Tarik Cohen

Tarik Cohen
refer to caption
Cohen with the 2015 Celebration Bowl Offensive MVP Award
No. 29 – Chicago Bears
Position: Running back
Personal information
Born: (1995-07-26) July 26, 1995
Bunn, North Carolina
Height: 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight: 181 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High school: Bunn (Bunn, North Carolina)
College: North Carolina A&T
NFL Draft: 2017 / Round: 4 / Pick: 119
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Deacon Jones Trophy (2016)
  • MEAC All-time leading Rusher (2016)
  • Walter Camp FCS All-American (2016)
  • AFCA FCS Coaches Second Team All-American (2016)
  • Black college football national championship (2015)
  • 2015 College Sporting News Fabulous Fifty FCS All-American Team (All-Purpose)
  • 2015 SBN/Doug Williams Offensive Player of the Year
  • 2015 Celebration Bowl Offensive MVP
  • 2× SBN All-American Team (2014, 2015)
  • STATS FCS Third-Team All-American (2014, 2015, 2016)
  • 3× Boxtorow All-American (2014, 2015, 2016)
  • 3× MEAC Offensive Player of the Year (2014, 2015, 2016)
  • 2013 MEAC Rookie of the Year
  • 3× First-Team All-MEAC (2013, 2014, 2015)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2018
Rushing attempts: 114
Rushing yards: 509
Receptions: 67
Receiving yards: 522
Total return yards: 996
Total touchdowns: 5
Player stats at NFL.com

Tarik Cohen (born July 26, 1995) is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Cohen played the same position for North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University before being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Early life

Cohen attended Bunn High School in Bunn, North Carolina, excelling at football and track and field.[1] As a senior, he helped lead the Wildcats to a 9–3 record and a third-round finish in the 2011 NCHSAA 2A playoffs.[2] In his two years on the varsity team, he rushed for a total 808 yards, including 252 earned in a single game. He earned team MVP and all-conference honors in football and state championships in Track as he was part of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Class 2A state champion 4×100 meter relay team.[3]

College career

Cohen's size was a point of concern to many schools interested in recruiting him for football. As a result, North Carolina A&T was the only Division I school to offer Cohen a football scholarship.[2]

2013 season

As a freshman, starting in six of the 11 games played in the 2013 season, Cohen was positioned as a part of a group of freshmen players poised to take over the Aggie program after senior running backs Ricky Lewis and Dominique Drake graduated. Since Lewis would, however, get injured, and Drake was sidelined with a concussion, Cohen was able to prove his value in the October 12 game against Hampton.[4] In that game, Cohen carried the ball 22 times for 180 yards and a touchdown.[5] Cohen followed up his performance two weeks later with 32 carries for 210 yards and three touchdowns against Florida A&M.[6] Cohen completed his freshman season leading the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) with 1,148 rushing yards and the conference's rookie of the year honors.[7][8] Cohen's performance made him the first A&T freshman to break the 1,000 yard mark and only the third freshman in MEAC history to do so.[9]

2014 season

Cohen began his sophomore season with three consecutive 100+ rushing yard games, rushing for 161 yards in the season opener against Alabama A&M, 133 yards against Coastal Carolina, and a career-best 234 yards against Elon.[10][11][12][9] Cohen also posted 236 all-purpose yards (155 rushing and 81 receiving), in the October 9 game against Hampton and closed the season with 203 yards against arch rival North Carolina Central.[13][14][15] Cohen finished the 2014 season with 1,340 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, both being the second-highest single-season totals in A&T history.[9][16] Cohen also earned MEAC co-offensive player of the year, along with All-American recognition from SBN, BoxtoRow, and Stats FCS.[17][18]

2015 season

In the summer before the 2015 season, a YouTube video of Cohen completing catches while simultaneously doing backflips became viral across multiple social media platforms and led to an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter where he demonstrated the catches on live television.[19] Cohen's 2015 season was highlighted by a number of record-setting performances including a career-best 295 yards, and offensive MVP recognition, at the 2015 Celebration Bowl.[20] Cohen's other accomplishments from the season include: multiple single-season school records with 1,543 total rushing yards, 264 carries and 15 touchdowns, equaling the record he set the season before.[9][21] Cohen also earned MEAC Offensive Player of the year for the second consecutive year, along with all-american recognition from College Sporting News, sheridan broadcasting network, BoxtoRow, and Stats FCS. Cohen was also the SBN Offensive Player of the Year.

