Eric Andrew Wright (born July 24, 1985) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

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 ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

in the second round of the

2007 NFL draft The 2007 NFL draft was the 72nd annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draf ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

and

UNLV Rebels The UNLV Rebels are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). The Rebels compete in the NCAA Division I (NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Footb ...

. Wright also played for 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) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the 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 ...

College career

USC Trojans

Wright attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

(USC) for two years before attending the

University of Nevada, Las Vegas The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada, United States. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the ...

(UNLV). After being redshirted his first year, he was a starter his second year, and started in the 2005 Orange Bowl, where he recorded four tackles and an interception.

UNLV Rebels

Wright transferred to UNLV after being expelled by USC. Police found 136 tablets of Ecstasy and GHB in Wright's apartment while investigating a sexual assault allegation against Wright. Wright sat out the 2005 season due to

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

transfer guidelines. Wright played one year at UNLV before deciding to declare for the

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

. He was a university studies major.

Professional career

Cleveland Browns

Wright was selected by the

in the second round (53rd overall) of the

. The Browns acquired the pick from 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

to select Wright. While he was a projected first round pick, he fell to the second round due to his troubled college past. In Wright's first season with the Browns, he started 13 of 16 games. He recorded his first career interception on October 14, 2007, against

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

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Cleo Lemon. He won his first Defensive Player of the Week award after his performance during week 6 of the

2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League (NFL), themed with the slogan "Believe in Now." Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 1, ...

against 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

, where he had a 94-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Detroit Lions

On July 29, 2011, Wright signed with the

. During his one season for the Lions, he started all 16 games and recorded 74 tackles and four interceptions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 14, 2012, Wright signed a five-year, $37.5 million contract with the

. On July 19, 2013, Wright was traded from the

to the

for a conditional late-round 2014 draft pick . After he failed his team physical, the trade was voided causing his rights to revert to the Buccaneers who subsequently released him.

San Francisco 49ers

On August 8, 2013, Wright signed a one-year deal with the

. On August 27, 2013, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. On June 17, 2014, Wright announced his retirement from the NFL.Niners' Eric Wright retires from football
/ref>

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

*
Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Eric 1985 births Living people American football cornerbacks Cleveland Browns players Detroit Lions players San Francisco 49ers players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players UNLV Rebels football players USC Trojans football players Players of American football from San Francisco Archbishop Riordan High School alumni