Nick Fairley

Last updated

Nick Fairley
Nick Fairley 2012.jpg
Fairley with the Detroit Lions in 2012
No. 98, 90
Position: Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1988-01-23) January 23, 1988 (age 36)
Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:308 lb (140 kg)
Career information
High school: Williamson (Mobile, Alabama)
College:
NFL draft: 2011  / Round: 1 / Pick: 13
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:170
Sacks:20.5
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:4
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at PFR

Nicholas Lachester Fairley (born January 23, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Auburn University, where he was recognized as an All-American and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. Fairley was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. He also played for the St. Louis Rams and the New Orleans Saints.

Contents

Early life

Fairley was born in Mobile, Alabama. He attended Williamson High School in Mobile, where he was a two-way lineman and also lettered in basketball. Regarded as a three-star prospect, [1] he was projected as an offensive guard. He committed to Auburn, but was not able to qualify academically. [2]

College career

Copiah-Lincoln Community College

Fairley attended Copiah-Lincoln Community College from 2007 to 2008. After being redshirted in 2007, he played in seven games in 2008. He recorded 63 tackles and seven sacks in the 2008 season. [2]

Auburn University

Fairley transferred to Auburn University, where he played for the Auburn Tigers football team in 2009 and 2010. He finished the 2009 season with two starts in 13 games and recorded 28 tackles. Surprisingly quick for his size, his tendency to be flamboyant following a successful play placed him as a person of concern for officials. In 2010, he became the 2nd player from Auburn to win the Lombardi Award. He was coached by Lombardi winner and former Auburn player Tracy Rocker, and became the first player to win the Lombardi and be coached by a winner of the award.

During the 2011 BCS National Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks, Fairley had five tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble. Three of his tackles were made behind the line of scrimmage. Fairley was selected as the defensive player of the game.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Only four days after the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, Fairley decided to forgo his final year of eligibility, entering the 2011 NFL draft. [3] He was initially projected to be the first pick in the draft. [4] His measurements at the combine showed him to be 6 feet 3 7/8 inches tall and 291 pounds, somewhat less than his listing of 6–5 and 300 pounds at Auburn. [5] After the NFL Combine, he was projected in the 8–12 range. [6] [7]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 3+7⁄8 in
(1.93 m)		291 lb
(132 kg)		34+3⁄4 in
(0.88 m)		9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		4.84 s1.72 s2.76 s4.56 s7.14 s31 in
(0.79 m)		9 ft 5 in
(2.87 m)
All values from NFL Combine [8]

Detroit Lions

Fairley was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round as the 13th pick overall. [9] [10] He signed a 4-year contract with the Lions on July 28, 2011. The contract was for four years and worth $10 million with a $5.7 million signing bonus.

In Detroit, he joined All-Pro Ndamukong Suh on the interior of the Detroit defensive line. Though at times his play was stout, [11] he was troubled by inconsistency. [12]

In his second season in the NFL Fairley recorded 5.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 26 tackles. However, on December 12, 2012, Fairley was put on the injured reserve list, ending his season. [13]

Fairley's fourth season had been productive for the most part. However, on October 26, 2014, Fairley sustained a Medial collateral ligament sprain against the Atlanta Falcons at Wembley Stadium in London. [14]

St. Louis Rams

On March 13, 2015, Fairley signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the St. Louis Rams. [15] [16] Fairley played in 15 games for the Rams in 2015 along their defensive line rotation and recorded 29 tackles (18 solo), a split sack, a pass defended, and one fumble recovery. [17] On December 31, 2015, Fairley was placed on injured reserve. [18]

New Orleans Saints

On March 28, 2016, Fairley signed a one-year, $5 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. [17] [19] After recording career-highs in tackles and sacks in 2016, Fairley signed a four-year, $30 million contract extension with the Saints during the 2017 off-season. [20]

On June 26, 2017, the Saints placed Fairley on the reserve/non-football-illness list regarding a lingering heart condition, ending his 2017 season. [21]

On February 5, 2018, Fairley was released by the Saints. [22]

