Jerald Lee Hawkins (born October 16, 1993) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Louisiana State University, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft. He has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and been a member of the Houston Texans, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.

Jerald Hawkins
refer to caption
Hawkins with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020
No. 65 – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1993-10-16) October 16, 1993 (age 31)
Baldwin, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:305 lb (138 kg)
Career information
High school:West St. Mary
(Baldwin, Louisiana)
College:LSU
NFL draft:2016 / round: 4 / pick: 123
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Reserve/suspended
CFL status:American
Career NFL statistics
Games played:19
Games started:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Hawkins attended West St. Mary High School in Baldwin, Louisiana. He played both offensive and defensive tackle. He committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college football.

College career

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Hawkins was a three-year starter at offensive tackle for LSU from 2013 to 2015. He started at right tackle his first two years before switching to left for his junior year.[1][2] After his junior year he entered the 2016 NFL draft.[3][4]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Entering the 2016 NFL draft, Hawkins was projected by the majority of NFL analysts and scouts to be a second or third round pick. He received the invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all the required combine drills and positional drills. On March 14, 2016, he participated at LSU's pro day and chose to only perform the three-cone drill and positional drills for team representatives and scouts. He was ranked the ninth best offensive tackle prospect available in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[5]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 5+58 in
(1.97 m)
305 lb
(138 kg)
34+14 in
(0.87 m)
9+58 in
(0.24 m)
5.23 s 4.89 s 8.19 s 8 ft 4 in
(2.54 m)
23 reps
All values from NFL Combine,[6]

Pittsburgh Steelers (first stint)

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Hawkins was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.[7] On June 2, 2016, Hawkins signed a four-year, $2.87 million contract with a signing bonus of $530,488.[8] On August 28, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve by the Steelers after suffering a shoulder injury during a joint practice with the Detroit Lions.[9]

He entered training camp in 2017 competing for a backup offensive tackle position with Matt Feiler, Chris Hubbard, and Keavon Milton. Hawkins was named the backup left tackle behind Alejandro Villanueva to begin the regular season.[10]

On November 26, 2017, Hawkins made his professional debut against the Green Bay Packers.

On May 30, 2018, Hawkins suffered a torn quad during organized team activities.[11] He was officially placed on injured reserve on June 5, 2018, ruling him out for the 2018 season.[12]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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On August 31, 2019, Hawkins was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers along with the Steelers' seventh round pick in the 2021 NFL draft in exchange for the Buccaneers' sixth round pick in the 2021 draft.[13]

Houston Texans

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On August 10, 2020, Hawkins was signed by the Houston Texans.[14] He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[15][16]

Pittsburgh Steelers (second stint)

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On September 16, 2020, Hawkins was signed away from the Texans' practice squad by the Pittsburgh Steelers after Pittsburgh's starting right tackle Zach Banner suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 1.[17] Hawkins was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Steelers on November 10, 2020,[18] and activated on November 14.[19] He was placed back on the COVID-19 list on November 27,[20] and activated on December 7.[21]

New England Patriots

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On July 30, 2021, Hawkins signed with the New England Patriots.[22] He was released on August 16.[23]

New Orleans Saints

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On December 8, 2021, Hawkins was signed to the New Orleans Saints practice squad.[24] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Saints on January 11, 2022.[25] He was placed on injured reserve on August 6, 2022.[26] He was released on August 24.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

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On December 8, 2022, Hawkins signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[27] He started one game for the Roughriders in 2023.[28] He was placed on the reserve/suspended list on May 12, 2024.[29]

References

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  1. ^ Position switches for Vadal Alexander, Jerald Hawkins strengthen tackle posts
  2. ^ Sources: LT Jerald Hawkins is most likely LSU player to leave early[permanent dead link]
  3. ^ LSU's Jerald Hawkins declares for NFL Draft
  4. ^ LSU junior OT Jerald Hawkins declares for NFL Draft
  5. ^ "*Jerald Hawkins, DS No. 9 OT, LSU". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  6. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Jerald Hawkins". National Football League.
  7. ^ "Steelers select Hawkins in the fourth round". Steelers.com. April 30, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Chester, Simon A. (June 8, 2016). "Salary cap numbers for Jerald Hawkin's rookie contract". USAToday.com. Retrieved November 12, 2016.
  9. ^ Steelers Begin Roster Cuts; Place Rookie T Jerald Hawkins On IR
  10. ^ "NFL.com: Pittsburgh Steelers depth chart". nfl.com. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  11. ^ Fowler, Jeremy (May 30, 2018). "Source: Steelers OL Jerald Hawkins tears quad, could go to IR list". ESPN.com.
  12. ^ Varley, Teresa (June 5, 2018). "Steelers sign two; place two on IR". Steelers.com.
  13. ^ Smith, Scott (August 31, 2019). "Bucs Trade for Steelers' T Jerald Hawkins". Buccaneers.com.
  14. ^ Gantt, Darin (August 10, 2020). "Texans sign tackle Jerald Hawkins". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  15. ^ "Transactions: Roster Moves (9-5-2020)". HoustonTexans.com. September 5, 2020.
  16. ^ "Texans Announce Roster Moves (9-7-2020)". HoustonTexans.com. September 7, 2020.
  17. ^ "Steelers bring back Hawkins". Steelers.com. September 16, 2020.
  18. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 10, 2020). "Steelers place four more on Reserve/COVID-19 List". Steelers.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  19. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 14, 2020). "Steelers activate four from Reserve/COVID-19 List". Steelers.com. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  20. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 27, 2020). "Steelers place three on Reserve/COVID-19 List". Steelers.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  21. ^ Varley, Teresa (December 7, 2020). "Steelers make multiple roster moves". Steelers.com. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  22. ^ "Patriots Sign OL Jerald Hawkins". Patriots.com. July 30, 2021.
  23. ^ "Patriots Release OL Jerald Hawkins". Patriots.com. August 16, 2021.
  24. ^ "Saints sign a pair of free agent offensive linemen to the practice squad". Saints Wire. USA Today. December 9, 2021.
  25. ^ "Saints sign eight players to reserve/future contracts". NewOrleansSaints.com. January 11, 2022.
  26. ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 6, 2022.
  27. ^ "Riders Sign LSU Standout Offensive Tackle Jerald Hawkins". Saskatchewan Roughriders. December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  28. ^ "Jerald Hawkins". Footballdb.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  29. ^ "Jerald Hawkins". Footballdb.com. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
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