Jahvid Best Jahvid Andre Best ( born January 30 , 1989 ) is a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League . He was selected by the Lions with the 30th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft . In college , he played for the California Golden Bears , setting several records , including most all - purpose yards in a single season and most rushing yards in a single game for Cal . Best also led the Pac - 10 in total rushing yards in 2008 . Early years . Jahvid Best attended Salesian High School in Richmond , California . In his junior year he had 1 , 495 rushing yards on 138 attempts with 20 touchdowns . Salesian also won the North Coast Section championship in 2005 to conclude a 12 – 1 season . In his senior year , Best ran for 3 , 325 yards and 48 touchdowns , both Bay Area single - season records . Salesian once again made it to the NCS finals , but lost in the final game to St . Patrick - St . Vincent High School of Vallejo . Best ran track as well , participating in the Arcadia Invitational in his junior and senior years . As a junior , he won the 100 meter dash with a time of 10 . 39 seconds with an injured foot . At the 2006 CIF California State Meet , he finished third in the 200 metres behind Bryshon Nellum and Devin Mays . As a senior he won the Arcadia Invitational 200 meter dash with a time of 21 . 40 seconds . Also during his senior year , Best won the CIF California State Meet 100 meters with a discounted wind assisted ( 2 . 4 m / s ) time of 10 . 31 , ahead of Charles Saseun and Randall Carroll . In the 200 metres , Best was runner - up ( 20 . 65 ) to Nellum ( 20 . 43 ) , both far ahead of the competition . Best finished his senior season with personal bests of 10 . 36 and 20 . 65 , the 5th and 2nd fastest times in the nation respectively . Best received scholarship offers from Arizona , Arizona State , California , Michigan , Notre Dame , Oregon , USC , and Washington among others , before ultimately committing to California in 2006 . College career . 2007 . As a true freshman in 2007 , Best was the primary backup to Justin Forsett . On only 29 carries , Best had 221 rushing yards , and 2 touchdowns . Best also caught 13 passes for 174 yards and a receiving touchdown . Best was selected as the team ' s Most Valuable Freshman as well as the team ' s J . Scott Duncan Award ( Most Valuable Special Teams Player ) . 2008 . Best quickly got the nation ' s attention in the season opener against Michigan State on August 30 . Best had 111 yards on 24 carries including a touchdown . His breakout game came on September 6 in a 66 - 3 Cal win against Washington State , having two touchdown runs of 80 and 86 yards , respectively . Best finished the game with exactly 200 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns . Best struggled the following week against Maryland . This was mostly due to California falling behind early , therefore limiting Best ' s touches , due to a change in game plan by the Bears . Although he returned to form against Colorado State , he dislocated his elbow and would miss the next game against Arizona State . He returned for the Arizona game , and dashed for a 67 yard score that put the Bears ahead in the second quarter . He would rack up 140 all purpose yards against the Wildcats . After two more impressive outings against UCLA and Oregon , where he averaged over six yards per carry , Best was held to only 30 yards against the USC Trojans . Following a 201 yard rushing game against the Stanford Cardinal in the 2008 Big Game on 19 carries , Best became the seventh consecutive 1 , 000 rusher for Cal since Jeff Tedford became head coach in 2002 . During the last game of the regular season versus Washington on December 6 , Best became the first Cal player to rush for over 300 yards in a game and ended the regular season as the Pac - 10 ' s leading rusher , beating out Oregon State ' s Jacquizz Rodgers . A 186 - yard , two touchdown performance in the 2008 Emerald Bowl earned him Offensive MVP honors for the game . Best finished the 2008 season with 1 , 580 rushing yards , an 8 . 1 - yard per carry average , and 15 touchdowns . 