| 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 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||
Mekhi Blackmon (born March 18, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at College of San Mateo, the University of Colorado, and the University of Southern California.
Early years
Blackmon was born in Hayward, California. [1] He grew up in East Palo Alto, California and attended Menlo-Atherton High School.
College career
Blackmon 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
| 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.
References
- ^ "Mekhi Blackmon". Colorado Buffaloes Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
- ^ "Colorado Signs CB Mekhi Blackmon". Rivals.com. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ Munsterteiger, Adam (19 June 2018). "Buffaloes Will Likely Add Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon". CBS News. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ Desai, Evan (26 July 2022). "New USC Football Cornerback achieves ecstatic ranking on transfer portal DB countdown". Region of Troy. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ Kunnath, Avinash. "Football Recruiting: Colorado Grad Transfer Cornerback Mekhi Blackmon Picks USC over Cal, Utah". Wire for California. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ "Mekhi Blackmon". Sports Reference. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ "2022 USC Trojans Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ "2022 Pac-12 Football Performance Awards, presented by Nextiva, and All-Conference honors announced". Pac-12. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ "USC Trojans". NFL Mock Draft Database. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
- ^ "MEKHI BLACKMON CB USC". NFL Draft Buzz. Retrieved 12 April 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.