It’s the type of players fans of the NFL love to follow on their career path. No, it’s not the flashy first-round picks that everyone already knows. It’s players that don’t hear their names called on draft weekend. Players that need to fight and scratch and claw their way just for an opportunity with an NFL team and earn their spot on a team’s 53-man roster. Players like Zonovan “Bam” Knight.
Knight was signed as an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina State. Knight was one of just 15 players in Wolfpack history to record 2,000 career rushing yards. In three seasons in Raleigh, Knight rushed for over 700 yards each season with 18 touchdowns, including ten in 2020.
He also showcased some receiving ability, catching 48 passes in three seasons, including 41 over his last two seasons in college. That said, he never recorded a receiving touchdown at NC State.
But his claim to fame coming out of college may have been his return ability. In 2021, Knight averaged 34.4 yards per kickoff return on 16 attempts. That led the nation, beating out SMU’s Bryan Massey by 0.1 yard per game.
Still, the kid they used to call “Bam Bam” always showed plenty of strength and excellent running ability during his time in Raleigh. Yet, he still went undrafted. Perhaps you can chalk that up to the value of running backs in general in the NFL. In any event, the Jets were happy to bring him along after the draft and give him his opportunity. And he ran with it, literally and figuratively.
After being a part of the initial 53-man roster after final cuts, Knight was eventually waived and would spend the season on the practice squad. When Breece Hall went down with a torn ACL against the Denver Broncos in Week 7, Knight was brought back to the active roster. About a month later, he finally got a taste of NFL action, when he made his debut in Week 12 against the Bears.
With Michael Carter out with an ankle injury, Carter and Ty Johnson combined for 131 yards on 19 rushing attempts. Knight saw 14 of those attempts for 69 yards, showcasing his vision and athleticism.
Week 13 against the Minnesota Vikings, Knight started asserting himself as the No. 1 running back while Carter is out. Knight out-snapped Johnson 47-28 while James Robinson saw just nine snaps.
Knight lapped the field with 90 rushing yards on 15 carries. No other player had more than ten rushing yards against the Vikings. Robinson rushed four times for ten yards while Johnson received just one rushing attempt — Johnson was a key factor in the passing game, however, seeing seven targets and catching six of them, as quarterback Mike White checked down often, including in the red zone.
Knight also saw plenty of pass-game work. Five catches on five targets for 28 yards for the rookie. Total it up, that’s 118 total yards on 20 touches. In two games, Knight has 221 yards on 37 touches (5.97 yards per touch).
The rookie also averaged 4.53 yards after contact per rush against the Vikings, which ranked second among 39 qualifying running backs in Week 13, per TruMedia (H/T Zack Rosenblatt).
Bam Knight averaged 4.53 yards after contact per rush against the Vikings, the second-most among 39 qualifying RBs in Week 13, per TruMedia.
(The NFL leader this season: Breece Hall, with 4.11.) #Jets
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) December 5, 2022
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
When Hall tore his ACL in Week 7, there was genuine concern about the running back room moving forward in 2022. The Jets even traded for Robinson from the Jaguars, who is only two years removed from a 1,000-yard rushing season as a rookie. They still had Carter, who led the team in rushing last season as a rookie.
Yet, it’s the undrafted rookie from North Carolina State that is looking like the savior of the group in the homestretch.
Knight has earned the right to be the main back for the rest of the season as the Jets make their playoff push. Then in 2023, the Jets can sport a very good trio of Knight, Hall and Carter, which almost sounds like a name for a band. They’ll be the band of brothers going forward for the Jets.
Everyone now knows about Bam. And everyone, especially the Jets, is better off for it.