After one of the most successful careers in Brown football history, Paul Raymond '08 got a taste of professional football this summer when he participated in training camp and preseason games with the New York Jets.
After racking up a team-high 978 receiving yards in his senior season, including four touchdowns, Raymond went undrafted but was signed as a free agent by the Jets. Raymond, who is also a two-time Ivy League champion in the 60-meter dash, saw action in three preseason games for the Jets. In their Aug. 16 game, a 13-10 loss to the Washington Redskins, Raymond entered the game in the second half and made three catches for 24 yards.
His most notable action came the following week in a preseason matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. With the Jets trailing 7-3 with just over six minutes remaining in the game, backup quarterback Brett Ratliff found Raymond for a 24-yard touchdown pass, giving the Jets a 10-7 victory. Raymond followed up with another strong performance in the final preseason game, against the Eagles, when he rushed for 21 yards on a reverse and also caught three passes for 36 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown from Ratliff in the second quarter of the 27-20 win for New York.
On Aug. 30, the Jets waived Raymond as they made the final selections for their 53-man roster. A few days later, though, the team Web site reported that Raymond had been one of eight players given a spot on the practice squad for the rest of the season. Though he is unlikely to take the field on game day this regular season, Raymond's professional football prospects are still very much alive.