NFL career statistics

YearTeamGPTacklesFumblesInterceptions
CmbSoloAstSckFFFRYdsIntYdsAvgLngTDPD
2011 DET 1015961.0000000.0000
2012 DET 13342775.5210000.0001
2013 DET 153522136.0124000.0001
2014 DET 814861.0100000.0000
2015 STL 152918110.501−5000.0001
2016 NO 164329146.5000000.0000
Career [23] 771701135720.5440000.0003

Personal life

Since entering the NFL, Fairley has had a number of run-ins with the law. On April 3, 2012, Fairley was arrested in Mobile, Alabama for marijuana possession. [24] The charges were dismissed in December 2012. [25]

On May 27, 2012, Fairley was arrested by Alabama State Troopers for driving under the influence and attempting to elude police. He was also ticketed for reckless driving, having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle and no proof of insurance. [26]

On June 3, 2017, it was revealed that Fairley was diagnosed with a heart condition that could threaten his career. [27] [28]

On December 1, 2018, Fairley was arrested on criminal menacing charges when he allegedly threatened a person with a gun. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karlos Dansby</span> American football player (born 1981)

Karlos Montez Dansby is an American former football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Auburn Tigers and received All-American recognition. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2004 NFL draft, and has also played for the Miami Dolphins, the Cleveland Browns, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tracy Rocker</span> American football player and coach (born 1966)

Tracy Quinton Rocker is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played as a defensive tackle in the NFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A. J. Hawk</span> American football player and sports analyst (born 1984)

Aaron James Hawk is an American sports analyst and former football linebacker who played for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers fifth overall in the 2006 NFL draft and he later won Super Bowl XLV with the team. He was also a member of the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he earned All-American honors twice and won the Lombardi Award as a senior. He won the BCS National Championship Game with the Buckeyes as a freshman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haloti Ngata</span> American football player (born 1984)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ndamukong Suh</span> American football player (born 1987)

Ndamukong Ngwa Suh is an American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, where he earned All-American honors, and was selected by the Detroit Lions second overall in the 2010 NFL draft. He also played for the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles. He has played in three Super Bowls: Super Bowl LIII with the Rams, Super Bowl LV with the Buccaneers, and Super Bowl LVII with the Eagles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janoris Jenkins</span> American football player (born 1988)

Janoris Jermain Jenkins, nicknamed "Jackrabbit", is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at North Alabama and Florida and was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Jenkins had his most success as a member of the New York Giants, who he played 4 seasons with and made a Pro Bowl, and also had stints with the New Orleans Saints, Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Quinn (American football)</span> American football player (born 1990)

Robert Quinn is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, and was selected by the St. Louis Rams with the 14th pick in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft.

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

Cameron Tyler Jordan is an American football defensive end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears, and was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. A member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Jordan is an eight-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro selection, and is the Saints' all-time franchise sack leader.

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

Aldon Jacarus Smith is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the seventh overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Smith was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowl selection with the 49ers in 2012. He also played for the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Irvin</span> American football player (born 1987)

Bruce Pernell Irvin Jr. is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the first round with the 15th overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft. Irvin won Super Bowl XLVIII over the Denver Broncos, and also played in Super Bowl XLIX where he became the first player ever to be ejected from a Super Bowl. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Okafor</span> American football player (born 1991)

Alex Okafor is a former American football defensive end. Prior to that he was an All-American college football player at The University of Texas. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, and has also played for the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs. He won Super Bowl LIV with the Chiefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Brockers</span> American football player (born 1990)

Michael Seth Brockers is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for the LSU Tigers. He was considered to be one of the best defensive tackle prospects in the 2012 NFL draft, where he was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the first round.