2016 season

Cohen began his final collegiate season by breaking a number of school records. In the 2016 season opener against Division II St. Augustine's, Cohen's two touchdowns put him over the record for receiving and rushing touchdowns at 42.[22] In the September 29, 2016 game against Division I FBS Kent State, Cohen would continue breaking records as his 256-yard and three-touchdown performance broke both Stoney Polite's 41 career rushing touchdown record and James White's 25-year record for longest run from scrimmage at 89 yards.[23] In the October 15, 2016, game against Bethune-Cookman, Cohen became the first player in school history to rush for at least 200 yards in three consecutive games.[24][25][26] Cohen's A&T career would end with him becoming the MEAC's all-time leading rusher with 5,619 yards. Cohen's performance also made him the first player in school history to pass the 5,000 career rushing yard mark.[27] Cohen ended his final season as the first player in MEAC history to be named conference offensive player of the year for 3 consecutive seasons.[28] His performance would also make him the MEAC's all-time leading rusher, and the first player in school history to break the 5,000-yard mark. On the national level, Cohen was placed on the watch lists for national awards such as the Deacon Jones Trophy, which he won, and the Walter Payton Award, where he ultimately finished fifth in the voting.[29][30] Cohen also earned All-American recognition from several national organizations and media outlets including: the NCAA, STATS FCS and BoxToRow. He was also named to the 2016 Walter Camp Football Championship Subdivision All-American team and he was named a second-team AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-American selection.[30] In addition to setting new School and Conference rushing yardage records, Cohen further cemented his legacy by breaking the single-season touchdown record with 19 and tying the school record for the single-season rushing touchdowns record with 18. He also holds other school records including rushing touchdowns, total touchdowns, and total points at 56, 59, and 339 respectively.[31] Cohen closed his college career by playing in the 2017 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

College statistics

YearTeamGamesRushingReceiving
AttYdsAvgTDRecYdsAvgTD
2013NC A&T111951,1485.981115213.81
2014NC A&T111971,3406.815252379.51
2015NC A&T122641,5435.815252178.70
2016NC A&T122121,5887.518373399.21
Career468685,6196.556989459.63

Source:[32][33]

Professional career

According to Alex Marvez of the Sporting News, Cohen had been in talks with, and also worked out for, a number of teams going into the 2017 NFL Draft including the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and Green Bay Packers.[34] Cohen's size and abilities drew many comparisons to Darren Sproles, and he was projected to be a sixth round pick in the upcoming draft.[35] Cohen, one of only four athletes from a Historically Black College, was among the 330 NFL hopefuls invited to participate in the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine.[36] At a height of 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), he was the smallest running back in attendance, where he ran the third fastest 40-yard (37 m) dash time among the running backs at 4.42 seconds.[37][38]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad BP
5 ft 6 in
(1.68 m)
179 lb
(81 kg)
29 34 in
(0.76 m)
10 18 in
(0.26 m)
4.42 s 1.47 s 31.5 in
(0.80 m)
9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
11 reps
All values were taken at the NFL Scouting Combine.[35]

Cohen was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round, 119th overall, of the 2017 NFL Draft.[39] He was the tenth running back to be selected in the 2017 NFL Draft.[40][41] In addition, he was the first player from North Carolina A&T to be selected since offensive lineman Junius Coston was selected in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.[42] He was one of three non-FBS players taken by the Bears in the draft, the first time since 2002 that the team took three non-FBS players in a single draft.[43]

On September 10, 2017, in his NFL debut, Cohen finished the game with five carries for 66 yards and eight receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown in a 23–17 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Soldier Field.[44] In Week 3, a 23–17 overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had 12 carries for 78 yards and four receptions for 24 yards.[45] On October 15, against the Baltimore Ravens, Cohen threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Miller, making him the shortest player to throw a touchdown since Wee Willie Smith, who also stood at 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) when he threw a touchdown in 1934.[46] Cohen recorded the first rushing touchdown of his career against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome during Week 8.[47] On December 3, Cohen returned a punt against the San Francisco 49ers for a 61-yard touchdown.[48] He is the second rookie since Gale Sayers in 1965 to record a rushing, passing, receiving, and punt return touchdown.[49] Overall, in his rookie season, Cohen finished with 370 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 358 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, and one passing touchdown.[50]

In Week 4 of the 2018 season, Cohen recorded seven receptions for 121 receiving yards in the 48–10 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[51]

