Zaire Franklin
| No. 44 –Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | July 2, 1996 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Syracuse(2014–2017) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2018/ round: 7 / pick: 235 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats atPFR | |||||||||||||
Zaire Najee Franklin(born July 2, 1996) is an American professionalfootballlinebackerfor theIndianapolis Coltsof theNational Football League(NFL). He playedcollege footballatSyracuse.
College career
[edit]Franklin played the position of Linebacker for Syracuse University Football for 2014-2017 seasons.[1]While at Syracuse, Franklin recorded 311 careertacklesover the course of 48 total games, starting the final 39 of his career. Franklin was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conferenceselection.[2]Additionally, he was only the second three-timecaptainin Orange football history and the first since 1896.[3]
Professional career
[edit]| 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+1⁄8in (1.83 m) |
239 lb (108 kg) |
31+3⁄4in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄2in (0.24 m) |
4.62 s | 1.55 s | 2.65 s | 4.22 s | 6.97 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
30 reps | |
| All values from 2017 SyracusePro Day[4] | ||||||||||||
Franklin was drafted by theIndianapolis Coltsin the seventh round, 235th overall, of the2018 NFL draft.[5]The Colts previously obtained the pick used to select Franklin by tradingHenry Andersonto theNew York Jets.Franklin made his NFL debut on September 9, 2018, against theCincinnati Bengals,recording one tackle onspecial teams.[6]He made his first careerstartatlinebackeron September 23 against thePhiladelphia Eagles,notching one tackle on defense and another on special teams.[7]In his rookie season, Franklin appeared in all 16 regular season games, starting two, and recorded 29 tackles and one pass defended.[8]
On September 8, 2020, Franklin was named one of the five team captains heading into the 2020 season.[9]
On March 16, 2022, Franklin signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Colts.[10]In the 2022 season, Franklin had three sacks, 167 total tackles (102 solo), six passes defended, and two forcedfumblesin 17 starts.[11]
In 2023, Franklin finished the season second in the league with a career-high 179 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and six passes defensed through 16 starts.[12][13]Franklin was ranked 100th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2024.[14]
On March 11, 2024, with Franklin beginning the last year of his contract, the Colts signed him to a three-year extension worth up to $31.3 million.[15]
Personal life
[edit]Franklin was the Colts nominee for the 2023Walter Payton Man of the Year Awardfor his charitable efforts in founding and leading Shelice's Angels.[16]Shelice's Angels seeks "to open doors and provide resources that will help build self esteem while providing positive reinforcement in the lives of young women" and focuses specifically in the areas of technology, community giving, and academic achievement.[17]
References
[edit]- ^"Zaire Franklin - Football - Syracuse University Athletics".Cuse.com.RetrievedMarch 12,2024.
- ^"Zaire Franklin".Cuse.com.RetrievedSeptember 4,2018.
- ^Bailey, Stephen (October 11, 2017)."Syracuse football names 2017 captains: LB Zaire Franklin 1st 3-timer since 1890s".Syracuse.com.The Post-Standard.RetrievedDecember 12,2018.
- ^"Zaire Franklin, Syracuse, OLB, 2018 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football".draftscout.com.
- ^Mock, Brett (April 28, 2018)."Indianapolis Colts Select LB Zaire Franklin with Pick 235 in NFL Draft".StampedeBlue.com.SB Nation.RetrievedJune 16,2018.
- ^"Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts - September 9th, 2018-Snap counts".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedOctober 2,2018.
- ^Walker, Andrew (September 25, 2018)."2018 Colts Rookie Watch: Week 3".Colts.com.RetrievedOctober 4,2018.
- ^Stano, Ryan (January 23, 2019)."Colts 2018 rookies: Zaire Franklin".HorseShoeHeroes.com.FanSided.RetrievedMay 4,2019.
- ^Walker, Andrew (September 8, 2020)."Colts Announce Team Captains For 2020 Season".Colts.com.RetrievedNovember 2,2023.
- ^Stankevitz, JJ (March 16, 2022)."Colts Sign LB Zaire Franklin To Contract Extension".Colts.com.RetrievedNovember 2,2023.
- ^"Zaire Franklin 2022 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedNovember 2,2023.
- ^"Zaire Franklin 2023 Game Log".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedApril 13,2024.
- ^"2023 NFL Defense".Pro-Football-Reference.com.RetrievedApril 13,2024.
- ^Foster, Amanda (July 23, 2024)."Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin ranked No. 100 on NFL Network's Top 100 Players of 2024".Colts.com.RetrievedJuly 23,2024.
- ^Erickson, Joel A. (March 11, 2024)."Colts sign Zaire Franklin to three-year extension".The Indianapolis Star.RetrievedMarch 11,2024.
- ^Stankevitz, JJ (December 5, 2023)."Colts Nominate LB Zaire Franklin For 2023 Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award".Colts.com.RetrievedDecember 5,2023.
- ^"About".Shelice's Angels.RetrievedDecember 5,2023.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics and player information fromYahoo! Sports
- Indianapolis Colts bio
- Syracuse Orange bio