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Shaka Heyward

Shaka Heyward
No. 50 – Cincinnati Bengals
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (2000-04-19) April 19, 2000 (age 24)
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High school:Mill Creek
(Hoschton, Georgia)
College:Duke (2018–2022)
Undrafted:2023
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Games played:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Shaka Heyward (born April 19, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils.

Early life

Heyward was born on April 19, 2000.[1] He comes from an athletic family: his cousins, Cameron and Connor Heyward, both play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, while another cousin, Corey, played college basketball, another, Craig Jr., played college football for Middle Tennessee, and Craig Jr.'s father Craig Heyward also played in the NFL.[2] He attended Mill Creek High School in Georgia where he played football as a linebacker.[3] In his last two seasons, he totaled 168 tackles.[2] A three-star prospect, he committed to play college football for the Duke Blue Devils and one of the top-60 ranked outside linebackers nationally.[2]

College career

Heyward redshirted as a freshman at Duke in 2018, appearing in four games.[2] The following year, he appeared in all 12 games, six as a starter, totaling 68 tackles and 6.5 tackles-for-loss (TFLs); he was third for Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) freshmen in the former while he placed sixth in the latter category.[2] In 2020, he started all 11 games and posted a team-leading 80 tackles with 8.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks.[4] That year, he received the Vincent Rey Award for best Duke linebacker and the Sonny Falcone Award, "given annually to offensive, defensive, and developmental members for their year-round commitment to strength and conditioning."[2]

In 2021, Heyward was named third-team All-ACC after having started all 12 games and recording a team-leading 98 tackles and 11.5 TFLs.[4][5] He received the Vincent Rey Award for a second time and also won an award for playing the most snaps for Duke that year.[4] As a senior in 2022, he served as team captain and started all 12 games, recording 93 tackles, six pass breakups and 6.0 TFLs, being named honorable mention All-ACC and the Duke defensive MVP.[4] He concluded his collegiate career having started 41 games, tallying 340 tackles, 32.5 TFLs and 11.5 sacks.[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+7⁄8 in
(1.90 m) 		235 lb
(107 kg) 		34 in
(0.86 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.53 s 1.54 s 2.63 s 4.40 s 7.32 s 31.0 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 8 in
(2.95 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine[6][7]

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Heyward signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent.[8] He was waived on August 29, 2023, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[9][10] He signed a reserve/future contract after the season on January 8, 2024.[11] He was waived again on August 27, 2024, then re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[12][13] He was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Chargers and made his NFL debut in the game, appearing on 24 special teams snaps.[14][15] He was signed to the active roster on December 2.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Shaka Heyward Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Garrett, Tommy (April 19, 2023). "Shaka Heyward, LB, Duke | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network.
  3. ^ "Cincinnati Bengals sign Mill Creek grad Shaka Heyward". Gwinnett Daily Post. May 1, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d "Shaka Heyward". Duke Blue Devils.
  5. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Shaka Heyward, Linebacker, Duke Blue Devils". Sports Illustrated. July 24, 2022.
  6. ^ "Shaka Heyward Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  7. ^ "Shaka Heyward College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  8. ^ "Heyward Joins Cincinnati Bengals as Undrafted Free Agent". Duke Blue Devils. April 29, 2023.
  9. ^ "NFL cuts tracker 2023: Roster updates for all 32 teams". ESPN. August 30, 2023.
  10. ^ Trapasso, Chris (September 21, 2023). "2023 NFL practice squad tracker: Complete roster signings for all 32 teams ahead of 2023 season". CBS Sports.
  11. ^ "Bengals Roster Moves: Players Signed to Reserve/Future Contracts". Cincinnati Bengals. January 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Weiter, Taylor (August 27, 2024). "Bengals waive 16 players, announce 53-man roster". WCPO-TV.
  13. ^ Sanderson, Emily (August 28, 2024). "Bengals bring back 12 players onto practice squad after roster cuts". WLWT.
  14. ^ "Bengals Elevate OT Devin Cochran and LB Shaka Heyward". Cincinnati Bengals. November 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Shaka Heyward Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  16. ^ "Bengals Sign LB Shaka Heyward to Active Roster, Waive WR Trenton Irwin". Bengals.com. December 2, 2024.
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