References

  1. Finley, Patrick. "From Bunn to Bears, RB Tarik Cohen is 'not small — he's just short'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  2. 1 2 Ware, Donal. "Former Bunn runner Tarik Cohen stars for N.C. A&T". News & Observer. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  3. "Tarik Cohen Bio". NCATAggies.com. North Carolina A&T Athletics. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  4. Thompson, Mark. "Cohen provides a rush for A&T's offense". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  5. "North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Hampton Pirates - Box Score - October 12, 2013". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  6. "North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Florida A&M Rattlers - Box Score - October 26, 2013". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  7. "Tarik Cohen 2013 NCAA FB Game Log". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  8. Mills, Jeff. "A&T's Tarik Cohen packs big talent on small frame". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Tarik Cohen Bio". NCATAggies.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  10. "Alabama A&M Bulldogs vs. North Carolina A&T Aggies - Box Score - August 31, 2014". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  11. "Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. North Carolina A&T Aggies - Box Score - September 6, 2014". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  12. "North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Elon Phoenix - Box Score - September 13, 2014". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  13. Marshall, Kendrick (10 October 2014). "North Carolina A&T Fights Off Hampton". HBCU Sports. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  14. "North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. North Carolina Central Eagles - Box Score - November 22, 2014". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  15. "A&T Loses At NCCU, Share MEAC Title". NCATAggies.com. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  16. "Tarik Cohen 2014 NCAA FB Game Log". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  17. "MEAC ANNOUNCES 2014 FOOTBALL ALL-MEAC AWARDS". MEACSports.com. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  18. "FCS football: STATS releases its 2015 All-America Team". NCAA.com. 15 December 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  19. Dickerson, Jeff. "He did what? Bears draft pick Tarik Cohen can catch pass while doing backflip". ESPN.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  20. Berkes, Peter. "The Celebration Bowl was amazing". SBNation.com. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
  21. "Tarik Cohen 2015 NCAA FB Game Log". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  22. "Aggies Breeze to Season-Opening Victory". www.ncataggies.com. NC A&T Athletics. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  23. "North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Kent State Golden Flashes - Box Score - September 10, 2016". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  24. "Tarik Cohen 2016 NCAA FB Game Log". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  25. "North Carolina A&T Aggies vs. Bethune-Cookman Wildcats - Box Score - October 15, 2016". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  26. "North Carolina A&T Too Much For Bethune-Cookman in 52-35 Win". HBCU Sports. 16 October 2016. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  27. "MEAC Announces Football Offensive and Defensive Players Of The Year". MEACSports.com. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  28. Holloway, Brian. "N.C. A&T's Tarik Cohen Wins 3rd Player Of Year". WFMY. North Carolina A&T Athletics. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  29. "Cohen Named HBCU Football Player Of The Year". WFMY. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  30. 1 2 "Cohen Adds Numerous All-American Honors". NCATAggies.com. North Carolina A&T Athletics. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  31. "Cohen Adds Numerous All-American Honors". NCATAggies.com. NC A&T Athletics. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  32. Mills, Jeff. "Tarik Cohen soaking up senior season at N.C. A&T". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  33. "Tarik Cohen Stats - Season & Career Statistics". www.foxsports.com. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  34. Kerr, Jeff. "Eagles, four other teams work out RB Tarik Cohen". Philadelphia Eagles. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  35. 1 2 "2017 NFL Draft Profile: Tarik Cohen". NFL.com. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  36. Mills, Jeff. "Scouts' eyes focus on Tarik Cohen's hands at Aggies' Pro Day". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  37. Mills, Jeff (April 29, 2017). "Chicago-bound: A&T's Tarik Cohen chosen in fourth round of NFL Draft". Greensboro News & Record. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  38. Blake, J. Mike. "Bunn graduate Tarik Cohen runs third-fastest 40 time at NFL combine". News Observer. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  39. Mayer, Larry (April 29, 2017). "Bears take RB Cohen in Round 4". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
  40. "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  41. "Draft Finder Query Results". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  42. "North Carolina A&T Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  43. Dickerson, Jeff. "Chicago Bears draft three of five players from below FBS level". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
  44. Mayer, Larry (September 11, 2017). "3 things that stood out in Week 1 loss". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2017-09-14. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  45. Mayer, Larry (September 24, 2017). "Game Recap: Bears top Steelers in overtime". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2017-09-26. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  46. Florio, Mike (October 15, 2017). "Tarik Cohen becomes shortest player to throw touchdown pass in 83 years". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  47. Mayer, Larry (October 29, 2017). "Game Recap: Bears fall to Saints in New Orleans". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  48. Mayer, Larry (December 3, 2017). "Game Recap: Bears lose late to 49ers". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  49. Kane, Coleen (2017-12-03). "Play of the game: Bears rookie Tarik Cohen flashes 'special gift' with bewildering punt return for TD". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  50. "Tarik Cohen 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  51. "Bears Pound Buccaneers 48-10". CBS - Chicago. 2018-09-30. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
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