whole year the I came back and dislocated it again.
“But I got to see the game from a different perspective and that helped a lot.
“I was doing track in the off-season to help with my speed and feel like I’m doing good right now.”
Duece grew up in a football family and learned some valuable lessons from his dad.
‘Tears of joy’
MAURICE Jones-Drew shed tears of joy when his son scored a touchdown on debut for the same high school he went to.
“I definitely cried in the car,” Jones-Drew told The Sun.
“It was tears of joy more than anything.”
“I saw him get hurt, have surgery and go through the ups and downs.
“To see him go out there in the first game in high school and score a 60-yarder was pretty amazing.”
“I know how far hard work takes you,” the 16-year-old said.
“He’s not on me a lot about it but I saw what he did in the NFL and I know I need to translate it to my game.
“I have a different personality on the field than off the field.
“Off the field I’m a quiet person, but on the field I can let out a bit more.
“It’s always good to have a resource to get everything out.”
