Mekhi Blackmon (born March 18, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Mateo Bulldogs, the Colorado Buffaloes and the USC Trojans.
| No. 5 – Minnesota Vikings | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | March 18, 1999 Hayward, California, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Menlo-Atherton (Atherton, California) | ||||||||||
| College: | San Mateo (2017) Colorado (2018–2021) USC (2022) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2023 / round: 3 / pick: 102 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Injured reserve | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||
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Early life
editBlackmon was born in Hayward, California.[1] He grew up in East Palo Alto, California and attended Menlo-Atherton High School.
College career
editBlackmon played one year of community college football at College of San Mateo before committing to Colorado in 2018.[2][3]
Blackmon played four years at Colorado before deciding to transfer to USC.[4][5] In his collegiate career he totaled 142 tackles, 4 being for a loss, 1 sack, 5 interceptions, 24 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 forced fumbles.[6] His best collegiate year occurred during the 2022 season when he posted 66 tackles, 2 going for a loss, 3 interceptions, 12 pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. For his performance, he was named First Team All-Pac-12 Conference.[7][8]
He was projected to be a 5th to 6th round selection in the 2023 NFL draft.[9][10]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
178 lb (81 kg) |
31 in (0.79 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.47 s | 1.54 s | 2.57 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) |
10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) |
11 reps | |||
| All values from the NFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Blackmon was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round, 102nd overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft.[13] In Week 10, Blackmon recorded his first career interception in a 27–19 win against the New Orleans Saints.[14]
On July 24, 2024, it was announced that Blackmon had suffered a torn ACL, ruling him out for the entirety of the ensuing season.[15]
References
edit- ^ "Mekhi Blackmon". Colorado Buffaloes Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "Colorado Signs CB Mekhi Blackmon". Rivals.com. June 26, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ Munsterteiger, Adam (June 19, 2018). "Buffaloes Will Likely Add Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon". CBS News. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ Desai, Evan (July 26, 2022). "New USC Football Cornerback achieves ecstatic ranking on transfer portal DB countdown". Region of Troy. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ Kunnath, Avinash (January 20, 2022). "Football Recruiting: Colorado Grad Rransfer Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon Picks USC over Cal, Utah". Write For California. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ "Mekhi Blackmon". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "2022 USC Trojans Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Pac-12 Football Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva, and All-Conference honors announced". Pac-12. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "USC Trojans". NFL Mock Draft Database. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "MEKHI BLACKMON CB USC". NFL Draft Buzz. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "Mekhi Blackmon Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Mekhi Blackmon College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
- ^ Peters, Craig (April 28, 2023). "Vikings Draft USC Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon". Vikings.com. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
- ^ "Vikings' Mekhi Blackmon: Gets first career interception". CBSSports.com. November 14, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
- ^ Allen, Ely (July 24, 2024). "Vikings CB Mekhi Blackmon Tears ACL". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved July 28, 2024.