Ben Edwards (American football)

Last updated

Ben Edwards
No. 83
Position: Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1992-04-10) April 10, 1992 (age 32)
Newport News, Virginia, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school: York (VA)
College: Richmond
Undrafted: 2014
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× First-team All-CAA (2012, 2013)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions:1
Receiving yards:9
Receiving touchdowns:0
Player stats at PFR

Ben Edwards (born April 10, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He played football and basketball at York High School in Yorktown, Virginia. He played college football at Richmond for four years. Edwards earned First-team All-CAA honors in 2012 after leading the CAA in receptions with 80. He was also named First-team All-CAA his senior year in 2013. After going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft, Edwards remained unsigned until being signed by the New York Giants in May 2015. He played in two games for the Giants in 2015, catching one pass for nine yards. He spent the entire 2016 season on injured reserve and became a free agent afterwards.

Contents

Early years

Edwards played high school football at York High School in Yorktown, Virginia. [1] He earned Offensive Player of the Year honors in the Bay Rivers District during his junior year in 2008. [1] [2] He also garnered First-team All-District and All-Region accolades as both a quarterback and kick returner. Edwards earned Second-team All-District accolades as a punter as well. [3] [1] In late September 2009, he suffered a sprained ankle, which slowed him for several weeks. [4] [5] [6] In late October 2009, he suffered a broken collarbone that caused him to miss two games. [7] [4] [8] He played basketball at York High as well. He averaged 14.0 points and 5.4 assists per game in his junior year, garnering All-District honors. [1]

He had scholarship offers from the University of Richmond, James Madison University and the College of William & Mary. [9]

College career

Edwards played wide receiver for the Richmond Spiders of the University of Richmond from 2010 to 2013. [1]

He played in ten games, starting five of them, throughout his freshman season in 2010, catching nine passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. In 2011, he appeared in eleven games, of which he started ten, recording 44 receptions for 509 yards and six touchdowns. Edwards earned CAA All-Academic accolades the same year. [1]

He started all eleven games in his junior year in 2012 and led the CAA in receptions with 80. He also totaled 852 yards receiving and three receiving touchdowns. Edwards rushed for 117 yards on sixteen attempts that same year as well. He garnered First-team All-CAA, First-team VaSID All-State, College Sports Madness Third-team All-CAA, CAA All-Academic and Touchdown Club of Richmond Division I National End/Wide Receiver of the Year honors in 2012. [1]

He played in nine games his senior year in 2013, catching 74 passes for 706 yards and five touchdowns. [1] Edwards also rushed for 138 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries while returning 12 punts for 124 yards. [10] [1] He earned First-team All-CAA, Second-team VaSID All-State, College Sports Madness Second-team All-CAA, CAA All-Academic and Touchdown Club of Richmond Division I National End/Wide Receiver of the Year accolades in 2013. He also garnered College Sports Madness Third-team All-CAA punt returner recognition in 2013. [1] Edwards tore his ACL in a game against the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens on November 16, 2013, and underwent surgery for the injury ten days later. [11] [12] [13] He majored in leadership at Richmond. [14] [15]

Professional career

Edwards participated in Richmond's Pro Day on March 18, 2014, but did not run the 40-yard dash. [16] [13] [14] He visited the New York Giants in April 2014. [11] [17] He was rated the 155th best wide receiver in the 2014 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com. [18] Edwards had a tryout with the Cleveland Browns of the NFL on August 5, 2014. [17] [19] He worked as a recruiter at Fork Union Military Academy in 2014. [9] He was also an assistant coach with Fork Union's postgraduate football team and varsity lacrosse team during the 2014–15 academic year. [20] [21] He participated in the Giants' three-day rookie minicamp in May 2015. [22]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Bench press
5 ft 10+1⁄2 in
(1.79 m)		200 lb
(91 kg)		4.52 s6.80 s11 reps
All values from Richmond Pro Day [18]

Edwards signed with the New York Giants on May 11, 2015, after a strong performance in rookie minicamp. [23] [24] [22] He suffered a hamstring injury at the end of mandatory minicamp in June. [25] [26] [27] He was waived/injured by the Giants on July 31. [28] [29] Edwards reverted to injured reserve on August 1, 2015. [23] He was waived from the injured reserve list with an injury settlement on August 7, 2015. [30] [17] He then spent time as a wide receivers coach at York High School while recovering from his hamstring injury before being signed to the Giants' practice squad on November 18, 2015. [12] [23] [31] Edwards was promoted to the active roster on December 24 after wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was suspended for one game. [23] [28] He made his NFL debut on December 27, 2015, against the Minnesota Vikings, catching one pass for nine yards on two targets while also returning a kickoff for twenty yards. He also played against the Philadelphia Eagles on January 3, 2016. [32]

Edwards suffered a mild left knee sprain during voluntary workouts on April 27, 2016. [33] [34] He later returned to offseason workouts. [35] [26] He tore the ACL in his knee during practice on May 7 and was later ruled out for the season. [35] [17] [36] Edwards was waived/injured by the team on May 9. [17] [37] [38] He reverted to injured reserve the following day. [17] [39]

After spending the entire 2016 season on injured reserve, he was not offered a contract by the Giants, making him a free agent. [40]

Statistics

YearTeamGPGSReceiving
RecYdsAvgLngTD
2015 NYG 20199.090

Source: [41]

Personal life

Edwards's father played football for the Virginia Tech Hokies. [1] Ben's brother, Aaron, played as a quarterback for the Christopher Newport Captains football team. [1] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. T. O'Sullivan</span> American gridiron football player (born 1979)

John Thomas O'Sullivan is an American former professional football quarterback who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), two seasons in NFL Europe and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the UC Davis Aggies, starting for three years and throwing for career totals of 10,745 yards and 96 touchdowns. He was named a first-team All-American in 2000 and a second-team All-American in 2001. He was inducted into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T. T. Toliver</span> American football player (born 1977)

Antoine "T. T." Toliver is a former arena football wide receiver. He played football and basketball at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. In 1995, he was named the Class 5A Player of the Year in football and was also runner-up for Florida's Mr. Football Award. In basketball, Toliver helped Mainland win the Class 6A state championship in 1995 and 1996. He played college football and basketball at Hinds Community College, where he was named the 1997–98 Junior College Player of the Year as a quarterback. He later transferred to Bethune-Cookman University, where he played basketball but not football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rakeem Cato</span> American football player (born 1992)

Rakeem Cato is an American football quarterback who is a quarterback for the Kansas City Goats of The Arena League. He played college football at Marshall and was the Thundering Herd's starting quarterback from 2011 to 2014. As a professional, he has played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Richmond Roughriders of the American Arena League (AAL), Gulf Coast Fire of the A-League, Orlando Predators of the National Arena League (NAL), and the Iowa Rampage of the Arena Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Preston (American football)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1989)

Michael Preston is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Heidelberg in Tiffin, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Hills (American football)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1987)

Joseph Hills is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina from 2007 to 2008 before transferring to Tennessee State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julian Talley</span> American football player (born 1989)

Julian Talley is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He played college football for the Massachusetts Minutemen.

Sederrik Cunningham is a former American football wide receiver. Cunningham played college football at Furman University and attended Zephyrhills High School in Zephyrhills, Florida. He has been a member of the Green Bay Packers, Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos. Currently working as pass game coordinator for Prince George Kodiaks

Juston Wood is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently an offensive analyst at Arizona State University. He played three seasons in the Arena Football League with the New York Dragons and Philadelphia Soul. He played college football at Portland State. He was also a member of the Minnesota Vikings and Central Valley Coyotes.

Thomas Gilson, Jr is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Sharks of the National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has been a member of the Lehigh Valley Steelhawks, Cleveland Gladiators, Los Angeles Kiss, Portland Steel and Washington Valor.

Peter Alan Thomas is a quarterbacks coach at Cincinnati and former Arena Football League (AFL) quarterback. He has previously coached at Louisville and Appalachian State.

