| Profile | |
|---|---|
| Position | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born | September 12, 2002 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 227 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Madison-Ridgeland (Madison, Mississippi) |
| College | South Carolina (2022–2023) Mississippi State (2024) |
| NFL draft | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Stone Blanton (born September 12, 2002) is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Blanton attended Madison-Ridgeland Academy in Madison, Mississippi. As a sophomore he totaled 99 tackles, five sacks and one pass break. [1] As a senior Blanton notched 125 tackles with 26 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. [2] Coming out of high school, he was rated as a four-star recruit and held offers from schools such as Auburn, Louisville, Mississippi State, Ole Miss Oregon, Stanford, and Texas A&M. [3] Initially, Blanton committed to play college baseball for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. [4] However he eventually committed to play college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. [3]
As a freshman in 2022, Blanton appeared in 12 games where he totaled seven tackles with a tackle and a half being for a loss. [5] In week 4 of the 2023 season, he notched four tackles and a forced fumble versus Mississippi State. [4] In week 11, Blanton returned an interception 88 yards for the game-sealing touchdown versus Jacksonville State. [6] During the 2023 season, he was a team captain for the Gamecocks, where he notched 52 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, an interception, and a touchdown. [7] After the season, Blanton entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. [2]
Blanton transferred to play for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. [4] In week 13 of the 2024 season, he notched a season-high 18 tackles versus Missouri. [8] Blanton finished the 2024 season with 125 tackles with three and a half being for a loss, three pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery. [8] After the season, he decided to forgo his final season of eligibility and declare for the 2025 NFL draft. [8]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Bench press | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+7⁄8 in (1.88 m) | 227 lb (103 kg) | 30+1⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 4.36 s | 7.34 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | 16 reps | |||||
| All values from Pro Day [9] | ||||||||||||
On May 12, 2025, Blanton signed an undrafted free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers. [10] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts. [11] Blanton was re-signed to the practice squad on October 22. [12] He was released on November 4 and re-signed to the practice squad on November 19. [13] [14] On November 26, Blanton was released after the team signed Eric Kendricks. [15]