Brian Leonard Brian Leonard ( born February 3 , 1984 ) is an American football fullback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League . He was drafted by the St . Louis Rams in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft . He played college football at Rutgers . Leonard has also played for the Cincinnati Bengals . College career . Leonard committed to play football at Rutgers University in August of 2001 . As a high school senior he was a 3 - star ( out of 5 ) recruit , according to Rivals . com and had scholarship offers from several prominent schools including Penn State University and Syracuse University . In high school , he was projected to play linebacker at the next level . Leonard largely credits his brother , Nate Leonard , for why he chose Rutgers . Nate was also recruited to play football in college before injuring his knee . Unlike other Big East and ACC teams who stopped recruiting him as a collegiate football player due to his injury , Rutgers stayed loyal to Nate . Brian valued Rutgers ' loyalty to his brother and ultimately decided to play football at Rutgers . Leonard became well - known for hurdling over would - be tacklers . In 2006 , he was promoted as a Heisman Trophy candidate . A video clip of Leonard , concluding with the slogan " Leonard for Heisman , " was aired on the NBC Astrovision screen in New York City ’ s Times Square . Despite being acknowledged as a Heisman candidate , Leonard elected to take on a diminished role as a blocker and allow Ray Rice to become a star . He was also named starting fullback on the 2007 Senior Bowl North Squad , where he finished with 16 yards rushing and 13 yards receiving , 3rd overall on the team in total yardage . Leonard is also popularly known as " Drew Leonard " among close friends . School records . In the Rutgers record books , Leonard finished his career ranked fourth all - time rushing yards ( 2 , 775 ) , fourth all - time rushing touchdowns ( 32 ) , sixth all - time receiving yards ( 1 , 864 ) , first all - time receptions ( 207 ) , tied for fourth all - time receiving touchdowns ( 13 ) , second all - time all - purpose yards ( 4 , 639 ) , first all - time combined touchdowns ( 45 ) , and first all - time career points scored ( 272 ) . Awards . He graduated with a degree in labor studies . Professional career . NFL Draft prospect . As an NFL prospect , Leonard was targeted by almost every draft expert and website to be the top fullback ( as well as one of the higher - ranked halfbacks ) and most likely will be playing a hybrid halfback / fullback / H - Back position in the pros . Leonard was projected as a day one selection , as high as the first round . Since 1990 , only three fullbacks have been chosen in the first round , including Tommy Vardell in 1992 and William Floyd in 1993 . ESPN compared Leonard to Jaguars ' back Greg Jones in their pre - draft speculations . At the 2007 NFL Combine Leonard was timed at 4 . 49 in the 40 yard dash , which is exceptionally fast for a fullback and above average for a running back ; also , bench pressed 225 lbs 28 times ( most of any running back ) . NFL Network ' s Mike Mayock had Leonard ranked as the # 4 running back in the draft . SportingNews says of Leonard that he was " misused as a traditional fullback . . . would prosper in a one - back set . . . " St . Louis Rams . On April 28 , 2007 , Leonard was selected by the St . Louis Rams in the second round with the 52nd overall pick of the 2007 NFL Draft . Leonard signed a four - year , $ 2 . 8 million contract on July 24 , 2007 , that includes $ 1 . 55 million in guaranteed money . Coach Scott Linehan decided to use Leonard as a fullback , running back , and a special third - down back , in relief of Steven Jackson . Linehan also stated that Leonard would see 15 - 20 snaps per game . In rookie training camps , Leonard was one of only two running backs , the other being Brad Lau . “ We only have two backs right now so I am running in single back and halfback so I will be the running back unless we get another running back in here , ” Leonard said . “ It ’ s nice to get the reps , but it is tiring . ” Leonard ran for the Rams first touchdown of the year against the Minnesota Vikings in preseason on August 10 , 2007 . He had his first 100 - yard rushing game , typically a milestone amongst running backs , on October 7 , 2007 at home against the Arizona Cardinals . Leonard underwent surgery on both his shoulders after the season . Cincinnati Bengals . Leonard was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals on May 7 , 2009 for defensive tackle Orien Harris . His struggle for a roster spot was chronicled in the HBO series Hard Knocks with several parts focused on the battle between Leonard and DeDe Dorsey for the final running back spot . Over the course of 2009 season , Leonard didn ' t seen much rushing action because the team was using Cedric Benson as their primary running back and also signed Larry Johnson , limiting the number of Leonard ' s rushing attempts . However , he has often been targeted on third - and fourth down passing plays and has made several key conversions for the Bengals . For example , on September 27 in a game against the defending Super Bowl Champions Pittsburgh Steelers , Leonard caught a pass from Carson Palmer on 4th down , converting for the first down with 31 seconds left , extending the eventual winning drive . On December 27 , he recorded an eight yard reception in a 3rd - and - 7 situation to keep what would eventually be the game winning drive against the Kansas City Chiefs alive . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Leonard signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on April 1 , 2013 . Personal . Leonard has been active in the community , especially doing considerable work with children . In 2006 , Peter King wrote an article in " Sports Illustrated " selecting Leonard as his personal candidate for Sportsman of the Year , due to Leonard ' s on - and off - field accomplishments . In an interview , Brian Leonard claimed that his favorite St . Louis Cardinals player is Albert Pujols ( now on the Los Angeles Angels ) , but that being from New York , he still remains primarily a Yankees ' fan . Brian Leonard Football Camp . Since its inception in 2009 , the Brian Leonard Football Camp has brought young football players together with skilled coaches and NFL pros to provide a learning experience to improve participant play and provide recruitment opportunities . The annual camp is held at The State University of New York at Potsdam , in Potsdam , New York which is close to Brian ' s hometown of Gouverneur .