Patrick Steven Turner (born May 19, 1987) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

. He was also a member of the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

Early life

Turner prepped at Goodpasture Christian School in

Madison, Tennessee Madison (originally Madison Station) is a former settlement, now a suburban neighborhood of northeast Nashville, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is incorporated as part of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County. The po ...

, where he was a highly touted receiver, winning numerous

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

awards during his Sophomore, Junior and Senior years. Turner participated in the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He was also on his high school's basketball team until his sophomore year. He also participated on the track team for all four years. Turner was ranked as the #1 wide receiver in the country by

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

's Tom Lemming and #5 out of the top 100 high school football players for 2005 before signing with the Trojans.

College career

As a freshman at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

during the 2005 season, Turner was an often-used backup wide receiver, catching 12 passes for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns. He appeared in 12 games, missing only the

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

game due to injury. As a sophomore, he moved up the depth chart to be the Trojans' third receiver under the John David Booty-led offense, after junior receiver Dwayne Jarrett and senior receiver Steve Smith. Turner stepped up several times when both Jarrett and Smith were injured and missed games over the season, including 12 catches for 116 yards against Washington. Going into 2007 spring training, Turner was projected to be the leading receiver of the 2007 Trojan squad in the fall, his junior season, following in USC's recent line of star receivers starting with Mike Williams (who previously wore number 1) and Jarrett. He returned some of the most impressive plays during the Spring. In 2007, Turner finished second on the team in receiving yards with 569 yards, following only TE Fred Davis, who led the team with 881 yards. With the departure of Davis to the NFL, Turner was expected to step up his production and become the number one option for the Trojans in 2008. Turner was one of twelve USC players invited to the 2009

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Turner was selected by the

in the third round (87th overall) of the 2009 NFL draft. He was cut after the 2010 Preseason.

New York Jets

On September 5, 2010, Turner was claimed off waivers by the

. Turner was later waived by the team on September 7, 2010. On September 10, 2010, Turner was re-signed by the team and placed on the practice squad. On September 25, 2010, Turner was added to the Jets active roster. Following the team's Week Four matchup against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

, Turner, along with teammate David Clowney, were released on October 4, 2010, to make room for defensive tackle Howard Green and wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who was returning from a four-game suspension. Turner was later re-signed to the team's practice squad on October 6, 2010. The Jets activated Turner from the practice squad on November 18, 2010, as veteran receiver Jerricho Cotchery had suffered a groin injury. He was waived on September 3, 2011. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 4, 2011. Turner was signed to the active roster on September 14. Turner was waived by the Jets on September 11, 2012. He was re-signed on September 24, 2012. Turner was waived again on October 2, 2012, after the team signed Lex Hilliard.

References

External links

USC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Patrick 1987 births Living people American football wide receivers Miami Dolphins players New York Jets players Players of American football from Nashville, Tennessee USC Trojans football players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen