Nathan Hairston (born June 30, 1994) 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 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 ...

for the Arizona Cardinals of 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). He played college football at

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia ...

Professional career

On December 21, 2016, it was announced that Hairston had accepted his invitation to play in the

2017 East-West Shrine Game Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japane ...

. He impressed draft scouts and analysts during Shrine Game practices. On January 21, 2017, Hairston recorded three combined tackles as part of the East team that lost 10–3 to the West in the 2017 East-West Shrine Game. Hairston attended the

NFL Scouting 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 ...

in Indianapolis and completed the majority of combine and positional drills. On March 8, 2017, Hairston participated at Temple's pro day, but stood on the majority of his combine numbers and only performed the three-cone drill, short shuttle, and positional drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Hairston was projected to be drafted anywhere from the fifth to seventh rounds by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 30th best cornerback prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.

Indianapolis Colts

2017

The Indianapolis Colts selected Hairston in the fifth round (158th overall) of the

. Hairston was the 23rd cornerback drafted in 2017. On May 11, 2017, the Indianapolis Colts signed Hairston to a four-year, $2.66 million

contract A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...

that includes a signing bonus of $267,758. Hairston entered training camp as a backup cornerback and special teams player and was slated to be a developmental project. Head coach Chuck Pagano named Hairston the fourth cornerback on the Colts' depth chart to begin the regular season in 2017. He was listed on the depth chart behind

Vontae Davis Vontae Ottis Davis (born May 27, 1988) is a former American football cornerback who played for the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts, and Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Illinois, and was draf ...

Rashaan Melvin Rashaan DeMarcus Melvin (born October 2, 1989) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Northern Illinois, and signed with Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2013. College career Melvin started 27 ...

, and Quincy Wilson. He made his professional regular season debut in the Indianapolis Colts' season-opener at the Los Angeles Rams and made one solo tackle in their 46–9 loss. The following week, Hairston made his first career start as a nickelback after Vontae Davis was ruled inactive due to a groin injury. He recorded four solo tackles and made his first career sack on Cardinals' quarterback

Carson Palmer Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football at ...

in their 16–13 overtime loss to the 2017 Arizona Cardinals. On October 1, 2017, Hairston collected a season-high six combined tackles and forced a safety for the first scoring play of his career during a 46–18 loss at the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4. Hairston sacked Seahawks' quarterback Russell Wilson for a six-yard loss in the first quarter in the endzone for his first career safety. Hairston was inactive for the Colts' Week 5 win against 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 ...

due to a

quadriceps The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

injury. On November 26, 2017, Hairston recorded five combined tackles, made a season-high two pass deflections, and also made his first career interception in the Colts' 20–16 loss against the

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 hom ...

in Week 12. He made his first career interception off a pass by Titans' quarterback

Marcus Mariota Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota pl ...

, that was originally intended for wide receiver Taywan Taylor, and returned it for a ten-yard gain in the second quarter. Hairston was inactive for the Colts' Week 15 loss to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

after suffering a concussion the previous week. He finished his rookie season in 2017 with 36 combined tackles (25 solo), five pass deflections, two sacks, one interception, and a safety in 14 games and four starts.

2018

On January 1, 2018, the Indianapolis Colts fired head coach Chuck Pagano after the Colts finished with a 4–12 record in 2017. On February 11, 2018, the Indianapolis Colts hired former Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator

Frank Reich Frank Michael Reich Jr. (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Maryland a ...

as their new head coach. Hairston competed against

Kenny Moore Kenneth Clark Moore (December 1, 1943 – May 4, 2022) was an American Olympic road running athlete and journalist. He ran the marathon at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing fourth at the latter. Early life Moore was born in Portland ...

and Pierre Desir to be a starting cornerback to begin the regular season. Head coach Frank Reich named Hairston a starting cornerback to begin the regular season, alongside Kenny Moore and safeties

Malik Hooker Malik Hooker (born April 2, 1996) is an American football safety for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts with the 15th overall pick in the ...

and Clayton Geathers. Hairston was inactive for the Colts' Week 5 loss at the New England Patriots on

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to 20 ...

due to a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupe ...

injury.

New York Jets

On August 28, 2019, Hairston was traded to the New York Jets for a conditional 2020 sixth round pick. In week 14 against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

, Hairston recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by

Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. During his career, Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine different teams, the most ...

in the 22–21 win. Hairston was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, but was re-signed two days later. He was waived on October 1, 2020.

Baltimore Ravens

On October 12, 2020, Hairston was signed to 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 it ...

' practice squad.

Denver Broncos

On December 12, 2020, Hairston was signed by the

off the Ravens' practice squad. He was released by the Broncos on April 8, 2021, but re-signed with the team the next day. He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 14, 2021.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 28, 2022, Hairston signed a one year deal with the Minnesota Vikings. He was released on August 30, 2022.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 21, 2022, Hairston was signed to the Arizona Cardinals practice squad. He was placed on the practice squad/injured list on December 28, 2022. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2023.

References

External links

Temple Owls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hairston, Nate 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Frederick, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland American football cornerbacks American football wide receivers Temple Owls football players Indianapolis Colts players New York Jets players Baltimore Ravens players Denver Broncos players Minnesota Vikings players Arizona Cardinals players