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Eric Kendricks

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Eric Kendricks
refer to caption
Kendricks with the Vikings in 2015
No. 50 –Dallas Cowboys
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1992-02-29)February 29, 1992(age 32)
Clovis, California,U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High school:Herbert Hoover
(Fresno, California)
College:UCLA(2010–2014)
NFL draft:2015/ Round: 2 / Pick: 45
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:1,036
Sacks:18.5
Forcedfumbles:5
Fumble recoveries:6
Interceptions:9
Pass deflections:57
Defensivetouchdowns:3
Player stats atPFR

Eric-Nathan Marvin Kendricks(born February 29, 1992) is an American professionalfootballlinebackerfor theDallas Cowboysof theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballfor theUCLA Bruins.As aseniorin 2014, he won theButkus Awardas the nation's top collegiate linebacker. Kendricks was selected by theMinnesota Vikingsin the second round of the2015 NFL draftand later played for theLos Angeles Chargers.

Early life

[edit]

Kendricks was born to Yvonne Thagon and Marvin Kendricks, a formerrunning backforUCLAwho played professionally in theCanadian Football League(CFL).[1]He grew up with older brotherMychaland younger sister Danielle. They were raised by Thagon, theirsingle mother,who had split from their father, Marvin, who became addicted tocrack cocaine.By the time Kendricks started high school, Marvin cleaned himself up. He married and took a job, and arranged with Thagon to be involved in his kids' lives.[2]

Kendricks attendedHerbert Hoover High SchoolinFresno, California,where he earned three letters for coach Pat Plummer playinglinebacker,quarterback,running back,kicker,andpunterand serving as team captain his junior and senior seasons.[3]He was teammates with his brother as a sophomore in 2007.[2]As a junior in 2008, he was named first-team All-league defense and was credited with 85tacklesand twosacks,as well as 10touchdownson offense. As a senior in 2009, he registered 117 tackles and twointerceptionson defense and scored 14 touchdowns on offense. For his senior season efforts, he was named first-team All-league defense by theFresno Bee.Kendricks also earned multiple letters inbasketball(team captain and first-team All-league in '09) for coach Nick French andbaseball(first-team All-league in '09 and '10) for coach Sam Flores. He was named 2010 male Tri-Athlete of the Year at his school.[3]

Regarded as a three-star recruit byRivals.com,Kendricks was ranked No. 60 amongoutside linebackersand No. 92 among all players in the state ofCalifornia.Also viewed as a three-star prospect byScout.com,he was rated No. 42 amongmiddle linebackersnationally and No. 88 in California. He was named to the GoldenStatePreps.com All-State third-team and All-NorCal first-team. Kendricks committed to theUniversity of California, Los Angeles(UCLA) to playcollege footballin November 2009.[4]

College career

[edit]
Kendricks blocks a punt in a game against USC in2012.

Kendricks played for theBruinsfrom 2010 to 2014. Afterredshirtingin 2010, Kendricks played in 14 games with three starts as aredshirt freshmanin 2011. He finished the season ranking second on the team in tackles with 76, tied for fourth with 4.5 tackles for loss and tied for second with two sacks. He earned an honorable mention FreshmanAll-AmericanbyCollege Football Newsand honorable mentionPac-12 ConferenceAll-Academic team. He also received the John Boncheff Jr. Memorial team award for Rookie of the Year at the annual team banquet.[5]

As a 14-game starter as asophomorein 2012, Kendricks was named honorable mentionAll-Pac-12by the coaches, received the Donn Moomaw Award for Outstanding Defensive Player againstUSCat the annual team awards banquet and was an honorable mention academic All-conference. He led the Pac-12 in tackles with an average of 10.64, a mark which ranked 11th in the nation, becoming the first Bruin to lead the conference in tackles sinceSpencer Havnerin 2004. Kendricks also returned twofumblesfor touchdowns (Houston, at Washington State), blocked a punt (USC) and made his first career interception (USC). His total of 150 tackles was the most by a Bruin player sinceJerry Robinsonregistered a school-record 161 stops in 1978. He recorded nine games with double-digit tackles, including in each of the last seven games of the season.