Robb-Davon Butler is a former American football defensive back who played one season with the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He was a three-year letterman in both football and track at Perry Traditional Academy in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He earned All-State honors in football for his senior year in 1998. Butler played college football at Pittsburgh for two years as a cornerback. He then transferred to Robert Morris and played wide receiver. He redshirted his first season and caught 29 passes for 459 yards his second season. Butler converted to strong safety his senior season in 2003 and earned First-team Division I-AA All-American honors. After going undrafted in the 2004 NFL Draft, he signed with the Chargers. He played in five games for the Chargers in 2004, recording seven total tackles and two kickoff returns. He later spent time with the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Brigade, Erie RiverRats and Wheeling Wildcats.

Devonta Montrell "Tay" Glover-Wright is a Canadian football cornerback. He played college football at Highland, Eastern Arizona and Utah State. He has also been a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants.

Jordan Cornell Williams is a former American football linebacker. He played his senior season of high school football at Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Florida. He played college football at Tennessee for four years. Williams played in 44 games, of which he started 21, during his college career, recording 66 tackles and 6.5 sacks. After going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, he signed with the New York Jets and spent time on the team's practice squad before being released in September 2015. He was then signed by the Miami Dolphins, where he spent time on both the practice squad and active roster, before being released in September 2016. He was then signed to the Giants' practice squad in December 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connor Hamlett</span> American football player (born 1992)

Connor Hamlett is a former American football tight end. He lettered in football, basketball and track at Meadowdale High School in Lynnwood, Washington, where he earned All-State honors in football his senior year. He played college football at Oregon State, recording career totals of 104 receptions for 1,109 yards and 10 touchdowns. He finished third in school history in receptions for a tight end and fifth in receiving yards for a tight end. He was named Pac-12 All-Academic second-team his junior season in 2013 and Pac-12 All-Academic first-team his senior season in 2014. Hamlett signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars after going undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, and has since been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Hotshots, and Seattle Dragons.

Steven Longa is a Cameroonian former professional American football linebacker. He played football at Saddle Brook High School in Saddle Brook, New Jersey, where he earned All-State honors his senior year. He played college football at Rutgers, where he was a three-year letterman. In 2013, Longa was named a Freshman All-American after leading NCAA Division I in tackles by a freshman with 123. He was named Third Team All-Big Ten Conference in 2015. He started 37 games during his college career and recorded 342 tackles, which was the third most in school history. Longa forwent his final year of college eligibility to enter the 2016 NFL Draft. After going undrafted, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks. He was released by the Seahawks before the start of the season and was then signed by the Detroit Lions.

Ryan O'Malley is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Pennsylvania, and signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

Trevor Williams is a former American football cornerback. He played football at Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, Maryland, where he was a two-year letterman and two-year team captain. He was named first-team All-State his senior year in 2011. Williams played college football at Penn State for four years. He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference in 2014 and 2015. He played in 49 games during his college career, recording 84 tackles and five interceptions. After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, he signed with the San Diego Chargers. He was also a member of the Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Pittsburgh Steelers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darrell Daniels</span> American football player (born 1994)

Darrell Daniels is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Washington and signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dominique Hatfield</span> American football player (born 1994)

Dominique Taishaun Hatfield is an American football cornerback for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Utah and signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Ricard (American football)</span> American football player (born 1994)

