Former Newton High football standout Demetrius McCray’s rookie season as a professional football player ended Dec. 29.

McCray finished his rookie campaign after appearing in 12 of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 16 games. This included a start in the Jaguars' Week 14 matchup against the Houston Texans.

McCray recorded 12 total tackles this past season. Nine of his tackles were solo takedowns, while he assisted on three others.

McCray’s standout moment of the season came in the team’s Week 3 matchup on the road against Seattle.

He recorded three of his 12 tackles in the game, and two were solo tackles. One of the tackles came on the Seahawks’ former Pro Bowl wide receiver Sidney Rice.

Despite McCray’s efforts during the game, the Jaguars were routed 45-17.

With the Jaguars’ season now over, McCray can look to the future.

According to various sources, McCray is looking forward to working hard in the offseason and getting back to training camp. He is hoping to not only see more playing time next season, but also to become one of the team’s two starting cornerbacks.

McCray has already somewhat defeated the odds that were against him going into his rookie season. He wasn’t drafted until the seventh round of last year’s NFL draft.

Many late-round draft picks never make it to a team's main roster. They are either waived or put on a practice squad. However, McCray was able to remain with Jaguars, making the team’s 53-man roster.

The Jaguars have a young team that will more than likely only get younger going forward, but McCray already looks to be one of the team’s players to watch out for in the 2014 season.