Jerald Hawkins (born October 16, 1993) is an
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 with ...
offensive tackle
Offensive may refer to:
* Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative
* Offensive (military), an attack
* Offensive language
** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
who is currently a member of the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
. He was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
. He has also played for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
and
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
, and has been a member of the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
and
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
.
Early years
Hawkins attended
West St. Mary High School in
Baldwin, Louisiana
Baldwin is a town in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,436 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, down from 2,497 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. It is part of the Morgan City, ...
. He played both offensive and
defensive tackle
A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...
. He committed to
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
(LSU) to play college football.
College career
Hawkins was a three-year starter at offensive tackle for LSU from 2013 to 2015. He started at right tackle his first two years before switching to left for his junior year. After his junior year he entered the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
.
Professional career
Entering the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
, Hawkins was projected by the majority of NFL analysts and scouts to be a second or third round pick. He received the invitation to the
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 Footba ...
and completed all the required combine drills and positional drills. On March 14, 2016, he participated at LSU's pro day and chose to only perform the three-cone drill and positional drills for team representatives and scouts. He was ranked the ninth best offensive tackle prospect available in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Hawkins was drafted by the
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...
in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the
2016 NFL Draft
The 2016 NFL Draft was the 81st annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...
. On June 2, 2016, Hawkins signed a four-year, $2.87 million contract with a signing bonus of $530,488. On August 28, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve by the Steelers after suffering a shoulder injury during a joint practice with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
.
He entered training camp in competing for a backup offensive tackle position with
Matt Feiler
Matt Feiler (born July 7, 1992) is an American football guard for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Bloomsburg (PA).
College career
Feiler played college football at Bloomsburg Unive ...
,
Chris Hubbard, and
Keavon Milton. Hawkins was named the backup left tackle behind
Alejandro Villanueva
Carlos Alejandro Villanueva Martínez (4 June 1908 – 11 April 1944) was a Peruvian association football, footballer who played for Alianza Lima and the Peru national football team. He is considered one of the most important Alianza strikers i ...
to begin the regular season.
On November 26, 2017, Hawkins made his professional debut against the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
.
On May 30, 2018, Hawkins suffered a torn
quad
Quad as a word or prefix usually means 'four'. It may refer to:
Government
* Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, a strategic security dialogue between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States
* Quadrilateral group, an informal group which inc ...
during organized team activities. He was officially placed on injured reserve on June 5, 2018, ruling him out for the 2018 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On August 31, 2019, Hawkins was traded to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
along with the Steelers' seventh round pick in the
2021 NFL Draft
The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...
in exchange for the Buccaneers' sixth round pick in the 2021 draft.
Houston Texans
On August 10, 2020, Hawkins was signed by the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
. He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.
Pittsburgh Steelers (II)
On September 16, 2020, Hawkins was signed away from the Texans' practice squad by the Steelers after Pittsburgh's starting right tackle
Zach Banner
Zachery Samuel Banner (born December 25, 1993), nicknamed "The Hulk", is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. At Lakes High School, he was a two-time All-American offensive lineman. He played tackle in college foo ...
suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 1. Hawkins was placed on the reserve/
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
list by the Steelers on November 10, 2020, and activated on November 14. He was placed back on the COVID-19 list on November 27, and activated on December 7.
New England Patriots
On July 30, 2021, Hawkins signed with the
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. He was released on August 16.
New Orleans Saints
On December 8, 2021, Hawkins was signed to the
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on January 11, 2022. He was placed on injured reserve on August 6, 2022. He was released on August 24.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
On December 8, 2022, Hawkins signed with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL).
References
External links
LSU Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Jerald
1993 births
Living people
Players of American football from Louisiana
American football offensive tackles
LSU Tigers football players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
People from Baldwin, Louisiana
Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
Houston Texans players
New England Patriots players
New Orleans Saints players