Donovan Jamelle Warren (born January 31, 1989) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
cornerback
A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...
. Warren was signed by the
New York Jets as an undrafted free agent following the
2010 NFL Draft and has also played with the
Detroit Lions,
Pittsburgh Steelers and
Chicago Bears. He attended the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
through his junior year.
During his three years playing for the
Michigan Wolverines football team, he started in 34 of 36 games.
As a member of the
2009 Michigan Wolverines football team
The 2009 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan and competed in the Big Ten Conference. T ...
, whom he led in interceptions, he earned
2009 first team All-Big Ten recognition from the media and second-team recognition from the coaches. He had chosen Michigan over his hometown favorite
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
because he believed that he would be able to play immediately there. Warren had played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
at
Long Beach Polytechnic High School
Long Beach Polytechnic High School, founded in 1895 as Long Beach High School, is a four-year public high school located at 1600 Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach, California, United States. The school serves portions of Long Beach, including Bixby ...
in California.
Early years
A native of
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
, Warren attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School, where he tallied 114
tackles
Tackle may refer to:
* In football:
** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football
** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football
** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...
, 15 pass breakups, five
interception
In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...
s and three
fumble recoveries during his prep career. Considered a five-star recruit by ''
Rivals.com
Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel.
History
Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...
'', Warren ranked third among cornerback prospects and twenty-fifth overall in the nation.
Scout.com
Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...
ranked him fourth among cornerbacks, and
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
ranked him eighth. He was named to the ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgi ...
'' All-USA second-team and the
EA Sports
EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network ...
All-American second-team at cornerback.
[ Warren participated in the 2007 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.] Warren ran a 10.6 seconds time in the 100 meters in high school.[
At the beginning of the recruiting process, Warren was considered very likely to play for the ]USC Trojans football
The USC Trojans football program represents University of Southern California in the sport of American football. The Trojans compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Pac-12 ...
team, since they had four players from his high school on the roster and his godfather, Mark Carrier, was a USC alumn. However, USC had a lot of depth at cornerback at the time and Warren (as well as his father) had a good relationship with Michigan assistant coach Ron English.[ When Warren made Michigan his final decision, he was noted as feeling that his heart wanted him to choose USC, which was the school he had grown up rooting for, but his head led him to Michigan where he could play immediately and work under the tutelage of English, who had developed many defensive backs who went on to the ]National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
.
College career
As a true freshman
Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...
at Michigan, Warren played in all 13 season games while starting 11 of them at cornerback. He recorded 52 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception and six pass breakups.[ In the September 15, 2007 Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry game, which Michigan won 38–0, he forced and recovered a ]Jimmy Clausen
James Richard Clausen (born September 21, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 2010 to 2015. He played college football at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in t ...
fumble on the Notre Dame 21-yard line while the score was 3–0. The fumble led to a Mike Hart touchdown five plays later.[ He was named Big Ten Defensive Freshman of the Year by '']The Sporting News
The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...
'' and also made TSN′s and ''College Football News
''College Football News'' (''CFN'') is a magazine and website published by College Football News, Inc., headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. News coverage includes scores, statistics, rankings, and reports on college football games. Analysis includ ...
''′ Freshman All-American second-team.
As a sophomore, he started ten games at cornerback and one at safety.[ During the November 1, 2008 game at Purdue, he recovered a fumble on Purdue's opening possession that led to a Brandon Minor 45–yard touchdown run on the next play.
As a junior, he started all 12 games at cornerback.][ That season, he led the Wolverines with four interceptions, which ranked tied for sixth in the Big Ten Conference and 49th in the nation. He recorded one in each of Michigan's first three conference games during the ]2009 Big Ten Conference football season
The 2009 Big Ten Conference football season was the 114th for the conference, and saw Ohio State conclude the regular season as Big Ten Conference champion for the 5th consecutive time, their 34th Big Ten title. This earned them the conference's ...
, including a controversial one to seal the team's fourth consecutive victory to start the season in their conference opener against the Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of Indiana University Bloomington, named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Indiana. The Hoosiers participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Ath ...
that withstood instant replay
Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred which was both shot and broadcast live.
The video, having already been shown live, is replayed in order for viewers to see again and analyze what had j ...
video review. He ran back the third of these interceptions for a 40-yard touchdown
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...
in the first minute of the third conference game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. At the conclusion of the season, he was selected as to the 2009 All-Big Ten conference team by the media (first-team) and coaches (second-team).
