Asante Samuel Jr.
![]() Samuel in 2021 | |||||||||
No. 26 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||||||
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Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Born: | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | October 3, 1999||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) | ||||||||
College: | Florida State (2018–2020) | ||||||||
NFL draft: | 2021 / Round: 2 / Pick: 47 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Asante Samuel Jr. (born October 3, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State[1] and was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.[2]
Early life
[edit]Samuel was born on October 3, 1999, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida[3] to Asante Samuel Sr. and Candice Doe.[4] Samuel credits his grandmother, Christine Samuel, for helping raise him and being an important person in his life.[5] When he was 14, his mother was diagnosed with a brain tumor.[6] Following surgery, his mother recovered from the brain tumor.[7]
Samuel played high school football at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.[8] He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and committed to Florida State to play college football.[9][10]
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asante Samuel Jr. CB |
Fort Lauderdale, Florida | St. Thomas Aquinas High School | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Apr 13, 2017 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Rivals:![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 46 (#6 CB, #12 FL) 247Sports: 168 (#16 CB, #21 FL) ESPN: 14 (#3 CB, #5 FL) | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
[edit]As a sophomore in 2019, Samuel was named to the third-team All-ACC team after recording 48 tackles, one interception, and 14 pass breakups.[11][12] As a junior in 2020, he was named to the first-team All-ACC team.[13]
Professional career
[edit]Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 ft 10+1⁄8 in (1.78 m) |
180 lb (82 kg) |
30+1⁄8 in (0.77 m) |
8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
4.41 s | 1.50 s | 2.56 s | 4.09 s | 6.98 s | 35.0 in (0.89 m) |
10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) |
12 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[14][15] |
Samuel was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the second round (47th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft.[16] On May 12, 2021, Samuel signed with the Chargers on a deal worth just over $7 million.[17] He recorded his first career interception in week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys.[18] He was Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week in back-to-back weeks, weeks 2 and 3.[19] As a rookie, he appeared in and started 12 games. He finished with 43 total tackles (33 solo), two interceptions, and 11 passes defended.[20]
Samuel recorded his first interception of the 2022 season in week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders.[21] In the 2022 season, Samuel appeared in all 17 games and started 15. He finished with 57 total tackles (48 solo), two interceptions, and 11 passes defended.[22] In the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, Samuel recorded three interceptions in the first half in the team’s 31–30 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.[23][24]
Personal life
[edit]He is the son of former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel.[25]
References
[edit]- ^ "Asante Samuel, Jr". Florida State Seminoles. July 13, 2018. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ Miller, Jeff (May 1, 2021). "Chargers pick cornerback, receiver, tight end on Day 2 of NFL draft". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "Asante Samuel Jr. Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ "OSDB – Asante Samuel Jr. – Los Angeles Chargers". OSDB – Online Sports Database. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ Miller, Jeff (September 11, 2021). "Asante Samuel Jr. has trouble learning from one former NFL player — his dad". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Smith, Shelley (May 15, 2021). "Los Angeles Chargers second-rounder Asante Samuel Jr.'s inherited inspiration goes beyond famous father". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "Asante Samuel Jr". Florida State Seminoles. May 26, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ Thomas, Stephen (March 22, 2021). "Cleveland Browns, Potential NFL Draft Target: Asante Samuel, Jr". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
- ^ "Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State Seminoles, Cornerback". 247Sports. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ Furones, David (December 22, 2017). "Asante Samuel Jr. stays loyal to commitment, signs with FSU". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "Clemson Leads 2019 All-ACC Football Team". The ACC. December 3, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "Asante Samuel, Jr". Florida State Seminoles. July 13, 2018. Archived from the original on May 13, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "Tigers, Irish Lead All-ACC Football Team". The ACC. December 22, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "Asante Samuel Jr. Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ "Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State, CB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
- ^ Hayre, Chris (April 30, 2021). "Chargers Draft CB Asante Samuel Jr. With 47th Pick". Chargers.com. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ Links, Zachary (May 12, 2021). "Chargers, Asante Samuel Jr. Agree to Deal". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ Robinson, Logan (September 19, 2021). "WATCH: Asante Samuel Jr. records first NFL career interception". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ Peterson, Michael (July 18, 2022). "Asante Samuel Jr. named to list of 2nd-year players to rebound from injury in 2022". Bolts From The Blue. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
- ^ "Asante Samuel 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ "Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers – September 11th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ "Asante Samuel 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ "Wild Card – Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars – January 14th, 2023". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ DeArdo, Bryan (January 15, 2023). "2023 NFL playoffs: Chargers' Asante Samuel Jr. makes history in first half of wild-card game vs. Jaguars". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 29, 2023.
- ^ Kirshner, Alex (April 13, 2017). "Asante Samuel's son is already a top recruit, and he just picked FSU". SBNation.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Los Angeles Chargers bio
- Florida State Seminoles bio Archived May 13, 2021, at the Wayback Machine