Jonathan Dwyer Jonathan Avery Dwyer ( born July 26 , 1989 ) is an American football running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He was drafted by the Steelers in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL Draft . He played college football at Georgia Tech . Early years . Dwyer was highly recruited coming out of Kell High School in Marietta , Georgia . He was a four star prospect and many of the top NCAA Division I football programs expressed interest . He ran a 10 . 81 in the 100 meter dash , the second best time in the state of Georgia , and recorded a 4 . 48 in the 40 yard dash . Dwyer was awarded Georgia ' s Player of the Year ( football ) . He initially made a soft verbal commitment to the Florida Gators but then decided that he preferred to stay closer to his family and committed to Georgia Tech . College career . 2007 . After committing to Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets , Dwyer got plenty of playing time as the backup running back to senior Tashard Choice . He played in all thirteen games during his freshman year . Choice battled leg injuries during the course of the 2007 season , which led to Dwyer rushing for 436 yards on 82 attempts and nine touchdowns . He was named to the ACC All - Freshman Team . 2008 . Dwyer was named as a candidate for the Doak Walker award , an award given to the nation ' s best running back . Through the first four games of the 2008 season , Dwyer had 389 rushing yards on just 48 attempts with four touchdowns . Against Mississippi State , he recorded the longest touchdown from the line of scrimmage in Georgia Tech history , running for an 88 - yard touchdown . He continued to have a good season with 147 yards against a tough Florida State defense , with a 36 - yard touchdown run and a 66 - yard touchdown . The following week , in a disappointing loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels , Dwyer recorded 157 yards on the ground , 85 of them coming in a long touchdown run where he again displayed his speed . Against Miami in a Thursday night game , Dwyer had 10 carries for 128 yards on the ground with runs of 35 yards and a 58 - yard touchdown . The following week , he had a 60 - yard touchdown , as well as a 23 - yard touchdown against Georgia . He ended the game with 144 yards on the ground against a tough SEC defense and proved that he was one of the top backs in the country . He was the ACC player of the year and was a unanimous first - team selection as well as being the # 1 rusher in the ACC with 1 , 328 yards rushing and 12 touchdowns . 2009 . Former Yellow Jackets running back Tashard Choice said that Dwyer would have a great season in 2009 : " He ' s going to be among the leading rushers in the country next year , and if he stays healthy , he could lead the nation in rushing . He ' s that good . " On January 11 , 2010 , Dwyer announced he will enter his name in the 2010 NFL Draft and forgo his senior season . Professional career . Pre - draft . Dwyer entered the 2010 NFL Draft and was at one point considered to be a top 30 prospect and in the top 3 running backs in the draft according to Todd McShay . Dwyer was questioned if he could adjust to playing in a pro - style offense , due to the fact that Dwyer spent most of his college career playing in a flexbone spread option offense at Georgia Tech . Dwyer ' s stock began to fall as questions about his weight and conditioning arose , including notably after the NFL combine ( 40 yard dash : 4 . 59 , 3 - Cone Drill : 7 . 56 , 20 - yard shuttle : 4 . 67 , Bench : 15 reps ) . Dwyer tested positive for amphetamines at the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine , however it was later ruled exempt by the NFL after it was found that the positive test stemmed from his attention deficit disorder ( ADD ) medicine . Pittsburgh Steelers . Dwyer was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round ( 188th overall ) of the 2010 NFL Draft . On September 5 , Dwyer made the team ' s final roster cut . 2010 Season . Dwyer made his professional debut in Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns after the Steelers had built a commanding first half lead and rested Rashard Mendenhall in the second half . Dwyer rushed for 28 yards on 9 carries in the game . 2011 Season . Dwyer again made the final roster cut after a strong showing in the pre - season . In the final game of the pre - season he rushed for 88 yards and got reps with the first team offense . With Rashard Mendenhall nursing a hamstring injury and backup Mewelde Moore out with a foot injury , Dwyer made his 2011 debut against the Tennessee Titans in Week 5 . He had a strong performance , rushing for 107 yards on 11 carries , including a 76 - yard dash to set up a short Ben Roethlisberger TD pass . He and Isaac Redman combined for over 170 yards rushing on the day and the Steelers rolled to a 38 - 17 victory , despite Tennessee entering the contest with the best scoring defense in the league . 2012 Season . At the start of the 2012 season , Dwyer came to training camp overweight , and was in question of making the team for his third season . However , Dwyer was able to bring down his weight and make the final roster cut for the Steelers . With Rashard Mendenhall and Issac Redman out with injuries in a week 7 game against the Cincinnati Bengals , Dwyer started the game for the Steelers . Dwyer rushed 17 times for 122 yards in the game . The following week , with 17 carries for 107 yards against the Washington Redskins , Dwyer became the first Steelers running back since Willie Parker in the 2008 - 2009 season to have consecutive 100 - yard games . On November 27 , Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin announced that Dwyer had earned the starting job for the remainder of the season . In the December 2 game against the Baltimore Ravens , Dwyer scored his first career touchdown on a 16 - yard run . Personal . Dwyer is married to Kayla Dwyer and they recently had their first child , a boy Jonathan Dwyer , Jr . , a . k . a . " JJ " . Dwyer , Sr . is the son of Tony and Keely Dwyer . While attending Georgia Tech he majored in management . Dwyer is a member of the class of 2007 at Carlton J . Kell High School .