Genard Avery
| No. 55 – Cleveland Browns | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: |
April 26, 1995 Grenada, Mississippi | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Grenada (Grenada, Mississippi) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Memphis | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2018 / Round: 5 / Pick: 150 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2018 | |||||||||||||
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Genard Avery (born April 26, 1995) is an American football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Memphis.[1]
High school career
Avery attended Grenada High School, where he was named to the Clarion-Ledger 2013 All-State Team and was the Most Valuable Player of Mississippi 6A Region. He played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game, and was a member of The Clarion-Ledger’s Targeted 22.[2] H registered 111 tackles and six sacks and forced five fumbles as a junior to earn Class 6A All-State honors.[2][3]
As a senior, Avery tallied 75 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. He also saw playing time on offense, accounting for 72 rushing yards on 18 carries and five offensive touchdowns. During senior year, recorded a season-high 10 tackles (9 solo stops) in a 51-14 win over DeSoto Central.[2]
Avery was also a Class 6A state champion powerlifter and four-year track and field letter-winner.[2]
College career
As a freshman at Memphis, Avery had five tackles. As a junior, he had 81 tackles including 11 for loss and two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Avery followed that up with 80 tackles including 22 tackles for loss.[4][2]
Avery played in 50 career games with 34 starts, including every game of his final two seasons. His 45.5 career tackles for loss ranks second in the Memphis record book behind Tim Harris (49). His 21.5 sacks ranks third in program history behind Martin Ifedi (22.5) and Tramont Lawless (22). His 22.0 tackles for loss as a senior is a new Memphis single season record.[1][2]
Avery had 232 career tackles, which is fifth all-time at Memphis, adding four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, seven passes defended and two interceptions, both returned for touchdowns in 2016.[2]
He graduated from the University of Memphis in December 2017, completing his degree in Organizational Leadership in 3 1/2 years.[1][2]
Professional career
Avery was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round (150th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[4]
On May 13, 2018, Avery signed a rookie contract worth just under $2.7 million. It includes a signing bonus worth $280,000.[5] In the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Avery recorded one stirp sack and four total tackles in his NFL debut.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 "Memphis football trio overcame adversity to prepare for NFL Draft". CommercialAppeal.com. April 25, 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 https://gotigersgo.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5133
- ↑ "Avery wins state powerlifting title". The Grenada Star. Retrieved 2018-10-03.
- 1 2 "Browns select Memphis LB Genard Avery with No. 150 pick in 2018 NFL Draft". ClevelandBrowns.com. April 28, 2018. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ↑ Cabot, Mary kay (May 22, 2018). "Browns sign 5th-round draft pick Genard Avery to 4-year deal worth about $2.695 million". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- ↑ Rutter, Joe. "Steelers let 14-point advantage slip away, settle for tie with Browns". Trib Live. Retrieved 2018-10-03.