Professional career
Pre-draft
On December 20, 2009, Warren announced his decision to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility and enter the 2010 NFL Draft. Warren stated that the NFL's Draft Advisory Board advised him that if he entered the draft, he would be selected in the first three rounds. When Warren signed Drew Rosenhaus as his sports agent, he was projected as a first or second round draft choice. Warren was considered to be a man-to-man defense
Man-to-man defense, or man defense, is a type of defensive technique used in team sports such as American football, association football, basketball, and netball, in which each player is assigned to defend and follow the movements of a single pla ...
specialist who needed to develop his zone defense
Zone defense is a type of defense, used in team sports, which is the alternative to man-to-man defense; instead of each player guarding a corresponding player on the other team, each defensive player is given an area (a zone) to cover.
A zone def ...
skills. Some sources, such as Todd McShay
Todd Marshall McShay (born March 22, 1977) is an American football television analyst and commentator.
Early life
McShay attended North Shore Christian School in Lynn, Massachusetts and then Swampscott High School in Swampscott, Massachusetts, ...
, who felt he was just a cut below the top five cornerbacks in the draft prior to the 2010 NFL Combine
The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...
, had predicted that Warren could be selected in the second round. ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr.
Mel Kiper Jr. (; born July 25, 1960) is an analyst covering American football for ESPN. He has appeared on ESPN's annual NFL draft coverage since 1984, providing in-depth information on the nation's potential draft picks.
Career
Kiper said th ...
predicted Warren would be drafted in the third or fourth round of the draft, describing him as “a physical corner" who "likes going head to head on an island with the best receivers in the country, he’s never had an issue with that. Anticipation is good. Gambler, though. Gave up some big plays.” Warren aggravated an ankle injury shortly before the NFL Combine, where he struggled in position drills and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds. His disappointing performance was cited as damaging his draft stock.
New York Jets
Despite earlier predictions, Warren was not selected in the draft. He signed as an undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
with the New York Jets immediately after the draft. Warren's godfather, former Pro Bowl
The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players.
The format has changed thro ...
defensive back Mark Carrier, is an assistant coach with the Jets. The 2010 New York Jets have several cornerbacks on their roster, including Darrelle Revis
Darrelle Shavar Revis (born July 14, 1985) is an American former football cornerback who played in National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college football at Pittsburgh and was selected in th ...
, Antonio Cromartie
Antonio Cromartie (born April 15, 1984) is a former American football cornerback and current cornerback coach for the Texas A&M Aggies football team. He played college football at Florida State and was drafted in the first round by the San Diego ...
, Dwight Lowery
Dwight Larte Lowery (born January 23, 1986) is a former American football Safety (American and Canadian football position), safety. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at San ...
, Drew Coleman
Drew Antrion Coleman (born April 22, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. After playing college football for Texas Christian, he was selected by the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) in the sixth round of the 2006 ...
, Marquice Cole and first-round pick Kyle Wilson. Some sources speculate that Warren would be converted to safety. Jets head coach Rex Ryan
Rex Ashley Ryan (born December 13, 1962) is an American former football coach and analyst. Ryan was formerly the head coach of the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), and also held various coaching position ...
said that although Warren would be practicing at both cornerback and safety, he felt that Warren's best shot was at safety. Warren, who was sidelined during most of the Jets training camp sessions with a concussion, was waived by New York on September 3, 2010. Warren would be signed to the team's practice squad on September 6, 2010. Warren would later be released from the team's practice squad on September 7, 2010.
2011
Warren signed a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on January 7, 2011. He was cut September 4, 2011. Warren then signed with the Detroit Lions a few days later and was placed on the practice squad. Warren was released from the Lions practice squad on September 20, 2011.
2012
On January 6, 2012, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Chicago Bears. On June 12, 2012, he was waived by the Bears.
Personal life
Warren's uncle Chuckie Miller played for the Indianapolis Colts and his father, Alvin, played football at New Mexico State
New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...
.[ His godfather, Carrier, is an assistant coach for the Cincinnati Bengals.
]
References
External links
Michigan Wolverines bio
Warren's college stats
at ESPN.com
ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc.
History
Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
Warren's college statistics
at NCAA.org
Warren archive
at ''AnnArbor.com
''AnnArbor.com'' was an online newspaper that covered local news of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the surrounding Washtenaw County. In 2013 ''AnnArbor.com'' was transitioned to MLive.com along with Advance Publications other Michigan newspapers an ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Warren, Donovan
1989 births
Living people
American football cornerbacks
Chicago Bears players
Detroit Lions players
Michigan Wolverines football players
New York Jets players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Players of American football from Long Beach, California