In Kendricks' 2013juniorcampaign, he led the team in tackles for the second straight season with 105 tackles and ranked third in thePac-12in tackles average with an 8.8 per game mark. He was an honorable mention All-conference academic team. He was awarded the N.N. Sugarman Award for Best Leadership on defense, the UCLA Captains Award and the Bruin Force Award at the team banquet.

Kendricks entered hisseniorseason in2014as a starter for the third straight year.[6][7]He led theFootball Bowl Subdivisionwith 149 solo tackles, and set the UCLA record for career tackles with 481, breaking the previous mark of 468 set byJerry Robinson(1976–1978).[8][9]In the Bruins' 40–35 win overKansas Statein theAlamo Bowl,Kendricks was named the game's defensivemost valuable playerafter recording 10 tackles, including threetackles for loss.[9]For the season, he won theButkus Award,given annually to the top linebacker in college football and becoming UCLA's first winner.[10]The Sporting Newsnamed him a first-team All-American,[11]theWalter Camp Football Foundationplaced him on their second team,[12]and he was also named second-team All-Pac-12.[13]

College statistics

[edit]
Season Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TfL PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2010 UCLA RedshirtRedshirt
2011 UCLA 14 3 77 52 25 2.0 4.5 3 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2012 UCLA 14 14 149 91 58 2.0 6.0 5 1 10 10.0 10 0 2 3 63 2
2013 UCLA 11 11 105 64 41 2.0 4.0 2 1 10 10.0 10 0 0 0 0 0
2014 UCLA 13 13 145 101 44 4.0 11.5 2 1 10 10.0 10 0 1 1 0 0
Totals 52 41 476 308 168 10.0 26.0 12 3 30 10.0 10 0 3 4 63 2

Awards and honors

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Professional career

[edit]

Pre-draft

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Kendricks solidified his status as one of the draft's top linebackers with an impressive performance at the2015 NFL Combine;his 4.6140-yard dashwas one of the fastest times among linebackers. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, he was ranked as the top inside linebacker prospect by DraftScout.com, the second ranked inside linebacker by NFL analystCharles Davis,the third best linebacker prospect bySports Illustratedand was ranked the fourth best linebacker prospect by NFL analystMike Mayock.[14][15][16]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft0+1⁄4in
(1.84 m) 		232 lb
(105 kg) 		31 in
(0.79 m) 		9+5⁄8in
(0.24 m)		 4.61 s 1.57 s 2.64 s 4.14 s 7.14 s 38 in
(0.97 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		 22 reps
All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[17][18]

Minnesota Vikings

[edit]

2015 season

[edit]

TheMinnesota Vikingsselected Kendricks in the second round with the 45th overall pick in the2015 NFL draft.The Vikings also selected formerUCLAlinebackerAnthony Barrin the previous draft, reuniting the teammates in theNFL.Kendricks was the sixth linebacker drafted in 2015.[19]On May 7, 2015, the Vikings signed Kendricks to a four-year, $5.15 million contract that included $2.67 million guaranteed and asigning bonusof $2.00 million.[20]

Throughouttraining camp,Kendricks competed to be the starting middle linebacker againstAudie ColeandGerald Hodges.Head coachMike Zimmernamed Kendricks the backup middle linebacker to begin the regular season, behind starter Gerald Hodges.

