Asante Samuel Jr.

Asante Samuel Jr. (born October 3, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State[1] and was drafted by the Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft.[2]

Asante Samuel Jr.
refer to caption
Samuel in 2021
No. 26 – Los Angeles Chargers
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1999-10-03) October 3, 1999
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school:St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
College:Florida State (2018–2020)
NFL Draft:2021 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2022
Total tackles:100
Fumble recoveries:1
Pass deflections:22
Interceptions:5
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life

Samuel was born on October 3, 1999, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida[3] to Asante Samuel Sr. and Candice Doe.[4] Samuel credits his grandmother, Christine Samuel, for helping raise him and being an important person in his life.[5] When he was 14, his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor.[6] Following surgery, his mother recovered from the brain tumor.[7]

High school career

Samuel played high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[8] He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and committed to Florida State to play college football.[9][10]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Asante Samuel Jr.
CB		 Fort Lauderdale, Florida St. Thomas Aquinas High School 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Apr 13, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 46 (#6 CB, #12 FL)  247Sports: 168 (#16 CB, #21 FL)  ESPN: 14 (#3 CB, #5 FL)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

College career

As a sophomore in 2019, Samuel was named to the third-team All-ACC team after recording 48 tackles, one interception, and 14 pass breakups.[11][12] As a junior in 2020, he was named to the first-team All-ACC team.[13]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in
(1.78 m)		 180 lb
(82 kg)		 30+1⁄8 in
(0.77 m)		 8+7⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		4.41 s1.50 s2.56 s4.09 s6.98 s35.0 in
(0.89 m)		10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		12 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[14][15]

Samuel was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round (47th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft.[16] On May 12, 2021, Samuel signed with the Chargers on a deal worth just over $7 million.[17]

2021 season

Samuel recorded his first career interception in week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys.[18] He was Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks, weeks 2 and 3.[19] As a rookie, he appeared in and started 12 games. He finished with 43 total tackles (33 solo), two interceptions, and 11 passes defended.[20]

2022 season

Samuel recorded his first interception of the 2022 season in week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders.[21] In the 2022 season, Samuel appeared in all 17 games and started 15. He finished with 57 total tackles (48 solo), two interceptions, and 11 passes defended.[22]

In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Samuel recorded three interceptions in the first half in the team’s 31-30 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.[23][24]

Personal life

He is the son of former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel.[25]

References
  1. "Asante Samuel, Jr". Florida State Seminoles. July 13, 2018. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  2. Miller, Jeff (May 1, 2021). "Chargers pick cornerback, receiver, tight end on Day 2 of NFL draft". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. "Asante Samuel Jr. Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  4. "OSDB - Asante Samuel Jr. - Los Angeles Chargers". OSDB - Online Sports Database. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  5. Miller, Jeff (September 11, 2021). "Asante Samuel Jr. has trouble learning from one former NFL player — his dad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  6. Smith, Shelley (May 15, 2021). "Los Angeles Chargers second-rounder Asante Samuel Jr.'s inherited inspiration goes beyond famous father". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  7. "Asante Samuel Jr". Florida State Seminoles. May 26, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  8. Thomas, Stephen (March 22, 2021). "Cleveland Browns, Potential NFL Draft Target: Asante Samuel, Jr". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  9. "Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State Seminoles, Cornerback". 247Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  10. Furones, David (December 22, 2017). "Asante Samuel Jr. stays loyal to commitment, signs with FSU". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  11. "Clemson Leads 2019 All-ACC Football Team". The ACC. December 3, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  12. "Asante Samuel, Jr". Florida State Seminoles. July 13, 2018. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  13. "Tigers, Irish Lead All-ACC Football Team". The ACC. December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  14. "Asante Samuel Jr. Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  15. "Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State, CB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  16. Hayre, Chris (April 30, 2021). "Chargers Draft CB Asante Samuel Jr. With 47th Pick". Chargers.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
  17. Links, Zachary (May 12, 2021). "Chargers, Asante Samuel Jr. Agree to Deal". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  18. Robinson, Logan (September 19, 2021). "WATCH: Asante Samuel Jr. records first NFL career interception". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  19. Peterson, Michael (July 18, 2022). "Asante Samuel Jr. named to list of 2nd-year players to rebound from injury in 2022". Bolts From The Blue. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  20. "Asante Samuel 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  21. "Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers - September 11th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  22. "Asante Samuel 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  23. "Wild Card - Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars - January 14th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  24. DeArdo, Bryan (January 15, 2023). "2023 NFL playoffs: Chargers' Asante Samuel Jr. makes history in first half of wild-card game vs. Jaguars". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
  25. Kirshner, Alex (April 13, 2017). "Asante Samuel's son is already a top recruit, and he just picked FSU". SBNation.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.