Ryan Shazier
 Shazier in 2014 training camp | |||||||||||
| No. 50 Pittsburgh Steelers | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Inside linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | September 6, 1992 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Lauderdale Lakes, Florida | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Plantation (FL) | ||||||||||
| College: | Ohio State | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2016 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Ryan Shazier (born September 6, 1992) is an American football inside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State.
College career
As a true freshman, Shazier played in every regular season contest and started 3 games. His first start came near the end of the season against Penn State where he recorded 15 tackles. He started the next two games and ended his season with 57 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.[1]
In 2012, he started all 12 regular season games for Ohio State. Against Penn State, Shazier posted 8 tackles, 2 sacks, and an interception in the third quarter that he returned for the game-deciding touchdown. In a victory against Wisconsin, he had 12 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, and he made a game-saving tackle on a goal line stand on fourth and inches. He would finish 2012 leading the Big Ten with 17 tackles for a loss and place second in the league with 115 tackles. Shazier also had 5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles for the season.[1]
Against Indiana in 2013, he posted more than 20 tackles and tied the school record with 16 solo tackles and 5 tackles for loss. He was voted a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, USA Today, ESPN.com, and Sports Illustrated. His 101 solo tackles were the second best in the league and his 143 tackles led the Big Ten Conference. He also had a career-high 6 sacks and 4 forced fumbles.
Shazier finished his career at Ohio State with 315 tackles, 208 solo tackles, and 14.5 sacks. After his 2013 season, he announced to forgo his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.[1]
Professional career
Shazier announced on January 5, 2014, that he would forgo his senior season and enter the 2014 NFL Draft.[2] He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers as the 15th pick of the first round.[3]
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in | 237 lb | 32⅜ in | 10 in | 4.38 s | 1.56 s | 2.58 s | 4.21 s | 6.91 s | 42 in | 10 ft 10 in | 25 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine and The Ohio State University Pro Day.[4][5] | |||||||||||||||||||
2014
On June 16, 2014, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Shazier to a four-year contract worth $9.5 million that is fully guaranteed.
Shazier began the season as the starting left inside linebacker. In the Steelers' home opener against the Cleveland Browns, he made 6 total tackles (5 solo) and a pass deflection. The following week against the Baltimore Ravens, he had 15 total tackles, with 11 of them being solo, in a 6–20 loss. Shazier missed weeks 4–7 of his rookie season with a knee injury. He returned for his first game back from his injury on October 26, 2014, against the Indianapolis Colts. He finished the game with 4 tackles (2 solo tackles). After playing two games, Shazier then suffered an ankle injury and missed another four games.[6] After returning, Shazier made 6 tackles/4 solo tackles in a 27–17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on December 24. Following an 11–5 season the Steelers made the playoffs. In his first career playoff game, Shazier made 3 solo tackles and one assist in a 17–30 wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. In his first season, he finished with a total of 36 tackles, 24 solo tackles, and a pass deflection in 5 starts and 8 games.
2015
After his rookie season, Shazier returned the next season to again be the starting inside linebacker. On September 10, 2015, Shazier made 5 solo tackles and 2 assists in the season opener at the New England Patriots. The next game against the San Francisco 49ers, he left the game with a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter after making a career-high 15 total tackles and 11 solo tackles. He also sacked 49ers starting quarterback Colin Kaepernick for his first career sack. Shazier missed weeks 3–6 with nerve damage in his shoulder.[7] After returning, he made 5 solo tackles, one assist, and a sack in a Week 10 win over the Cleveland Browns. On November 29, 2015, he suffered a concussion and left in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks. On December 20, 2015, Shazier made 3 solo tackles, 3 assists, and 3 pass deflections in a 34–27 win over the Denver Broncos. He also made his first career interception, after picking off Bronco's quarterback Brock Osweiler.[8] On January 9, 2016, during the AFC Wild Card game versus the Cincinnati Bengals, Shazier stripped Jeremy Hill with under two minutes left to set up the game-winning field goal.
Personal
Shazier suffers from alopecia, an autoimmune disease which causes the inability to grow hair. Throughout his childhood he was ridiculed and taunted. With guidance from his parents Shazier developed an altruistic temperament to deal with the jabs and name calling.[9]
References
- 1 2 3 "Ohio State Buckeyes Player Bio:Ryan Shazier".
- ↑ "OSU's Shazier to NFL; Miller returns". Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Steelers pick Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier in first round". Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑ "2014 NFL Draft Profile: Ryan Shazier". Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑ "*Ryan Shazier - Ohio State, OLB : 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑ Josh Alper. "Ryan Shazier will miss another game". Retrieved November 30, 2014.
- ↑ Alec Nathan. "Ryan Shazier injury update:the linebacker's shoulder injury and return". Retrieved December 30, 2015.
- ↑ NFL.com. "NFL Player Profile:Ryan Shazier". Retrieved December 29, 2015.
- ↑ "How Ohio State's Ryan Shazier overcame constant name-calling and won over Urban Meyer with his 'heart of gold'". Retrieved August 22, 2016.