Leon McFadden Jr. (born October 26, 1990) 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 with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

. He was selected by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

in the third round of the

2013 NFL draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. 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 ...

San Diego State San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

Early life

McFadden attended St. John Bosco High School in

Bellflower, California Bellflower is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was founded in 1906 and municipal corporation, incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total popu ...

, and played high school football for the Bosco Braves. As a senior, he recorded 32 receptions for an average of 16.3 yards per catch, 7 touchdowns, 48 tackles and 4 interceptions, while being selected to the

Trinity League The Trinity League is a high school athletic conference in Southern California, part of the CIF Southern Section. The League is regarded as one of the most competitive high school football leagues in the United States; High School Football America ...

first-team defense. Against Lutheran High School, he had a season-high 7 receptions for 108 yards. He was also a standout athlete for the St. John Bosco High School track team. He was timed at 10.9 seconds in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contest ...

in 2008. He had a career-best leap of 6.46 meters in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

College career

McFadden accepted a football scholarship from

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a public research university in San Diego, California. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CSU) system ...

to play as a wide receiver, but was switched to

. As a true freshman, he started 6 games (including the first 5) out of 12, posting 26 tackles, one sack, one interception and 2 blocked extra points. Against

Southern Utah University Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...

, he blocked a kick and returned it after a lateral for a defensive extra point. As a sophomore, he was named a regular starter at cornerback and also served as the punt returner. He registered 55 tackles (third on the team), 7 tackles for loss (third on the team), 10 passes defensed and 2 interceptions. As a junior, he had 46 tackles (3 for loss), 2 interceptions and 17 passes defended (led the conference). As a senior, he recorded 61 tackles, 3 interceptions (2 returned for touchdowns) and 12 passes defended. During his college career, he accumulated 188 tackles (13 for loss), 39 pass break ups, 8 interceptions (2 returned for touchdown), 3 sacks and one forced fumble. He also returned 17 punts for 116 yards (6.8-yard average) and blocked an extra point. He was just the fifth player in school history to be named a first-team All-MWC selection for three years.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

McFadden was selected by the

in the third round (68th overall pick) of the

. On August 30,

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, McFadden was released by the Browns.

New York Jets

He was claimed off waivers by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

on August 31,

. He was released on September 11.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 1,

, he was signed by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. On November 1, he was promoted to the active roster. He was released by the 49ers on September 5,

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Arizona Cardinals

On September 7,

, the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

signed McFadden to their practice squad.

New York Giants

On October 21,

, the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

signed McFadden from the

practice squad. He was waived on December 5. On December 8, he was signed to the practice squad. On January 4,

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, McFadden signed a reserve/future contract with the Giants. He was waived by the Giants on September 3,

Dallas Cowboys

On October 24,

, the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

signed McFadden to their practice squad. On November 5, after injuries to

Morris Claiborne Morris Lee Claiborne (born February 7, 1990) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Louisiana State University (LSU), where he won the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in the country and was unanimous ...

and

Barry Church Barry Michael Church (born February 11, 1988) is a former American football strong safety. He played college football at the University of Toledo and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2010. Church has also played for t ...

, the Cowboys were forced to promote him to the active roster. Playing in his second game against 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 ...

, he allowed a pump-fake touchdown from

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footba ...

Antonio Brown Antonio Tavaris Brown Sr. (born July 10, 1988), nicknamed "AB", is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent, and an American rapper. Raised in Liberty City, Miami, Brown attended Miami Norland High School. He played college fo ...

, although he was one of the few Cowboys players that reacted to the play. He was mostly a core

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

player during the season. On August 29, 2017, McFadden was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was released on September 2,

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Atlanta Falcons

On December 4,

, McFadden was signed by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, to provide depth while

Brian Poole Brian Poole (born 2 November 1941)Eder, BruceBrian Poole Biography, Allmusic. Retrieved 17 August 2014 is a singer and performer who was the lead singer of 1960s beat band The Tremeloes (1957–62) and then Brian Poole and The Tremeloes (1962� ...

recovered from a back injury. He was declared inactive the rest of the season and the playoffs. On March 13,

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, he signed a one-year contract extension. He was released on August 31, 2018.

Personal life

His father,

Leon McFadden Leon McFadden (born April 26, 1944) is a former right-handed Major League Baseball shortstop and outfielder who played from to for the Houston Astros. He also played one season in Japan for the Hanshin Tigers, in . Career Prior to playing pro ...

, was a

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

and

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to cat ...

for the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

between 1968 and 1970.

References

External links

San Diego State Aztecs bioCleveland Browns bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McFadden, Leon 1990 births Living people American football cornerbacks Arizona Cardinals players Atlanta Falcons players Cleveland Browns players Dallas Cowboys players New York Giants players New York Jets players Players of American football from Bellflower, California San Diego State Aztecs football players San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from Inglewood, California St. John Bosco High School alumni