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

Akiem Jamar Hicks is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft and has also played for the New England Patriots and Chicago Bears. He played college football at Sacramento City College and at the University of Regina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Lemonier</span> American football player (born 1991)

Corey Lemonier is a former American football linebacker. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A'Shawn Robinson</span> American football player (born 1995)

A'Shawn Robinson is an American football defensive end for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft and has also played in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams, with whom he won Super Bowl LVI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Robinson (offensive tackle)</span> American football player (born 1992)

Gregory Keith Robinson is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Auburn Tigers, he was selected by the St. Louis Rams second overall in the 2014 NFL draft. He also played for the Detroit Lions and the Cleveland Browns.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Shelton</span> American football player (born 1993)

Daniel Saileupumoni Shelton is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He played college football at Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danielle Hunter</span> Jamaican-born American football player (born 1994)

Danielle Hunter is a Jamaican-born American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft. Hunter made four Pro Bowls with the Vikings prior to signing with the Texans in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashan Gary</span> American football player (born 1997)

Rashan Abdul Gary is an American football defensive end for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). In 2015 Gary concluded his high school football career at Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey as the No. 1 ranked recruit in college football's class of 2016. He played college football at the University of Michigan, and was drafted by the Packers in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Marcus Davenport is an American football defensive end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UTSA and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

References

  1. ↑ https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Nick-Fairley-46796 [ dead link ]
  2. 1 2 Mandel, Stewart (January 7, 2011). "Slowing Newton won't be easy, but stopping Fairley equally daunting". SI.com.
  3. ↑ "Auburn Tigers' Nick Fairley to enter NFL draft". ESPN. January 14, 2011.
  4. ↑ Banks, Don (January 27, 2011). "2011 NFL Mock Draft 1.0". SI.com.
  5. ↑ McShay, Todd; Weidl, Kevin (February 26, 2011). "Nick Fairley smaller than expected at NFL combine". ESPN Insider.
  6. ↑ Lande, Russ (March 2011). "NFL mock draft: Mallett, Liuget and Sherrod moving up draft boards". Sporting News.
  7. ↑ Banks, Don (March 9, 2011). "2011 NFL Mock Draft 3.0". SI.com.
  8. ↑ Dagger. "2011 NFL Combine Results". postgameheroes.com. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  9. ↑ "2011 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  10. ↑ "The Detroit Lions draft Nick Fairley of Auburn with the 13th-overall selection". Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  11. ↑ "Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley providing stout presence in the middle of Detroit's defensive line". Fox News . November 13, 2013.
  12. ↑ Smith, Michael (November 12, 2013). "Fairley makes big plays, but Schwartz wants to see it consistently".
  13. ↑ Rogers, Justin (December 19, 2012). "Detroit Lions place DT Nick Fairley on injured reserve, sign Ogemdi Nwagbuo". mlive.com . Retrieved December 19, 2012.
  14. ↑ Birkett, Dave (October 27, 2014). "Nick Fairley out 4–5 weeks with knee sprain, per report". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  15. ↑ Wesseling, Chris (March 13, 2015). "Nick Fairley leaves Detroit Lions for St. Louis Rams". NFL.com. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  16. ↑ Alper, Josh (March 13, 2015). "Nick Fairley signs with Rams" . Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  17. 1 2 "Saints sign DT Nick Fairley to one-year contract". www.neworleanssaints.com. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Rams place Nick Fairley, Doug Worthington on injured reserve". January 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  19. ↑ "New Orleans Saints reach deal with DT Nick Fairley". NFL.com. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  20. ↑ Sessler, Marc (March 9, 2017). "Saints bringing back Nick Fairley on $30M deal". NFL.com.
  21. ↑ Patra, Kevin (June 26, 2017). "Saints place Nick Fairley on NFI list, ending his season". NFL.com.
  22. ↑ Williams, Charean (February 5, 2018). "Saints cut Nick Fairley with non-football illness designation". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  23. ↑ "Nick Fairley Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Detroit Lions' Nick Fairley arrested on drug charges". CBS News.
  25. ↑ Seifert, Kevin (December 4, 2012). "Nick Fairley has drug charge dropped". ESPN . Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Report: Nick Fairley arrested again". ESPN.com. May 27, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  27. ↑ Garafolo, Mike. "Nick Fairley's NFL future in question due to medical issue". NFL. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  28. ↑ Boren, Cindy (June 4, 2017). "Saints' Nick Fairley reportedly has a career-threatening heart condition". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Police release new details about arrest of Nick Fairley". fox10tv.com. December 3, 2018. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
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.