Player Profile

PRO: An athletic playmaker who has a flare for making the difficult reception, Antonio Bryant came into the NFL with impressive credentials and answered the calling with a very productive rookie season. Although young and raw - Bryant was the youngest player on the 2002 Cowboys roster - he has all the tools necessary to develop into a dominant receiver in the NFL for years to come. As a rookie, he displayed the ability to catch the ball in a crowd, while also being able to make the leaping catch. Bryant has 4.43 speed in the forty to go along with solid leaping ability and excellent focus. His natural elusiveness and ability to run after catching the ball contributed to a team-high 16.7 yards-per-catch average that was the best among all NFC receivers in 2002. Bryant was the second of two Cowboys second-round draft choices (63rd overall) in 2002.

2002: As only the second Dallas rookie to open the season as a starting wide receiver (Michael Irvin - 1988), Bryant went on to earn All-Rookie honors. He led all NFL rookie receivers with 733 receiving yards, finishing 139 yards ahead of the next rookie wide-out (Dante Stallworth - N.O.). His 44 receptions were the second most by an NFL rookie and second on the Cowboys behind Joey Galloway. His six touchdown receptions were second among NFL rookie receivers and tied for the Cowboys team lead. His reception (44) and touchdown (six) totals were the second most for a rookie in Dallas team history behind the numbers posted by Bob Hayes (46 catches and 12 touchdowns) in 1965. A season ending neck injury to Raghib Ismail forced Bryant into a baptism under fire as an opening day starter. In his professional debut, Bryant recorded four catches for 47 yards in the season opener at Houston (9/8). In the following week's win over Tennessee (9/15), he registered 87 receiving yards, including a 44-yard grab, on three receptions. At Philadelphia (9/22), he caught four passes and had a 24-yard dash on his first NFL carry, taking a hand-off on an end-around. In the last-second win at St. Louis (9/29), Bryant recorded three catches for 47 yards, including a game-long 34-yard grab. He picked up his first career touchdown reception against the Giants (10/6) with a five-yard scoring catch in the fourth quarter that put Dallas ahead 17-14. In the win over Carolina (10/13), Bryant turned in one of the most spectacular and dramatic catches in recent club history. On fourth-and-14 from the Panther 24-yard line, Bryant leapt high into the air for a pass that he juggled and eventually pulled down for the winning score with 0:56 remaining in a game that Dallas had trailed for 59 minutes. The following week at Arizona (10/20), he registered a touchdown reception that was just as acrobatic as the game winner the week before. His third quarter over-the-shoulder reception of a Quincy Carter bomb covered 78 yards and tied the score at 6-6. The catch was the longest of the season for Bryant and enabled him to join Bob Hayes as the only Dallas rookie to catch touchdown passes in three consecutive games. For the day, Bryant averaged 32.0 yards-per-catch in hauling in three passes for 96 yards. His streak of consecutive games with a touchdown reception ended in the following week's loss at Seattle (10/27) where he caught one pass for 14 yards and threw a solid block on Emmitt Smith's NFL record breaking run. At Indianapolis (11/17), Bryant had three receptions for 44 yards, including a game-long 24-yard grab. He also had a 15-yard run on an end-around against the Colts. In the Thanksgiving Day win over Washington (11/28), he opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown catch from Chad Hutchinson in the second quarter. In the loss at the N.Y. Giants (12/15), Bryant recorded three catches for a team-high 31 yards and a touchdown, his fifth of the season. In the season-ending loss at Washington (12/29), Bryant recorded one of the most productive days for a rookie receiver in team history, totaling a career-high seven catches for a career-best 170 yards and a touchdown. His seven receptions came up one shy of Bob Hayes' rookie record of eight, and his 170 receiving yards was the third best in club history by a rookie. His 46-yard touchdown catch with 3:10 remaining pulled Dallas within six points at 20-14. He also had catches of 25, 29 and 43 yards on the day.

COLLEGE: A Biletnikoff Award winner and consensus All-America selection as a sophomore, Bryant left the University of Pittsburgh after his junior year as the school's all-time leading receiver with 3,061 career yards (including bowl games). His 173 career receptions were the second most in school history. He also set the Pittsburgh mark for career touchdown catches with 30, including four in two bowl appearances. Bryant also left an impressive legacy in the Big East, holding conference marks for regular season touchdowns with 26, and 100-yard receiving games with 13. As a junior in 2001, Bryant fought through nagging injuries en route to first-team All-Big East recognition. He finished the season with a team-high 42 receptions and nine touchdowns, while compiling 659 receiving yards (15.7 per catch). He capped his final collegiate season by earning MVP honors in the Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl. A consensus All-America as a sophomore, Bryant was named the winner of the Biletnikoff Award, annually presented to the nation's top receiver, becoming just the second sophomore to win the award (Minnesota Vikings' Randy Moss in 1997). Bryant also was named the Big East Conference's tri-Offensive Player of the Year, the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Player of the Year, All-Big East, All-East and was Pittsburgh's first underclassman to earn consensus All-America honors since tailback Craig Heyward in 1987. Bryant finished his breakout year with 68 receptions for 1,302 yards (19.1 avg.) and 11 touchdowns while leading the nation with 130.2 receiving yards-per-game. It was the first time a Pittsburgh player led a national statistical category since Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett was the nation's leading rusher in 1976. He ranked third nationally in total receiving yards (1,302, and he was eighth in the country in receptions (6.8 avg.). His 1,302 receiving yards set a Big East and Pittsburgh record. Bryant also emerged as a dangerous punt returner, averaging 11.3 yards-per-punt return (16 for 181 yards) to rank 28th nationally. As a freshman in 1999, Bryant was named to The Sporting News Freshman All-America Team (third team) and Football News All-Freshman Team (second team), he finished his rookie campaign with 51 catches for 844 yards, both Pittsburgh freshman records.

PERSONAL: Bryant was an all-Dade County and all-district selection as a senior at Northwestern High School in Miami, Fla., after recording 53 receptions for 953 yards (17.9 avg.) and 12 touchdowns. He helped lead the Panthers to a 16-0 record and the Florida 6A championship. The team was also ranked fourth in the nation by USA Today. A three-year team captain at Northwestern, Bryant went on to play in the Dade County All-Star Game and earned "Prime Time Prospect" recognition from BlueChip Illustrated. He also lettered twice in track and field. Bryant was an active participant in the Cowboys Rookie Club community service program in 2002. He was also very popular with the preschoolers at the ChildCareGroup carving pumpkins and reading The Great Pumpkin out loud to the group. During the holidays, he provided much needed clothes and toys for several underprivileged children as part of The Salvation Army Angel Tree Program. A scholar-athlete honoree, Bryant graduated from high school with honors and majored in justice administration at Pitt.