Mike Sims-Walker
| Jacksonville Jaguars | |||||||
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| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Central Florida | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2007 / Round: 3 / Pick: 79 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2009 | |||||||
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Michael Anthony Sims-Walker (born Michael Anthony Walker on November 21, 1984 in Template:City-state) is an American football wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Central Florida.
Early years
Sims-Walker played high school football at Edgewater High School in Orlando, Florida.
College career
Sims-Walker played college football at Central Florida where he was a teammate of fellow NFL receiver Brandon Marshall.
Sims-Walker played in 12 games as a true freshman and has 21 receptions for 337 yards. During his sophomore year, he played six games at cornerback due to injuries to the team. He had 9 catches for 191 yards, and also had three interceptions while playing defense. During his junior year, he played exclusively as wide receiver and ranked second on the team with 64 receptions for 855 yards and 9 touchdowns. During his senior year, he set the Central Florida record for most receptions in a single season with 90. He was a two-time All-Conference USA Selection during his collegiate career. He played in a total of 46 career games with 184 receptions for 2,561 yards (13.9 ypc average).[1]
Professional career
2007 NFL Draft
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
209 lb (95 kg) |
4.35 s | 1.54 s | 2.53 s | 4.39 s | 6.92 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) |
10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
18 reps |
Jacksonville Jaguars
Sims-Walker was drafted by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He was unable to play during his first season because of a knee injury suffered in the fourth preseason game against the Washington Redskins. In 2008, he played in nine games posting 16 receptions for 217 yards. More than half of those receptions were accounted for in week five when the Jaguars played the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Walker could only play nine games due to several setbacks through the second half of the 2008 season, including a knee infection and tragedies to his friends and family.
In 2009, Sims-Walker rebounded to become the Jaguars' leader in receptions (63) and receiving yards (869).
Personal
Name change
In 2009, Walker officially changed his surname to Sims-Walker to honor his father, Michael Sims, who died from colon cancer on December 6, 2008. In 2010, he created the Mike Sims-Walker Foundation to honor his father. Through his foundation, he launched the Playmaker 11 Scholarship that provided 10 $200 one-time book stipends and one $1,000 book stipend to graduating high school seniors in the Jacksonville-area and his hometown of Orlando, Florida.[2]
Popular Culture
Video Games
Mike Sims-Walker, along with fellow Orlando native and NFL player Chris Johnson (running back) earned himself a unique celebration animation in Madden 11, known as the "Chopper City Juke."[3]