Rico Gafford

Rico Gafford (born May 23, 1996) is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wyoming.

Rico Gafford
No. 10 – Las Vegas Raiders
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1996-05-23) May 23, 1996
Des Moines, Iowa
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Dowling Catholic High School (West Des Moines, Iowa)
College:Wyoming
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Receptions:2
Receiving yards:66
Receiving touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early life and high school

Gafford was born and grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. He originally attended East High School, where he both played football and ran track and was named All-State at cornerback by The Des Moines Register. He transferred to Dowling Catholic High School going into his senior year and was again named All-State. He also competed in the Iowa High School Athletic Association track and field state championships, where he set the state's 100 meter dash record at 10.61 seconds and also won the class 4A 200 meter dash title as well.[1]

College career

Gafford began his collegiate career at Iowa Western Community College, where he played two seasons and totaled 77 tackles, five interceptions and three fumble recoveries before committing to play at Wyoming for his final two seasons of college eligibility over offers from Troy and Ohio.[2] In total, he accumulated 103 total tackles, six interceptions, 17 passes defended, three forced fumbles and 1.5 tackles for loss over the course of his two seasons with the Cowboys. In his senior season, Gafford made 43 total tackles, a forced fumble and a tackle for a loss with four interceptions and six pass deflections and was named second team All-Mountain West Conference. His performance also earned him an invitation to participate in the 2018 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.[3]

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

Gafford signed with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent on April 28, 2018.[4] He was cut by the team at the end of training camp on September 1, 2018.[5]

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders

Gafford was signed to the Oakland Raiders practice squad on September 3, 2018.[6] While on the practice squad, the Raiders changed Gafford's primary position to wide receiver, in addition to his original cornerback position, due to his speed.[7] He was promoted to the Raiders' active roster on December 18, 2018.[8] Gafford made his NFL debut on December 24, 2018 in a 27-14 win against the Denver Broncos, playing on special teams.[9]

On August 31, 2019, Gafford was waived by the Raiders during final roster cuts but was re-signed to the team's practice squad the next day.[10][11] He was promoted to the active roster on November 27, 2019.[12] Gafford caught a 49 yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr for his first career reception on December 8, 2019 against the Tennessee Titans.[13] He finished the 2019 season with two catches for 66 yards and a touchdown in four games played.[14]

References
  1. Holmgren, Ryan (December 16, 2015). "Two-star junior college cornerback Rico Gafford signs with Wyoming". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  2. "Two-star junior college cornerback Rico Gafford signs with Wyoming". Billings Gazette. December 17, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  3. Foster, Brandon (January 19, 2018). "Former Wyoming cornerback Rico Gafford to play in Saturday's NFLPA Collegiate Bowl". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  4. Foster, Brandon (April 28, 2018). "Former Wyoming CB Gafford signs with Titans as undrafted free agent". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  5. Morris, Jimmy (September 1, 2018). "Titans cuts tracker 2018: Saturday's news and rumors on roster cut weekend". MusicCityMiracles.com. SB Nation. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  6. Mosher, Marcus (September 3, 2018). "Raiders fill practice squad, sign 3 players including OL Denver Kirkland". Raiders Wire. USA Today. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  7. Schneidman, Matt (November 21, 2018). "How Raiders are preparing for Ravens QB Lamar Jackson". The Mercury News. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  8. Damien, Levi (December 18, 2018). "Raiders send Gabe Jackson to injured reserve, call up two from practice squad". SilverAndBlackPride.com. SB Nation. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  9. Bair, Scott (December 25, 2018). "Raiders Snap Count: Kolton Miller, Brandon Parker Quiet Broncos Edge Rush". NBCBayArea.com. KNTV. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  10. "Raiders announce transactions - 8.31.19". Raiders.com. August 31, 2019.
  11. Smith, Tyler J. (September 1, 2019). "Raiders sign three more familiar faces to practice squad". SilverAndBlackPride.com. SB Nation. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  12. "Raiders promote Gafford". Raiders.com. November 27, 2019.
  13. "Titans win 4th straight, 42-21 over Raiders". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  14. "Raiders' Rico Gafford: Seven offensive snaps in finale". CBSSports.com. January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
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