Justin Gilbert

Last updated

Justin Gilbert
Justin Gilbert 2014 Browns training camp (3).jpg
Gilbert with the Cleveland Browns in 2014
No. 0 – Sioux City Bandits
Position: Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1991-11-07) November 7, 1991 (age 32)
Huntsville, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school: Huntsville
College: Oklahoma State (2010–2013)
NFL draft: 2014  / Round: 1 / Pick: 8
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:42
Pass deflections:9
Interceptions:1
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Justin Rodrell Gilbert (born November 7, 1991) is an American football cornerback for the Sioux City Bandits of the National Arena League (NAL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the eighth pick in the 2014 NFL draft after playing college football at Oklahoma State. He has also been a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Contents

Early years

Gilbert attended Huntsville High School in Huntsville, Texas, where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball and track. He played as a defensive back and quarterback for the Huntsville Hornets football team, and was a two-time district MVP. He was a SuperPrep All-region selection and was ranked by that publication as the No. 51 player in Texas. As a junior, he accumulated 785 passing yards and 628 rushing yards. In his senior year, he rushed for over 1,000 yards with nine touchdowns and passed for over 800 yards. [1]

Also a standout track & field athlete, Gilbert was one of the state's top sprinters. He captured two regional titles at the 2010 State 3-4A Regional, winning the 100-meter dash, with a time of 10.47 second, and the 200-meter dash, with a time of 21.29 seconds, while also placing second in the long jump (6.78 meters) and anchoring the 4x100 squad to a second-place finish. [2]

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Gilbert was listed as the No. 37 athlete in the state of Texas in 2010. [3]

College career

Gilbert attended Oklahoma State University between 2010 and 2013. As a true freshman in 2010, Gilbert was a backup cornerback and kick returner. For the season he had 18 tackles and returned two kickoff returns for touchdowns. He was named a freshman All-American by Rivals.com. [4] As a sophomore in 2011, he had 48 tackles, five interceptions and two kickoff return touchdowns. He was the defensive MVP of the 2012 Fiesta Bowl. [5] As a junior in 2012, he had 53 tackles and one kickoff return for a touchdown. He nearly entered the 2013 NFL draft but decided against it. [6] As a senior in 2013, he set the Big 12 Conference record for kickoff return touchdowns with six. [7] He was also a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. [8] [9] Gilbert won the 2013 College Football Performance Award as the nation's top defensive back. [10] [11]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0+1⁄8 in
(1.83 m)		202 lb
(92 kg)		33+1⁄8 in
(0.84 m)		8+5⁄8 in
(0.22 m)		4.35 s1.54 s2.50 s4.39 s6.92 s35.5 in
(0.90 m)		10 ft 6 in
(3.20 m)		20 reps
All values from NFL Combine [12]

Cleveland Browns

Gilbert was considered one of the top cornerback prospects for the 2014 NFL draft. [13] [14] Gilbert was selected with the eighth pick in the first round by the Cleveland Browns. [15] After a slow start to his rookie season, when he had missed two games with an illness and a heel injury, Gilbert played in Week 14 against the Indianapolis Colts when teammate K'Waun Williams was injured. He ended the game with four tackles and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown. The Colts won 25–24.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On September 3, 2016, Gilbert was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2018 sixth-round draft pick. [16]

After not seeing the field in Week 1 against the Washington Redskins, Gilbert made his Steelers debut against the Cincinnati Bengals on September 18, playing exclusively on special teams. After another week of special teams duty against the Philadelphia Eagles, Gilbert made his debut on defense against the Kansas City Chiefs on October 2, covering Travis Kelce. Through the first 10 weeks, he played only 11 defensive snaps and was mainly used on kickoff coverage, but he returned three kickoffs for 69 yards. [17]

During the 2016 season, Gilbert played in 12 games, recording one solo tackle and assisting on two others. He also made his NFL postseason debut, playing against the Chiefs and New England Patriots, returning three kickoffs for 43 yards.

On February 6, 2017, Gilbert was released by the Steelers. [18] [19]

On June 20, 2017, Gilbert was suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for one year for violating the league's substance-abuse policy. [20]

Sioux City Bandits

On January 13, 2023, Gilbert signed with the Sioux City Bandits of Champions Indoor Football (CIF). [21] On December 18, 2023, he re-signed with the Bandits for their first season in the National Arena League (NAL). [22]

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References

  1. ↑ "Justin Gilbert Bio - Oklahoma State Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Region 3-4A Meet - Boys Final Results (FAT) (Raw)" . Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Rivals.com" . Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  4. ↑ Rivals.com Freshman All-America Team Archived September 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "2012 Fiesta Bowl". Archived from the original on December 14, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Oklahoma State football: Justin Gilbert returning for senior season". January 6, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Oklahoma State football: Justin Gilbert shows Barry Sanders 'what we do here nowadays' with kickoff return TD". November 9, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert named a Thorpe Award finalist". November 25, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Gilbert Named a Jim Thorpe Award Finalist". Archived from the original on November 28, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Gilbert Wins College Football Performance Award". Archived from the original on January 27, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert earns College Football Performance Award". January 9, 2014. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  12. ↑ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Justin Gilbert". NFL.com . Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Justin Gilbert - Oklahoma State, CB : 2014 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile" . Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert's NFL draft stock 'soaring'". NFL.com . Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  15. ↑ Farrar, Doug (May 8, 2014). "Cleveland Browns select Justin Gilbert No. 8 overall in the 2014 NFL draft" . Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Browns trade DB Justin Gilbert to Pittsburgh". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 3, 2016. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  17. ↑ Dave Bryan (November 14, 2016). "Darrius Heyward-Bey on Justin Gilbert: He's getting better". steelersdepot.com. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Steelers release Justin Gilbert". Steelers.com. February 6, 2017.
  19. ↑ Bergman, Jeremy (February 6, 2017). "Steelers release former first-rounder Justin Gilbert". NFL.com.
  20. ↑ Chavez, Chris (June 20, 2017). "Former Browns CB Justin Gilbert suspended for a year for substance abuse". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Former NFL first-round draft pick Justin Gilbert excited for new opportunity with Sioux City Bandits". January 14, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Welcome back to Bandits Kingdom Justin Gilbert". facebook.com. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
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