2009 . On January 15 , 2009 Best underwent surgery to tighten a ligament that had been injured when he dislocated his left elbow against Colorado State on September 27 , 2008 . This was followed up by foot surgery on January 23 to relieve irritation that was caused when Best bruised his foot halfway through the 2008 season . He missed spring football practice as a result . Best was named as the most explosive player in college football by Rivals . com in February 2009 . In early June Best was able to participate in team summer workouts without pain . Entering his junior year , Best ' s breakout sophomore year caused early speculation of him being a future Heisman candidate and top running back prospect . In Cal ' s season opener against Maryland , Best rushed for 137 yards and had two rushing touchdowns in the Bears ' 52 - 13 victory . On September 12 against Eastern Washington , he rushed for 144 yards and one touchdown , and had one 22 yard receiving touchdown . On September 19 against Minnesota he ran for 131 yards and all of Cal ' s five touchdowns in the victory , a personal best and a modern school record . He was named Pac - 10 Player of the Week and Rivals . com National Player of the Week . However , the next week Best was held to 55 rushing yards and no touchdowns on 16 carries against the Oregon Ducks . The following week he was held to 48 yards on 15 carries against the # 7 Trojans , also unable to find the end zone . On October 17 , Best recorded both his longest run and longest reception against UCLA in California ' s 45 - 26 victory over the Bruins . Best was injured during the second quarter of Cal ' s November 7 matchup against Oregon State . In the process of scoring a rushing touchdown , he hurdled a defender into the end zone and was accidentally pushed by a second Oregon State defender in mid - air , causing him to land on the back of his head with his helmet coming off . The play resulted in a concussion for Best . After a 13 - minute game delay , Best was taken off the field on a stretcher to the Highland General Hospital in Oakland . This was his second concussion in two weeks , following a mild concussion received the previous week against Arizona State . He was released the next day . and did not play the following week ' s game against Arizona , although he appeared as an honorary team captain . Best would miss the rest of the regular season . On December 16 , head coach Jeff Tedford announced that Best would not play in the 2009 Poinsettia Bowl , stating that " ' to get him back in game - ready form I don ' t feel like that ' s something that we can get done to have him ready to play . ' " Best announced on January 2 , 2010 that he would forego his senior year and enter the NFL draft . Professional career . 2010 NFL Draft . At the NFL Scouting Combine , Best had the third fastest overall 40 yard dash time and was the fastest among running backs . He was selected in a pick trade from the Minnesota Vikings by the Detroit Lions 30th overall in the 2010 NFL Draft . Regarding the pick , Lions head coach Jim Schwartz said , " Some people watch adult videos on their computer . . . I go to YouTube and watch Jahvid Best highlight clips . That ’ s what gets " me " going . " Detroit Lions . Best signed a five year , $ 9 . 8 million contract with the Lions on July 30 . 2010 season . Best started 15 games , scoring his first career NFL rushing touchdowns in the regular season opener on September 12 against the Chicago Bears . His best game of the season came the following week in a 35 - 32 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles , where he had 78 rushing yards , two rushing touchdowns , and 154 receiving yards , including a 75 yard touchdown reception . He had more limited production for the rest of the season mainly due to a turf toe injury , with a career - low 2 rushing yards in Week 11 against the Dallas Cowboys , and did not score any further rushing touchdowns , although he had a 53 - yard receiving touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16 during the Lions ' four game winning streak . 2011 season . Best suffered a concussion on his second carry in the Lions third pre - season game of the season on August 19 , a 30 - 28 win versus the Cleveland Browns . On Monday Night Football on October 10 against the Chicago Bears , Best had his first 100 - yard game , rushing for 163 yards and a career long 88 - yard touchdown run . During the second half of the Lions 25 - 19 loss to San Francisco on October 16 , Best suffered another concussion , the last game ( pre - or regular season ) Best has played in the NFL . On November 25 , Best was placed on IR due to post concussion symptoms . 2012 season . On November 3 , 2012 , Best was placed on injured reserve due to continuing post - concussion issues , ending his season without playing in any pre - or regular season games . As of late November , 2012 , Best has been undergoing ' cognitive therapy ' to treat his ' post - concussive symptoms ' , hoping to return to the field for the 2013 season . Career Statistics . Source : Personal . Best ' s name is a combination of Jah and the last syllable of his father ' s name , David . His father is originally from St . Lucia and he has one sister named Laurie who is currently attending California State University , Sacramento .