Nicholas Easton (born June 16, 1992) is an American former professional
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
player who was a
offensive guard
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 ...
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). Easton 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 ...
for
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. In the NFL, he was a member of the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
,
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 ...
,
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
, 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
Easton played
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
at
Hibriten High School
Hibriten High School (HHS) is a comprehensive, four-year high school accredited by the NC Department of Public Instruction and the Southern Colleges and Schools. The school is located at the foot of Hibriten Mountain, the western end of the Brushy ...
in
Lenoir, North Carolina
Lenoir is a city in and the county seat of Caldwell County, North Carolina, Caldwell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 18,263 at the 2020 census. Lenoir is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. To the north ...
, where he earned All-State honors, served as team captain his senior year and was twice named All-Conference and All-County. As a senior, he started as a center on the first undefeated regular season team in school history. Easton was also a four-year member of the American Field Service Club and a letterman in
track & field
Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...
. Easton was a conference and county champion in
discus, placing fourth in the regional championships with a throw of 41.15 meters (135 ft) as a senior.
College career
Easton attended
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, where he played for the
Harvard Crimson football
The Harvard Crimson football program represents Harvard University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). Harvard's football program is one of the oldest in the world, having begun c ...
team from 2010 to 2014. He did not play in any game as a true freshman in 2010. He played in 24 career games for Harvard and was a first-team All-Ivy League, BSN All-American, third-team FCS All-American and first-team FCS North All-American selection after starting all 10 contests as a senior in 2014.
As a sophomore in 2011, Easton appeared in four games; he was part of an offensive line unit that helped the Crimson earn an
FCS No. 2 ranking in scoring offense, tallying 374 points (37.4 avg) and 51 total
touchdowns
A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether Rush (gridiron football), running, Forward pass, passing, returning a Kickoff (gridiron football), kickoff or Punt (gridiron football), punt, or recovering a Turno ...
. He helped pave the way for running back Treavor Scales to rush for career highs in yards, with 847 and touchdowns with 8.
Easton did not participate on the football team in 2012.
As a junior in 2013, Easton saw action in 10 games, earning All-
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...
first-team honors, College Sports Madness All-Ivy second-team and
FCS All-New England team honors. Harvard's offensive line achieved an FCS Top 10 ranking for team passing efficiency (7th overall) and allowed quarterback Conner Hempel to throw for a career-high 157 completions, 1,866 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Easton was a first-team All-
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...
, fourth-team, BSN All-American, third-team FCS All-American and first-team FCS North All-American selection after starting all 10 contests as a senior in 2014. He also earned Academic All-Ivy League honors after majoring in economics. He was part of a Crimson offensive line unit that protected quarterback Scott Hosch, allowing him to set career highs in attempts, completions, passing yards and touchdowns en route to a perfect 10-0 season. He helped pave the way for running back Paul Stanton to rush for a career-high 990 yards on 147 attempts and 11 touchdowns.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Baltimore Ravens
Easton signed with the
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...
as a rookie free agent on May 7, 2015. He was one of the team’s most consistent players during the preseason, earning the Ravens’ top overall grade (+9.1) from
Pro Football Focus
Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...
. His grade from PFF was also the highest of any
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
in the preseason and the seventh-best grade of any position player in the NFL.
San Francisco 49ers
On September 5, 2015, Easton was acquired 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 ...
from Baltimore in exchange for a conditional seventh-round selection in 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 ...
.
Minnesota Vikings
On October 6, 2015, the 49ers traded Easton and a 2016 sixth-round pick to the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
in exchange for linebacker
Gerald Hodges
Gerald Davon Hodges Jr. (born January 17, 1991) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Penn State. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round, 120th overall, of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Early years ...
.
Easton made his first-career start in place of starting center
Joe Berger
Joseph David Berger ( ; born May 25, 1982) is a former American football guard in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round of the ...
in Week 13 of the 2016 season against 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 ...
. The following week, Easton again filled in for Berger for the second straight game after the veteran was unable to clear the concussion protocol.
Easton earned himself a starting guard spot for the Vikings in 2017, starting 12 games at left guard before suffering a fractured right ankle in Week 16. He was placed on injured reserve on December 26, 2017.
On August 13, 2018, Easton was placed on injured reserve after suffering a neck injury in training camp.
New Orleans Saints
On March 17, 2019, Easton signed a four-year $24 million contract with 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 ...
to be their starting center after
Max Unger
Maxwell McCandless Unger (born April 14, 1986) is a former American football center (American football), center who played in the National Football League for 10 seasons. He played college football at Oregon Ducks football, Oregon and was draft ...
retired.
On January 9, 2021, Easton was placed on injured reserve. He was released by the Saints on February 12, 2021.
References
External links
Harvard Crimson football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Easton, Nick
1992 births
Living people
Players of American football from North Carolina
People from Lenoir, North Carolina
American football centers
Harvard Crimson football players
Baltimore Ravens players
San Francisco 49ers players
Minnesota Vikings players
New Orleans Saints players