Patrick Ricard is an American football fullback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maine.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "BEN EDWARDS". RichmondSpiders.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ↑ O'Brien, Marty (July 29, 2015). "Former Bay Rivers football players Lorenzo Taliaferro, Ben Edwards ready to take advantage of NFL opportunities". Daily Press . Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. ↑ O'Brien, Marty (November 12, 2008). "Edwards, Hill Get Brd Top Honors". Daily Press . Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. 1 2 O'Brien, Marty (November 6, 2009). "Records survive Patrick's night". Daily Press . pp. B3. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  5. ↑ O'Brien, Marty (October 23, 2009). "Today's games". Daily Press . pp. B3. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  6. ↑ "Ben Edwards' ankle only sprained". Daily Press . September 28, 2009. pp. C7. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  7. ↑ O'Brien, Marty (November 21, 2009). "Indians quickly dismiss Falcons". Daily Press . pp. C2. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  8. ↑ Waldrop, Melinda (October 31, 2009). "Rams 'put on a clinic' in big win". Daily Press . pp. C2. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  9. 1 2 Hodges, Ty (May 8, 2015). "Former York Football Standout Embraces Second Chance to Compete for NFL Roster Spot". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  10. ↑ Eisen, Michael (December 24, 2015). "Giants add WR Ben Edwards to active roster". Giants.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. 1 2 Wilson, Aaron (April 27, 2014). "Richmond WR Ben Edwards visited Giants". Yahoo Sports. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  12. 1 2 O'Brien, Marty (November 18, 2015). "Former York High/Richmond star Ben Edwards signed to New York Giants practice squad". Daily Press . Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. 1 2 O'Connor, John (March 19, 2014). "Former Spider Edwards running comeback route". Richmond Times-Dispatch . Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  14. 1 2 Wilson, Aaron (May 3, 2014). "Richmond WR Ben Edwards making his bid for NFL". NationalFootballPost.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  15. ↑ Teel, David (August 30, 2012). "Richmond football to rely on '757' tandem against Virginia". Daily Press . Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  16. ↑ "Spider Football Set To Host Pro Day On Tuesday". RichmondSpiders.com. March 17, 2014. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Ben Edwards". KFFL.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  18. 1 2 "Ben Edwards". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  19. ↑ Bouda, Nate (August 5, 2014). "NFL Notes: Browns, Chargers, Dolphins, Giants, Packers, & Panthers". NFLTradeRumors.co. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  20. ↑ "Fork Union's Coach Ben Edwards signed by Giants as wide receiver". ForkUnion.com. May 11, 2015. Archived from the original on July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 22, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  21. 1 2 O'Brien, Marty (May 22, 2015). "Former York High football star Ben Edwards savoring tryout opportunity with Giants". Daily Press . Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  22. 1 2 Hodges, Ty (May 11, 2015). "Ben Edwards Signs With New York Giants After Strong Performance in Rookie Mini-Camp". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  23. 1 2 3 4 "BEN EDWARDS". FoxSports.com . Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  24. ↑ Wilkening, Mike (May 11, 2015). "Giants release three veterans, add four players". Profootballtalk.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  25. ↑ Valentine, Ed (December 24, 2015). "Giants' roster moves: WR Ben Edwards promoted from practice squad". BigBlueView.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  26. 1 2 Kennedy, Eric (April 28, 2016). "New York Giants Mini-Camp Ends; Ben Edwards Injury Update". BigBlueInteractive.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  27. ↑ Traina, Patricia (June 19, 2015). "NY Giants Twitter Mailbag: The 'School's out for Summer!' Edition". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  28. 1 2 "With Beckham suspended, Giants sign receiver Ben Edwards". ESPN.com . Associated Press. December 24, 2015. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  29. ↑ Kratch, James (July 31, 2015). "Giants sign veteran wide receiver James Jones, waive Ben Edwards". NJ.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  30. ↑ Bouda, Nate (August 7, 2015). "NFL Transactions: Friday 8/7". NFLTradeRumors.co. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  31. ↑ Hodges, Ty (November 23, 2015). "York Football Grad Ben Edwards Signed to Practice Squad Contract with NY Giants". Williamsburg Yorktown Daily. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  32. ↑ "Ben Edwards". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  33. ↑ Bouda, Nate (April 27, 2016). "NFL Notes: Draft, 49ers, Bears, Giants, & Saints". NFLTradeRumors.co. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  34. ↑ "Giants' Ben Edwards: Suffers knee sprain". CBSSports.com. April 28, 2016. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  35. 1 2 Raanan, Jordan (May 11, 2016). "Giants wide receiver Ben Edwards has torn ACL, per sources". NJ.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  36. ↑ Bouda, Nate (May 11, 2016). "Giants WR Ben Edwards Suffered Torn ACL During Rookie Minicamp". NFLTradeRumors.co. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  37. ↑ "New York Giants Transactions - 2016". ESPN.com . Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  38. ↑ Kennedy, Eric (May 16, 2016). "Ben Edwards and Uani 'Unga Placed on Injured Reserve". BigBlueInteractive.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  39. ↑ "New York Giants Transactions". NFL.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 10, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  40. ↑ Raanan, Jordan (February 15, 2017). "Giants make calls on some free agents, including re-signing tight end Will Tye". ESPN.com .
  41. ↑ "Ben Edwards". Pro-Football-Reference.com . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 4, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.