Mario Edwards Jr.
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Edwards with the Oakland Raiders in 2015 | |||||||||
| No. 97 Oakland Raiders | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | January 25, 1994 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Gautier, Mississippi | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 280 lb (127 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Denton (TX) Ryan | ||||||||
| College: | Florida State | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Injured reserve | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2015 | |||||||||
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Mario Lashun Edwards Jr. (born January 25, 1994) is an American football defensive end for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State. He was taken 35th overall by the Raiders in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Early years
Mario was raised in Denton, Texas, while his father played for the Dallas Cowboys. Edwards attended Prosper High School for his freshman and sophomore year, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. He started at defensive end for the state champion Eagles as a freshman.[1] Edwards recorded 69 tackles and three sacks as a freshman on top of catching 17 passes for 361 yards and three TDs. He then transferred to Billy Ryan High School. As a junior, he recorded 127 tackles, 50 tackles for loss and 18 sacks leading Denton Ryan to a state runner-up finish against Austin Lake Travis led by Michael Brewer.[2] As a senior in 2011, he recorded 72 tackles and 11 sacks and was the USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year.[3] Further, he earned All-American honors by USA Today, Parade, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. In track & field, Edwards competed as a shot putter during his final two years at Denton, recording a top-throw of 15.08 meters (49 ft, 3 in) at the 2012 Richardson Invitational, where he placed first.[4]
Recruiting
Regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Edwards was ranked as the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect in his class.[5] In fact, he was ranked No. 3 overall,[6] which was Rivals.com’s highest ranking for a defensive tackle prospect since Haloti Ngata (No. 2) in 2002. According to ESPN recruiting analyst Craig Haubert, Edwards was similar to Da'Quan Bowers at the same stage of their careers.[1] Recruited by numerous schools, Edwards took official visits to Texas, Oklahoma, Florida State, and Louisiana State, before committing to the Seminoles on January 24, 2012.[7][8]
College career
In his true freshman year in Tallahassee, Edwards was initially projected to redshirt, but then forced into action due to the loss of Brandon Jenkins in week one. Edwards appeared in 11 games and made his first career start in the 2012 ACC Championship Game replacing Cornellius Carradine. He was the only true freshman to register a start for the Seminoles on the defensive side of the ball. For the season he had 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2013, Edwards recorded 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception. Returning as a starter his junior season in 2014, Edwards recorded 23 tackles and three sacks.
After his junior season, Edwards entered the 2015 NFL Draft.[9][10]
Professional career
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in | 279 lb | 33 1⁄4 in | 10 7⁄8 in | 4.84 s | 1.76 s | 2.84 s | 4.55 s | 7.44 s | 32 1⁄2 in | 10 ft 0 in | 32 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[11] | |||||||||||||||||||
Edwards was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round (35th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.[12] On December 23, 2015, the Oakland Raiders placed Edwards on Injured Reserve and promoted linebacker John Lotulelei to the 53-man roster.[13] On September 5, 2016, Edwards was placed on injured reserve due to a hip injury.[14]
Personal
Edwards was born while his father, Mario Edwards Sr., was still in high school. While the elder Edwards played college football at Florida State, the younger stayed in Mississippi with his grandmother, Ruth Chambers, and Mario Sr.'s sister and two brothers.[1] After Edwards Sr. was drafted by Dallas Cowboys in 2000, the family moved to the northern Dallas area.[1][15]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Mario Edwards is proving why he's No. 1 in the ESPNU 150". ESPN. June 9, 2011.
- ↑ "Lake Travis sidesteps Denton Ryan for title". ESPN. December 18, 2010.
- ↑ All-USA: Green-Beckham, Edwards Jr. named players of year
- ↑ http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=143222#5181
- ↑ https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/rankings/rank-2893
- ↑ https://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/rankings/rank-rivals100/2012
- ↑ Mario Edwards Jr. confirms commitment to Florida State
- ↑ Mario Edwards Jr. makes his final decision
- ↑ Noles losing Williams, Edwards
- ↑ FSU DE Mario Edwards Jr. officially declares for NFL Draft
- ↑ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/mario-edwards,jr.?id=2552445
- ↑ "NFL Draft picks 2015: Mario Edwards Jr. goes to Raiders at No. 35". SBNation.com. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ↑ "Raiders Sign LB John Lotulelei to Active Roster". www.raiders.com. Retrieved 2015-12-24.
- ↑ "Raiders Place Edwards Jr. on Reserve/Injured; Add Two to Practice Squad". Raiders.com.
- ↑ "Mario Edwards Jr., star Texas recruit, following in footsteps of father, a former Pascagoula star". Mississippi Press. June 13, 2011.
External links
- Florida State Seminoles bio
Media related to Mario Edwards Jr. at Wikimedia Commons