Laken Tomlinson
No. 70 – Seattle Seahawks | |||||||
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Position: | Guard | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica | February 9, 1992||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 323 lb (147 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Lane Tech (Chicago, Illinois) | ||||||
College: | Duke (2010–2014) | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2015 / round: 1 / pick: 28 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2024 | |||||||
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Laken Tomlinson (born February 9, 1992) is a Jamaican-American professional football offensive guard for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils. He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft.
Early life
[edit]Tomlinson was born in Savanna-la-Mar, Jamaica and moved to Chicago, Illinois in March 2003.[1][2][3][4] He grew up in the Rogers Park neighborhood and attended Lane Technical College Prep High School, where he was a two-sport star in both football and track.[5] He was an All-state selection as a senior by both the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association and Chicago Tribune. He was named the team MVP as a senior. He was a two-time All-city selection. He was also a four-time first-team All-conference selection. He helped lead his high school team to the 2008 Chicago Public League football championship.
In addition, Tomlinson lettered in track & field at Lane. At the 2009 Chicago Public League T&F Championship, he placed first in the discus throw (140-06 or 42.9m) and second in the shot put. In the 2009 Illinois 3A State T&F Championship meet, he threw personal-bests of 43.01 meters (141-1) in the discus and 14.58 meters (47-7) in the shot put to place 17th and 22nd, respectively, in the preliminary heats.[6]
College career
[edit]Tomlinson attended Duke University from 2010 to 2014. He became a starter his freshman season and started 52 games during his collegiate career. As a senior, he was named an All-American by Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF).[7] He was named the men's ACC Athlete of the Year by winning the Anthony J. McKevlin Award in 2015.[8]
Professional career
[edit]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 3+3⁄8 in (1.91 m) |
323 lb (147 kg) |
33+5⁄8 in (0.85 m) |
10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
5.33 s | 1.89 s | 3.11 s | 4.87 s | 8.17 s | 31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
8 ft 7 in (2.62 m) |
25 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine[9] |
Detroit Lions
[edit]Tomlinson was drafted in the first round with the 28th overall pick by the Detroit Lions in the 2015 NFL draft.[10] He was the first Duke player to be selected in the first round of an NFL Draft since Mike Junkin in 1987.
San Francisco 49ers
[edit]On August 31, 2017, Tomlinson was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2019 fifth-round draft pick.[11] After missing the season opener, Tomlinson started the next 15 games at left guard in 2017.
On May 2, 2018, the 49ers declined the fifth-year option on Tomlinson's contract, making him a free agent in 2019.[12] However on June 22, 2018, Tomlinson signed a three-year, $18 million extension with the 49ers with $10 million guaranteed.[13]
New York Jets
[edit]On March 17, 2022, Tomlinson signed a three-year contract with the New York Jets.[14] On February 26, 2024, Tomlinson was released by the Jets.[15]
Seattle Seahawks
[edit]On April 15, 2024, Tomlinson signed with the Seattle Seahawks.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ Becht, Colin (December 24, 2014). "Tomlinson takes long road from Jamaica to All-America". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ^ "Lane Tech stars have NFL's attention at the Senior Bowl". Chicago Sun Times. January 21, 2015. Archived from the original on January 26, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
- ^ Steve Wiseman (August 2, 2014). "From Devil to doctor". The Herald-Sun. Archived from the original on December 13, 2014. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "Duke Blue Devils' Laken Tomlinson uses football to pursue his dream". Espn.go.com. December 3, 2013. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "Rogers Park native to play in this weekend's Super Bowl". WGN-TV. January 31, 2020. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ^ "IHSA Boys State T&F Championships- Class AAA Boys - Prelims". Il.milesplit.com. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "Cash, Tomlinson Are Walter Camp All-Americans - Duke University Blue Devils | Official Athletics Site". GoDuke.com. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "Tomlinson Honored With McKevlin Award". GoDuke.com. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
- ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Laken Tomlinson". NFL.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Twentyman, Tim (April 30, 2015). "Detroit Lions trade back, draft guard Laken Tomlinson". Detroit Lions. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- ^ Orr, Conor (August 31, 2017). "Detroit Lions trading OL Laken Tomlinson to Niners". NFL.com.
- ^ Alper, Josh (May 2, 2018). "No option for Laken Tomlinson, but 49ers interested in deal". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
- ^ Sessler, Marc (June 22, 2018). "Niners, Laken Tomlinson agree to $18M extension". NFL.com. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018.
- ^ Bell, Jack (March 17, 2022). "OL Laken Tomlinson Signs with Jets". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
- ^ Cimini, Rich (February 26, 2024). "Jets release G Laken Tomlinson as part of OL rebuild". ESPN. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
- ^ Boyle, John (April 15, 2024). "Seahawks Sign G Laken Tomlinson". Seahawks.com. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
External links
[edit]- Seattle Seahawks bio
- Duke Blue Devils bio
- Media related to Laken Tomlinson at Wikimedia Commons
- 1992 births
- Living people
- All-American college football players
- American football offensive guards
- Detroit Lions players
- Duke Blue Devils football players
- Jamaican players of American football
- Sportspeople from Westmoreland Parish
- Players of American football from Chicago
- San Francisco 49ers players
- New York Jets players
- Seattle Seahawks players