He made his professional regular season debut in the Vikings' season-opener at theSan Francisco 49ersand made one solo tackle during their 20–3 loss. On October 4, 2015, Kendricks earned his first career start during a 23–20 loss at theDenver Broncos.He finished the Week 4 loss with four solo tackles and made his first career sack on Broncos quarterbackPeyton Manningfor a six-yard loss during the second quarter.[21]On October 7, 2015, the Vikings tradedGerald Hodgesto the 49ers, effectively making Kendricks the starting middle linebacker for the remainder of the season. In Week 6, Kendricks collected a season-high ten combined tackles (nine solo) during a 16–10 victory against theKansas City Chiefsin Week 6. His ten combined tackles tied a franchise record by a rookie, along withHarrison Smithin 2012 andMalik Boydin 1994. On October 25, 2015, Kendricks recorded six solo tackles and a season-high two sacks on quarterbackMatthew Staffordas the Vikings defeated theDetroit Lions28–19. On October 29, 2015, Kendricks was named the NFL Defensive Rookie for the month of October, when he posted 20 combined tackles, four sacks and 5 quarterback pressures in just three games. He became the first Vikings defensive player to win Rookie of the Month honors sinceKevin Williamsdid it in 2003, and the eighth to win it overall. The last Vikings player to be selected Rookie of the Month wasCordarrelle Pattersonin December 2013.[22]Kendricks was inactive for two games (Weeks 9–10) due to a rib injury.[23]While playing 14 games in 2015, Kendricks became the first rookie to lead the Vikings in tackles (92) sinceRip Hawkinsin 1961, helpingMike Zimmer's team win its firstNFC Northtitle in six years before falling to the Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Game. He also posted 4.0 sacks, which is tied withAnthony Barrfor the 2nd-most sacks by a rookie linebacker in team history, trailing onlyDwayne Rudd,who finished his rookie season in 2015 with 5.0 sacks. On January 19, 2016, Kendricks was named to thePro Football Writers of America's (PFWA) 2015 NFL All-Rookie team.[24]Kendricks led the Vikings defense in tackles as a rookie with 92 total tackles, marking the first time a rookie has led the club in tackles sinceRip Hawkinsin 1961. Kendricks completed his rookie campaign with a total of 92 combined tackles (72 solo), four sacks, and onepass deflectionin 14 games and 11 starts.

2016 season

[edit]

After missing the entire preseason due to a hamstring injury he suffered early in training camp, Kendricks returned for the season opener game to bring back his first career interception 77 yards for a touchdown and post six tackles, including one for a loss, in Minnesota's 25–16 win over theTennessee Titansat Nissan Stadium.[25]His interception return late in the third quarter gave the Vikings their first lead of the game at 12–10 and was the sixth-longest by a Vikings linebacker ever and the longest interception return in the NFL during a Kickoff Weekend sinceHarrison Smith's 81 yarder at St. Louis in 2014.[26]For his stellar performance in week 1, Kendricks earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, becoming the eighth different Viking to win the award under head coachMike Zimmer.[27]In Week 5, Kendricks was stellar in coverage against theHouston Texans,as he gave up just two receptions on seven targets for 19 yards and broke up a pass according toPro Football Focus(PFF).[28]

2017 season

[edit]

In 2017, Kendricks started all 16 games, recording a career-high and team-leading 113 tackles.[29][30]

2018 season

[edit]

On April 16, 2018, Kendricks signed a five-year, $50 million contract extension with the Vikings with $25 million guaranteed.[31]He played in and started 14 games. He finished the season with 108 tackles, two interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble.[32]

2019 season

[edit]

In Week 6 against thePhiladelphia Eagles,Kendricks forced a fumble on tight endZach Ertzthat was recovered by teammateAnthony Barrin the 38–20 win.[33]In Week 7 against the Lions, Kendricks recorded a team high 12 tackles in the 42–30 win.[34]In Week 16 against theGreen Bay PackersonMonday Night Football,Kendricks recovered a fumble forced byAnthony BarronAaron Jonesand recovered another fumble forced byHarrison SmithonDavante Adamsduring the 23–10 loss. During Kendricks' second fumble recovery, he suffered a quad injury and was forced to exit the game.[35]

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against theSan Francisco 49ers,Kendricks intercepted a pass thrown byJimmy Garoppoloand returned it for four yards during the 27–10 loss.[36]

2020–2022 seasons

[edit]

In Week 9 of the 2020 season against the Lions, Kendricks recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown byMatthew Staffordduring the 34–20 win.[37]On November 13, 2022, Kendricks recovered a botched snap in the endzone for a touchdown to give the Vikings the lead against the Bills.[38]

On March 6, 2023, the Vikings released Kendricks.[39]

Los Angeles Chargers

[edit]

On March 14, 2023, Kendricks signed a two-year, $13.25 million contract with theLos Angeles Chargers.[40]He finished second on the team in tackles with 117 through 15 games.

