No. 49 | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Linebacker | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Clovis, California, U.S. | July 3, 1987||||||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 236 lb (107 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Clovis | ||||||
College: | California | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2009 / Round: 7 / Pick: 235 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
| |||||||
Player stats at PFR |
Zachary Follett (born July 3, 1987) is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football at California.
Follett began his career in football at California as a middle linebacker. He switched over to weak-side linebacker as a sophomore and then eventually to strong-side linebacker as a junior. He started 24 of 49 games over the course of his career and finished 10th on California's tackle list with 245. He set a school record and tied the Pac-10 Conference record for forced fumbles with 13. He finished fifth at California in stops behind the line of scrimmage with 51.0. Included in that total were 23.5 sacks which put him in sixth place on the school's career sacks list. Follett represented California at the 2009 Senior Bowl.
Follett was selected 235th overall in the seventh round by the Detroit Lions in the 2009 NFL draft. [1] Follett was released by the Lions during the preseason cuts on September 5, 2009. A day later, he was signed to the team's practice squad. He was activated from the practice squad on October 6, 2009, to help on special teams and made his NFL debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His first NFL tackle was on Danny Amendola of the St. Louis Rams, which was named hit of the week by the NFL Network.
On October 17, 2010, Follett was injured while covering a kickoff return against the New York Giants and had to be removed from the field. After the game the team released a statement saying "There is no evidence at this point of a fracture of the cervical spine. He has movement in all four extremities. Zack will remain here tonight and will continue to undergo extensive tests and evaluation." [2] Follett was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. [3]
On August 2, 2011, Follett was released by the Lions.
On November 7, 2011, Follett joined the Channel 4 broadcast team in London for its Sunday night coverage of the NFL. He was in England for a brief visit to preach as part of a Christian mission and to work with youths and to publicize American football. For the next two Sundays he joined the Sky Sports broadcast team for its coverage of the NFL.
Zack joined the Sky Sports broadcast team again January 7–8, 2012, for its coverage of the NFL Wild Card Weekend.
Zack is the son of Naomi and Bob Follett. He graduated with a major in American Studies. Zack's dog, a Shiba Inu named Zakarian, has been featured on Animal Planet's Dogs 101 . Zack currently resides in Fresno, California, where he owns a small chain of coffee shops called Kuppa Joy, located in the greater Fresno area. [4]
Nicholas Alexander Barnett is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft. He played professionally for the Packers, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins. Sidelined by an injury, he was unable to play with the Packers during their Super Bowl XLV win against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Teddy Lehman is an American former college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the University of Oklahoma, and was twice recognized as a consensus All-American. The Detroit Lions chose him in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft, and he also played for the Buffalo Bills and Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, and the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League (UFL).
Darnell Bing is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at Southern California.
Hunter Taverner Hillenmeyer is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft and played for the Chicago Bears from 2003 to 2010. Hillenmeyer attended high school at Montgomery Bell Academy and played college football at Vanderbilt University.
Broderick Lee Thomas is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning unanimous All-American honors in 1988.
Etuini Haloti Ngata is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, earning consensus All-American honors. Ngata was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft, and was voted to the Pro Bowl five times. Ngata played for the Ravens for nine seasons before being traded to the Detroit Lions before the 2015 NFL season. Ngata was also a member of the Philadelphia Eagles for one season in 2018 before retiring.
Rocky Michael Boiman is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft. He currently works as a football color commentator for ESPN College Football.
Robert Joseph Carpenter III is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was selected by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft. He also played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, the Detroit Lions and the New England Patriots.
Spencer Rhett Havner [HAY-vner] is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. He was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted free agent in 2006. Havner was also a member of the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions. He won Super Bowl XLV with the Packers over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Sean Patrick Lee is an American former professional football linebacker. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft. He made two Pro Bowls and the 2016 All-Pro Team.
Devon Kennard is an American former professional football linebacker. He was selected by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. In 2018, Kennard signed with the Detroit Lions. He was team captain in 2018 and 2019 and nominated for the Walter Payton Man of The Year Award in 2019. He played college football at USC.
William Clay Matthews III, primarily known as Clay Matthews, is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). The six-time Pro Bowl selection and two-time All-Pro played 10 seasons for the Green Bay Packers and 1 season for the Los Angeles Rams. He is the all-time official sack leader for the Packers, with 83.5.
Tyrone McKenzie is an American football coach and former linebacker. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft. He debuted for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010 and also played for the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at South Florida.
Travis Lewis is a former American football linebacker of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the seventh round, 223rd overall of the 2012 NFL draft. He also spent time with the Minnesota Vikings during the 2016 offseason.
DeAndre Levy is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Wisconsin, and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the third round of the 2009 NFL draft.
Nicholas Joel Perry is an American former football linebacker who played seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Green Bay Packers. He played college football at USC. Perry was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.
Eric-Nathan Marvin Kendricks is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins. As a senior in 2014, he won the Butkus Award as the nation's top collegiate linebacker. Kendricks was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft and later played for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Jarrad Davis is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Jalen Ahmad Reeves-Maybin is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee. He was drafted by the Lions in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. Reeves-Maybin has served as president of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) since 2024.
James Houston IV is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida before transferring to Jackson State.