Micah Paul Pellerin (born November 23, 1988) 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 ...

in 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 ...

(NFL) for 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 ...

and

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

. He was originally 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 ...

by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

in 2012. 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 ...

Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...

Early years

Born in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Pellerin attended

Metairie Park Country Day School Metairie Park Country Day School is a private, nondenominational, co-educational college preparatory school preparatory day school in Metairie, Louisiana, with classes in grades Pre-Kindergarten– 12. The campus is located in the Old Meta ...

(in the suburb of Metairie.) his first two years of high school before his family relocated to

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...

following

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

. He enrolled at St. Josephs Catholic School in

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

. He played as a wide receiver, wing back and

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

, helping his team to a first round appearance in the state playoffs in 2006. Pellerin finished his senior season with 24 receptions for 513 yards, 6 touchdowns, 26 carries for 281 yards, 56 tackles and 5 interceptions. He received District 6-2A All-District and was team Offensive MVP honors. He also lettered in track, winning the District 6-2A championship in the

triple jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

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 ...

, and

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

as a senior. He was all-state in band, playing the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

College career

Pellerin accepted a football scholarship from the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

. As a

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

freshman, he appeared in 11 games as a backup

, making 5 tackles, one forced fumble and one recovery. He transferred to

during his sophomore season. As a sophomore, he appeared in 11 games with seven starts, collecting 32 tackles (eighth on the team), 2 tackles for loss, one interception, 8 pass breakups and one fumble recovery. As a junior, he started 10 out of 11 games, finishing the 2010 season ranked fourth in FCS and first in the MEAC with 16 total passes defended. He also posted 41 tackles and 2 interceptions. As a senior, he started 11 games, tying for first in the FCS and was first in the MEAC with 19 passes defended. He also had 51 tackles (seventh on the team), 4.5 tackles for loss and tied for second in MEAC with four interceptions. He appeared in 44 games with 28 starts at Hampton, registering 124 tackles (80 solo), 7 interceptions, 43 passes defensed and 36 pass break-ups. He graduated from Hampton in May 2011, receiving a B.S. degree in Finance. He was selected to participate in the 2012 East-West Shrine Game, and he was one of two players from historically black colleges invited to participate in the 2012 NFL Combine.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Pellerin was signed as an

by the

after the

2012 NFL Draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

on April 30. He was waived to make room for

Korey Lindsey on May 31.

Green Bay Packers

On June 1, 2012, he was claimed off waivers by 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 ...

. He was released on August 24.

Dallas Cowboys (first stint)

On December 11, 2012, he was signed to the

practice squad. In January 2013, he signed a futures contract. By having a 43.8% completion percentage allowed, Pellerin acquitted himself well during the preseason. He gave up a touchdown in the Hall of Fame game, allowed two completions on eight targets and registered his lone pass defensed of the pre-season against the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

in his four subsequent preseason appearances (85 snaps). He was released on August 31 and re-signed by the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster in week nine, to provide depth after

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 ...

suffered a hamstring injury. He appeared in 2 games until being cut on November 21, with the expectation of his returning to the practice squad after clearing waivers.

Tennessee Titans

On November 22, 2013, he was claimed off waivers by the

. He finished the remainder of the season on the active roster. He was released on August 25, 2014.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)

On August 31, 2014, he was signed to the Cowboys' practice squad. On November 9, he was promoted to the active roster for three games due to injuries to cornerbacks

and

Tyler Patmon Tyler Patmon (born January 26, 1991) is a former American football cornerback. He first enrolled at the University of Kansas before transferring to Oklahoma State University and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2014. ...

. He was released on December 8 and spent the balance of the season on the practice squad.

Cleveland Browns

On January 20, 2015, he signed a one-year free agent contract with 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 ( ...

. He was released on July 28.

Personal life

Pellerin's younger brother, Jared Pellerin, is a hip-hop artist performing under the name Pell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pellerin, Micah 1988 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football safeties Hampton Pirates football players Players of American football from Louisiana Dallas Cowboys players Tennessee Titans players Cleveland Browns players