On March 5, 2024, Kendricks was released by the Chargers.[41][42]

Dallas Cowboys

[edit]

On March 14, 2024, Kendricks signed with theDallas Cowboys.[43]

NFL career statistics

[edit]
Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds
2015 MIN 14 11 92 72 20 4.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2016 MIN 15 14 109 70 39 2.5 9 1 77 77.0 77 1 1 1 0
2017 MIN 16 16 113 67 46 1.0 6 1 33 33.0 33 1 0 0 0
2018 MIN 14 14 108 63 45 1.0 7 2 3 1.5 3 0 1 1 0
2019 MIN 15 15 110 70 40 0.5 12 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 2 0
2020 MIN 11 11 107 69 38 0.0 6 3 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0
2021 MIN 15 15 143 81 62 5.0 4 2 22 11.0 22 0 0 1 2
2022 MIN 17 17 137 87 50 1.0 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0
2023 LAC 15 14 117 79 38 3.5 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0
Career 132 127 1,036 658 378 18.5 57 9 133 14.8 77 2 5 6 2

Personal life

[edit]

Kendricks' brother,Mychal,was a linebacker in the NFL.[3]Their father led the Bruins in rushing in 1970 and 1971.[3][44]Kendricks is the only active NFL player to be born on aleap day.[45]

