Stephone Anthony
 Anthony in 2015 | |||||||||||
| No. 44 – Miami Dolphins | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | July 28, 1992 Polkton, North Carolina | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Wadesboro (NC) Anson | ||||||||||
| College: | Clemson | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2015 / Round: 1 / Pick: 31 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2017 | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
Stephone Anthony (born July 28, 1992) is an American football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson.
Early years
A native of Polkton, North Carolina, Anthony attended Anson High School, where he was a four-year starter. Anthony had 123 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two interceptions as a senior in 2010.
In addition to football, Anthony was also a catcher on the baseball team and a power forward on the basketball team, as well as a track athlete (11.3 s in the 100m).
Regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Anthony was rated the No. 3 outside linebackers prospect.[1] He chose Clemson over UNC, Florida, and Virginia Tech.[2]
College career
He appeared in all 13 games in 2011, including three starts. For the season, he registered 32 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, and a team-high two caused fumbles in 292 snaps. He started seven of 13 games as a sophomore, recording 77 tackles, one sack and an interception. Anthony started all 13 games as a junior in 2013. He recorded a team-high 131 tackles with four sacks and an interception.[3]
Professional career
| 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 in (1.91 m) |
242 lb (110 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
4.56 s | 1.56 s | 2.63 s | 4.03 s | 7.07 s | 37 in (0.94 m) |
10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) |
23 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[4] | ||||||||||||
New Orleans Saints
Anthony was selected in the first round (31st overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints.[5] On May 12, 2015, the New Orleans Saints signed Anthony to a four-year, $7.73 million contract with $6.24 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $3.38 million.[6]
2015 season
He recorded his first sack October 4th in the Saint's 26-20 win over the Dallas Cowboys. In a Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers, Anthony was fined $17,363 for his hit on wide receiver Devin Funchess.[7] During the Saints' Week 12 matchup also against the Carolina Panthers, Anthony stopped running back Jonathan Stewart after a handoff up the middle, stripped the ball, then ran it back for a touchdown. Nobody chased him as everyone assumed the play was dead. In the same game, Anthony also became the first person in NFL history to return a blocked kick for two points after Kevin Williams blocked an extra point, following a rule change that took effect in the offseason to allow such returns.[8] Anthony recorded his 100th tackle in a Week 15 game against the Detroit Lions, where he also forced a fumble. He became the first Saints' rookie to record 100 tackles in a season since Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson.
Anthony finished his rookie season with 112 tackles, one sack, one interception, and two forced fumbles. He had two scores, both coming against the Carolina Panthers, and led all rookies in tackles. Anthony was also named to the Pro Football Writers Association all-rookie team.[9]
2016 season
On May 14, 2016, it was announced that Anthony would be moved to strongside linebacker, a position he never played before in the NFL.[10] Anthony would go on to only play in 10 games in the regular season, recording 16 tackles. On December 20 he was placed on the injured reserve list, ending his 2016 season.[11]
Miami Dolphins
On September 19, 2017, Anthony was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a 2018 fifth-round draft pick.[12]
References
- ^ "Outside linebackers 2011". Rivals.com. January 20, 2011.
- ^ https://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/player-Stephone-Anthony-96614
- ^ Clemson's Anthony channeling Shuey's scrappy stability
- ^ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/stephone-anthony?id=2552321
- ^ "Saints get C- for drafting Anthony". cbssports.com. April 30, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ "sportrac.com: Stephone Anthony contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ "Stephone Anthony fined". NOLA.com. October 5, 2015. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
- ^ http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on-football/25403612/saints-score-first-ever-blocked-extra-point-return-for-two-points
- ^ "Anthony named to PFWA all-rookie team". Nola.com. January 19, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ http://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/saints-stephone-anthony-will-move-to-strongside-linebacker/
- ^ http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18318999/new-orleans-saints-place-lb-stephone-anthony-injured-reserve
- ^ Sessler, Marc (September 19, 2017). "Dolphins acquire LB Stephone Anthony from Saints". NFL.com.