Tyrann Mathieu
Tyrann Devine Mathieu (/ˈtaɪrən ˈmæθ.juː/; born May 13, 1992) is an American football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU. In college he developed a reputation for causing turnovers, setting a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record with 11 career forced fumbles and earning the nickname "the Honey Badger" after the mammal of the same name. In his sophomore season, he was recognized as a consensus All-American, won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU football program after that season due to a violation of team rules.
No. 32 – New Orleans Saints
May 13, 1992
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
St. Augustine
(New Orleans, Louisiana)
LSU (2010–2011)
2013 / Round: 3 / Pick: 69
Active
776
776
11.0
5
7
93
33
4
After spending a year out of football in 2012, he was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft, reuniting him in the defensive backfield with former college teammate Patrick Peterson. As a rookie he was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team and has since earned three invitations to the Pro Bowl and has been named to the first-team All-Pro team three times. Mathieu has also played for the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs, where he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LIV.
Early years[edit]
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana,[1] Mathieu attended St. Augustine High School, where he played for the St. Augustine Purple Knights high school football team.[2] He recorded 32 tackles, five interceptions, one sack and one fumble recovery as a senior.
While living in New Orleans' Central City, Mathieu was raised by his grandparents. His biological mother was absent the majority of the time and his biological father, Darrin Hayes, has been incarcerated for murder most of Mathieu's life. After his grandfather died in 1997, Mathieu was adopted by his uncle, Tyrone Mathieu, and aunt, Sheila Mathieu.[3]
Mathieu also ran track and field for St. Augustine's track team and was a member of the relay team. He was one of the state's top performers in the long jump. He had personal-best leaps of 1.93 meters in the high jump and 7.29 meters in the long jump.
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com,[4] Mathieu was listed as the No. 13 cornerback in the nation in 2010.[5]
Professional career[edit]
Pre-draft[edit]
Prior to the 2012 season, Mathieu was ranked as the third best cornerback prospect in the upcoming 2013 NFL draft by NFL analyst Chad Reuter. On November 29, 2012, Mathieu stated his intentions to enter the 2013 NFL Draft.[24] Mathieu attended the NFL Combine and completed all of the combine and positional drills. On March 28, 2013, Mathieu attended LSU's pro day, but chose to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills.[25] He was projected to be a second or third round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Mathieu was ranked as the tenth best cornerback prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.[26]