Antuan Edwards
Encyclopedia
Antuan Edwards is a retired American football
player. He played safety in the National Football League
. Edwards was drafted by the Green Bay Packers
in the first round (25th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
out of Clemson University
.
, safety, and running back. He was named All-American as a safety in his senior
year. At Clemson, he started thirty-three games and recorded a total of 219 tackles, with eight interceptions. During his senior year, he was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference
and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe
award.
and Mike McKenzie.
Edwards would play all sixteen games of his rookie season, starting one of them. During the course of the year, he made a total of thirty tackles (twenty-six solo), had four interceptions, and was named to the College & Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie team. The following season, he started three games but saw his tackle total go down to twenty-five, while defending nine passes and two interceptions. Edwards only played in three games in 2001 when he suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve. In 2002, he started the season as the team's starting safety, but was replaced early on by rookie Marques Anderson
following a forearm injury. He spent the rest of the season as a backup and totaled forty-four tackles.
and started a career-high twelve games, and recorded 51 tackles. He would finish the season on injured reserve
following a late-season injury. He left the Packers at the end of the season to join the Miami Dolphins
. He started eight games for the team and had 35 tackles when he was released from the team. He was claimed by the St. Louis Rams
, where he ended the season with five starts and 30 more tackles. Edwards then signed with the New England Patriots
but was cut, and signed with the Atlanta Falcons
. He started one game and had eleven tackles for the season, but was cut early on. He joined the Washington Redskins
, but was released early in camp.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played safety in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. Edwards was drafted by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in the first round (25th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
out of Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
.
High school - college career
He attended Starkville High School in Mississippi, where he played quarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, safety, and running back. He was named All-American as a safety in his senior
Twelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
year. At Clemson, he started thirty-three games and recorded a total of 219 tackles, with eight interceptions. During his senior year, he was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
and was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe
Jim Thorpe
Jacobus Franciscus "Jim" Thorpe * Gerasimo and Whiteley. pg. 28 * americaslibrary.gov, accessed April 23, 2007. was an American athlete of mixed ancestry...
award.
Early career
Edwards was selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, the first of three consecutive defensive backs the Packers would take in that draft; the others being Fred VinsonFred Vinson (American football)
Fred Vinson , is a former American football defensive back.He is the cousin of National Football League safety Corey Chavous and is also related to Barney Chavous, former defensive end/defensive tackle for the Denver Broncos.- High school & college :When he was ten years old, Vinson competed in the...
and Mike McKenzie.
Edwards would play all sixteen games of his rookie season, starting one of them. During the course of the year, he made a total of thirty tackles (twenty-six solo), had four interceptions, and was named to the College & Pro Football Weekly All-Rookie team. The following season, he started three games but saw his tackle total go down to twenty-five, while defending nine passes and two interceptions. Edwards only played in three games in 2001 when he suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve. In 2002, he started the season as the team's starting safety, but was replaced early on by rookie Marques Anderson
Marques Anderson
Marques Anderson is a former American football safety in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in from UCLA.Anderson also played for the Oakland Raiders,...
following a forearm injury. He spent the rest of the season as a backup and totaled forty-four tackles.
Later career
He beat out Anderson for the starting job in 20032003 NFL season
-Milestones:The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:-Team:-Individual:-Awards:-External Links:**-References:*NFL Record and Fact Book *...
and started a career-high twelve games, and recorded 51 tackles. He would finish the season on injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
following a late-season injury. He left the Packers at the end of the season to join the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He started eight games for the team and had 35 tackles when he was released from the team. He was claimed by the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, where he ended the season with five starts and 30 more tackles. Edwards then signed with the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
but was cut, and signed with the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He started one game and had eleven tackles for the season, but was cut early on. He joined the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, but was released early in camp.