References

[edit]
  1. ^Crumpacker, John (October 29, 2011)."Kendricks brothers on opposite sides in Cal-UCLA".San Francisco Chronicle.Archivedfrom the original on December 30, 2014.
  2. ^abFoster, Chris (December 30, 2014)."Success is relative to UCLA's Eric Kendricks".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 31, 2014.
  3. ^abcd"Eric Kendricks Biography".UCLABruins.com.RetrievedDecember 31,2014.
  4. ^"UCLA football: Linebacker Eric Kendricks commits to Bruins".Los Angeles Times.November 3, 2009.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
  5. ^Foster, Chris (November 20, 2012)."Eric Kendricks' play at UCLA is no joke".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
  6. ^Miller, Ted (June 12, 2014)."Kendricks ready to lead UCLA defense".ESPN.com.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
  7. ^Foster, Chris (July 25, 2014)."UCLA's Eric Kendricks could move into the spotlight this season".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
  8. ^Terranova, Rob (November 28, 2014)."UCLA's Eric Kendricks sets new school tackle record".Pac-12.com.Archived fromthe originalon December 13, 2014.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
  9. ^ab"#11 KANSAS STATE VS. #14 UCLA GAME NOTES".AlamoBowl.com.Archivedfrom the original on January 3, 2015.
  10. ^Foster, Chris (December 9, 2014)."UCLA Linebacker Eric Kendricks Wins Butkus Award".Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^"SN All-American team: Mariota, Cooper, Gordon lead way".Sporting News.Archived fromthe originalon January 9, 2015.
  12. ^Foster, Chris (December 11, 2014)."Do Pac-12 coaches need a do-over on UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks?".Los Angeles Times.RetrievedDecember 13,2014.
  13. ^Klein, Gary (December 2, 2014)."USC places five players, UCLA one on All-Pac-12 first team in football".Los Angeles Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 3, 2014.
  14. ^Davis, Charles (April 1, 2015)."2015 NFL Draft prospect rankings by position".NFL.com.RetrievedSeptember 4,2020.
  15. ^Mayock, Mike (April 27, 2015)."2015 NFL Draft: Mike Mayock's top 100 prospects".NFL.com.RetrievedSeptember 4,2020.
  16. ^Burke, Chris (March 30, 2015)."The SI 64: Sports Illustrated's top 64 prospects in the 2015 NFL draft".si.com.RetrievedSeptember 4,2020.
  17. ^"Eric Kendricks Draft and Combine Prospect Profile".NFL.com.RetrievedJanuary 20,2024.
  18. ^"2015 NFL Draft Scout Eric Kendricks College Football Profile".DraftScout.com.RetrievedJanuary 20,2024.
  19. ^"2015 NFL Draft Listing".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedMay 15,2023.
  20. ^"Spotrac.com; Eric Kendricks contract".Spotrac.com.RetrievedSeptember 4,2020.
  21. ^"Minnesota Vikings at Denver Broncos – October 4th, 2015".pro-football-reference.com.RetrievedSeptember 4,2020.
  22. ^"Eric Kendricks Named Defensive Rookie of the Month".www.vikings.com.RetrievedOctober 29,2015.
  23. ^Pantorno, Joe (November 6, 2015)."Eric Kendricks Injury: Updates on Vikings LB's Ribs and Return".Bleacher Report.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
  24. ^"2015 NFL All-Rookie Team".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedAugust 3,2024.
  25. ^Eric Kendricks comes up big for Vikings
  26. ^"3 Stats that Stood Out: Vikings at Titans".Archived fromthe originalon September 13, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 14,2016.
  27. ^"Eric Kendricks Wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week".Archived fromthe originalon January 26, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 14,2016.
  28. ^Vikings defense forces Osweiler into awful game
  29. ^"Eric Kendricks 2017 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
  30. ^"2017 Minnesota Vikings Statistics & Players".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
  31. ^Wesseling, Chris (April 16, 2018)."Vikings sign Eric Kendricks to 5-year, $50M extension".NFL.com.
  32. ^"Eric Kendricks 2018 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
  33. ^"Cousins, Diggs fly past Eagles in Vikings' 38–20 win".ESPN.Associated Press. October 13, 2019.RetrievedOctober 13,2019.
  34. ^"Cousins has 4 TD passes as Vikings surge past Lions 42–30".ESPN.Associated Press. October 20, 2019.RetrievedOctober 20,2019.
  35. ^"Packers clinch NFC North with 23–10 win over Vikings".ESPN.Associated Press. December 23, 2019.RetrievedDecember 23,2019.
  36. ^"49ers win 1st playoff game in 6 years, 27–10 over Vikings".ESPN.Associated Press. January 11, 2020.RetrievedJanuary 11,2020.
  37. ^"Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings – November 8th, 2020".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedNovember 13,2020.
  38. ^"Vikings 33-30 Bills (Nov 13, 2022) Game Recap".ESPN.RetrievedJune 14,2024.
  39. ^Peters, Craig (March 6, 2023)."Vikings Release Eric Kendricks Ahead of 2023 Free Agency".RetrievedMarch 6,2023.
  40. ^"Los Angeles Chargers Sign All-Pro Linebacker Eric Kendricks".Chargers.com.March 14, 2023.RetrievedSeptember 21,2023.
  41. ^"Los Angeles Chargers Release Linebacker Eric Kendricks".NBC Sports.March 5, 2024.RetrievedMarch 5,2024.
  42. ^"Los Angeles Chargers Release Eric Kendricks".Chargers.com.March 5, 2024.RetrievedMarch 6,2024.
  43. ^"Cowboys agree to terms with LB Eric Kendricks".DallasCowboys.com.March 13, 2024.
  44. ^Boyles, Bob; Guido, Paul (2009).The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia 2009–2010.Skyhorse. p. 1317.ISBN9781602396777.RetrievedJanuary 11,2015.
  45. ^Kaduk, Kevin (February 28, 2020)."Leap Day: Athletes who were born on February 29".Touchdown Wire.USA Today.RetrievedSeptember 25,2020.
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