Running back, UCLA (from UC Davis), 2015–19
Joshua Kelley
- Number
- No. 27
- Height
- 5′11″
- Weight
- 219 lb
- Class (2019)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Lancaster, CA
- Born
- Nov 20, 1997
Joshua Kelley played running back at UC Davis (2015–16) and UCLA (2018–19). The Los Angeles Chargers took Kelley in round 4, No. 112 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
At a glance
Career highs
289rushing yards, career highvs. USC, 20184rushing touchdowns, career highvs. Arizona State, 20196catches, career highat Oregon, 2018Rushing
Receiving
Returns
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | UC Davis | 27 | RB | Yr 1 | ||
| 2016 | UC Davis | 27 | RB | Yr 2 | ||
| 2018 | UCLA | 27 | RB | Yr 4 | ||
| 2019 | UCLA | 27 | RB | Sr. (Yr 5) | 5′11″ | 219 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Per play
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage | Adj. rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | UC Davis (FCS) | 14 | 0.30 | – | – | 4.3 | – | – |
| 2016 | UC Davis (FCS) | 10 | -0.04 | – | – | -0.4 | – | – |
| 2018 | UCLA | 254 | 0.23 | 76th (n=300) | 0.15 | 59.3 | 32% | 0.31 |
| 2019 | UCLA | 248 | 0.14 | 52nd (n=287) | 0.13 | 33.5 | 29% | 0.17 |
Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). Adjusted pass and rush: EPA per play adjusted for the defenses faced (CollegeFootballData’s WEPA). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.
Game by game
2019 UCLA 11 games, 1,060 rushing yards, 12 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7 | vs. | L 14–23 | 15 | 53 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 2 |
| Sep 14 | vs. | L 14–48 | 18 | 51 | 0 | 13 | – | – |
| Sep 21 | at | W 67–63 | 20 | 90 | 0 | 18 | 2 | 19 |
| Sep 28 | at | L 17–20 | 27 | 127 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 9 |
| Oct 5 | vs. | L 31–48 | 21 | 74 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 4 |
| Oct 17 | at | W 34–16 | 18 | 176 | 1 | 54 | 2 | 13 |
| Oct 26 | vs. | W 42–32 | 34 | 164 | 4 | 24 | – | – |
| Nov 2 | vs. | W 31–14 | 23 | 126 | 2 | 35 | – | – |
| Nov 16 | at | L 3–49 | 19 | 78 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 12 |
| Nov 23 | at | L 35–52 | 15 | 45 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 9 |
| Nov 30 | vs. | L 18–28 | 19 | 76 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 3 |
2018 UCLA 11 games, 1,243 rushing yards, 12 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1 | vs. | L 17–26 | 6 | 20 | 0 | 9 | 3 | 19 |
| Sep 8 | at | L 21–49 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 9 | – | – |
| Sep 28 | at | L 16–38 | 12 | 124 | 0 | 44 | 3 | 10 |
| Oct 6 | vs. | L 24–31 | 20 | 125 | 1 | 39 | 3 | 39 |
| Oct 13 | at | W 37–7 | 30 | 157 | 3 | 18 | 2 | 8 |
| Oct 20 | vs. | W 31–30 | 31 | 136 | 1 | 28 | 4 | 43 |
| Oct 26 | vs. | L 10–41 | 16 | 90 | 1 | 25 | 2 | 11 |
| Nov 3 | at | L 21–42 | 26 | 161 | 1 | 25 | 6 | 32 |
| Nov 10 | at | L 28–31 | 21 | 79 | 1 | 12 | 2 | 17 |
| Nov 17 | vs. | W 34–27 | 40 | 289 | 2 | 61 | – | – |
| Nov 24 | vs. | L 42–49 | 18 | 55 | 2 | 23 | 2 | 14 |
2016 UC Davis 2 games, 5 returns, 123 yards
No box score in the source for Sep 11 vs. Southern Oregon; Sep 25 vs. Weber State; Oct 1 at Eastern Washington; Oct 9 at Southern Utah; Oct 15 vs. Northern Colorado; Oct 23 at Cal Poly; Nov 5 vs. Portland State; Nov 12 at Montana State; Nov 19 vs. Sacramento State, so those games are not listed.
2015 UC Davis 2 games, 79 rushing yards, 1 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Car | Yds | TD | Long | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 3 | at | L 17–31 | 6 | 43 | 0 | 16 | – | – |
| Sep 19 | vs. | L 27–47 | 8 | 36 | 1 | 14 | – | – |
No box score in the source for Sep 13 vs. South Dakota; Sep 26 at North Dakota; Oct 3 vs. Montana; Oct 10 vs. Northern Arizona; Oct 17 at Northern Colorado; Oct 24 vs. Southern Utah; Nov 7 at Weber State; Nov 14 vs. Cal Poly; Nov 21 at Sacramento State, so those games are not listed.
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
Before the draft
Played in the 2020 Senior Bowl (North team, won 34–17).
| Drill | Combine 2020 |
|---|---|
| Height | 5′10⅝″ |
| Weight | 212 lb |
| Arm length | 31⅝″ |
| Hand size | 9⅝″ |
| Wingspan | 76¼″W |
| 40-yard dash | 4.49 s |
| 10-yard split | 1.61 sW |
| Vertical jump | 31″ |
| Broad jump | 10′1″ |
| Bench press | 23 reps |
| 3-cone drill | 6.95 s |
| 20-yard shuttle | 4.28 s |
Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Rosters and honors: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).
In the NFL
5 seasons, 51 games with a stat; latest team: Tennessee Titans.
| Season | Team | G | Car | Yds | TD | Rec | Rec yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Los Angeles Chargers | 13 | 111 | 354 | 2 | 23 | 148 |
| 2021 | Los Angeles Chargers | 8 | 33 | 102 | 0 | 5 | 38 |
| 2022 | Los Angeles Chargers | 12 | 69 | 287 | 2 | 14 | 101 |
| 2023 | Los Angeles Chargers | 17 | 107 | 405 | 2 | 8 | 32 |
| 2024 | Tennessee Titans | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NFL career | 51 | 321 | 1,150 | 6 | 50 | 319 | |
Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.
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