Darqueze Dennard
| No. 21 Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Date of birth: | October 10, 1991 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Dry Branch, Georgia | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 197 lb (89 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Jeffersonville (GA) Twiggs County | ||||||||||||
| College: | Michigan State | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2016 | |||||||||||||
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Darqueze Derrell Dennard (born October 10, 1991) is an American football cornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Bengals in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State. Dennard won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2013 as the best defensive back in college football.[1][2]
He is commonly referred to as "No-Fly Zone."[3]
Early years
Dennard attended Twiggs County High School in Jeffersonville, Georgia, where he was a letterman in football, basketball and track. In high school football, he played defensive back and wide receiver. As a senior, he had 40 receptions for 502 yards and 11 touchdowns on offense and 50 tackles and nine interceptions with two touchdowns on defense.
In track & field, Dennard competed as a sprinter. He was the runner-up in the 100-meter dash at the 2010 GHSA 1A State Championships, where he took silver recording a personal-best time of 10.72 seconds.[4]
Considered a two-star recruit by ESPN.com, Dennard was listed as the No. 166 wide receiver in the nation in 2010.[5]
College career
Dennard accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Michigan State University, where he played for coach Mark Dantonio's Michigan State Spartans football team from 2010 to 2013.
As a true freshman in 2010, Dennard played in six games with two starts, missing five games due to injury. As a sophomore in 2011, he played in 11 games, missing two due to injury, he finished the season with 42 tackles and three interceptions, two which came against Georgia in the Outback Bowl. As a junior in 2012, he started all 13 games, recording 52 tackles and three interceptions. He was a first team All-Big Ten selection.[6] As a senior in 2013, he recorded 62 tackles and four interceptions, he won the Jim Thorpe Award.[7][8]
Professional career
2014 NFL Draft
Projected a first-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft, Dennard looked to become the highest Michigan State defensive back selected in an NFL Draft since Herb Adderley in 1961.
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11 in | 199 lb | 30 1⁄4 in | 9 in | 4.51 s | 15 reps | ||||||||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[9] | |||||||||||||||||||
Cincinnati Bengals
Dennard was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals as the 24th pick of the first round.[10] He signed a four-year, $8 million contract with $6.5 million guaranteed with the Bengals on June 12, 2014.[11][12]
Dennard saw limited playing time in his rookie season, participating in just 41 snaps. His most notable achievement was forcing a fumble in a playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts that set up a Bengals field goal.
In week 6 of the 2015 season, Dennard recorded his first career interception in a win against the Buffalo Bills.
On November 27, 2015, he was placed on injured reserve.
Personal life
Dennard's last name is pronounced as de-NARD. This pronunciation differs from that of his second cousin, Alfonzo Dennard due to a family dispute. Alfonzo, who is also a cornerback in the NFL, pronounces his last name DENN-erd.[13][14]
References
- ↑ NFL Draft Scout
- ↑ NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. talks of Darqueze Dennard as 1st-round pick, drops other Spartans' names
- ↑ Banks, Paul (13 December 2013). "Michigan State CB Darqueze Dennard: No Fly Zone is a 1st round talent". The Sports Bank. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ↑ http://ga.milesplit.com/meets/62549/results/123297
- ↑ Darqueze Dennard Recruiting Profile
- ↑ 2012 All-Big Ten Conference Football Teams
- ↑ Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard among three finalists for Thorpe Award
- ↑ Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard named one of three Jim Thorpe Award finalists
- ↑ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/darqueze-dennard?id=2543474
- ↑ Bengals select Darqueze Dennard No. 24 overall
- ↑ Dehner, Paul (June 12, 2014). "Bengals sign first-round pick Darqueze Dennard". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
- ↑ Harvey, Coley (June 16, 2014). "Dennard to make $6.5 million guaranteed". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
- ↑ "Q & A: Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard". ESPN. Retrieved 5 May 2015.
- ↑ Skinner, Richard. "How do you pronounce Dennard?". Cincinnati.com. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.