He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL draft.

At Arkansas, McFadden had a decorated career, twice finishing as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy and as a consensus member of the All-American team.

[1] The tenth of twelve children, he encountered hardships in his early life with some members of his family, including his mother, having addictions to drugs.

[2] He attended Oak Grove High School in North Little Rock,[3] where he was a three-sport star in football, baseball, and track.

He played a variety of positions for his football team, but was primarily used as a running back on offense, and a safety on defense.

[7][8] McFadden made his Arkansas debut with nine carries for 70 yards and a touchdown in a win over Missouri State in the team's first game.

He continued through spring practice early the next year as the number one running back on the Razorback depth chart, a spot he never relinquished while on campus.

[1][4] In 2006, despite a slow start to the season due to a dislocated toe from an off the field incident at a night club in Little Rock,[19][20] McFadden rushed for a school-record 1,647 yards, the fifth best all-time in the SEC for single season yards, scored 14 touchdowns, and threw for three more touchdowns on just nine passing attempts, becoming a first-team All-American.

[24][25] On December 6, 2006, McFadden was named one of three finalists for the Heisman Trophy, along with Troy Smith from Ohio State and Brady Quinn from Notre Dame.

[28][29][30][31][32] On December 7, 2006, McFadden became the first sophomore to win the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the nation's top running back.

On Sports Illustrated's website, a photo gallery chronicling the best possible candidates in the 2008 draft he was tipped as the number one pick.

[40] McFadden was also predicted to be a front-runner for many awards, including the Doak Walker, the Maxwell, and the Walter Camp Player of the Year.

[47] By any measure, McFadden's 2007 season was a success: he was selected as the Sporting News magazine National Player of the Year, was a consensus First-team All-American for the second straight season, won the Doak Walker Award for the second year in a row, was selected as the Southeastern Conference Offensive Player of the Year by SEC coaches, and he was also awarded the Walter Camp Award, given to the nation's best overall player voted on by the Walter Camp Foundation.

[58] In late December 2007, sports agent and former Arkansas track and field athlete Mike Conley, Sr. was accused by KARK-TV in Little Rock, Arkansas of purchasing a Cadillac Escalade for McFadden, which would have jeopardized McFadden's status as an amateur athlete for the 2008 Cotton Bowl Classic and a possible senior season.

[59] On March 6, 2008, Electronic Arts announced that McFadden would be cover athlete for the Xbox 360's version of NCAA Football 09.

[66] At training camp, McFadden impressed Raiders coach Lane Kiffin with his ability to take instructions once and seamlessly incorporate them into his game.

[67] On September 8, McFadden made his NFL debut against the Denver Broncos, where he had 46 rushing yards on 9 carries; the Raiders lost the game, 14–41.

McFadden scored his first professional touchdown against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 14, 2008, his second NFL game, in which he gained 164 yards on 21 carries.

[69] Raiders interim head coach Tom Cable, who took over after Kiffin was fired by owner Al Davis, was criticized for not playing McFadden later in the season.

[76] Upon his return on October 24, 2010, against the division rival Denver Broncos, McFadden carried the ball 16 times for a total of 165 yards and three touchdowns.

[94] In Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs, however, McFadden had to leave the game after two runs due to an aggravation of his chronic foot condition and was shut down for the remainder of the season.

[97][98] His difficulty was attributed to his continued injury problems, as he missed another four games during the season, and the return of the zone-blocking scheme that McFadden struggled with in his first two years with the Raiders.

[106] On March 13, 2015, McFadden signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys worth up to $5.85 million including a $200,000 bonus, to be one of the candidates to help replace the recently departed DeMarco Murray.

His three rushing touchdowns was second on the team, his 40 receptions was fourth and his 328 receiving yards was second-most in his career for a single season.

[117] McFadden entered the Organized Team Activities competing for the starting role with rookie Ezekiel Elliott and free agent acquisition Alfred Morris.

On June 14, he underwent surgery after breaking his right elbow in an off-field accident at his home during the Memorial Day weekend,[118] and was placed on the reserve/NFI list during the preseason.

The surprising recovery of running back Lance Dunbar from a serious knee injury, made the Cowboys decide to keep McFadden there to start the 2016 season.

[119] He passed Morris on the depth chart as the backup running back, as soon as he incorporated into his role against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because he was seen as more of a complete player with his blocking and receiving skills.

During the regular season, the Cowboys chose to activate running back Rod Smith instead of McFadden, because he could also play on special teams.

McFadden alleged that Vick defrauded him and misappropriated funds, including $3 million lost in a bitcoin-related business venture.