Stephen Weatherly facts for kids
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Weatherly with the Denver Broncos in 2021
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| No. 91 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 19, 1994 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 262 lb (119 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Shiloh (Snellville, GA) North Atlanta (Atlanta, GA) |
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| College: | Vanderbilt | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 7 / Pick: 227 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||
Stephen Dian Weatherly (born March 19, 1994) is an American former professional football player. He played as a defensive end, which is a player who tries to stop the other team's offense. Stephen played college football at Vanderbilt University. He decided to enter the NFL draft early after his junior year, even though he had almost finished his degree. The Minnesota Vikings chose him in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft. He also played for the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Cleveland Browns.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Stephen Weatherly grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. He went to North Atlanta High School where he was a key player on the football team for three years. He played different positions like outside linebacker, defensive end, and wide receiver. As a junior, he made 66 tackles (stopping the player with the ball) and had 14 sacks (tackling the quarterback before they can throw the ball).
Stephen was also a talented basketball player at North Atlanta. He helped his team win two sub-region titles. For his senior year, he moved to Shiloh High School in Snellville, Georgia. There, he was chosen as team captain. He continued to play great defense, with 79 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and 15 tackles for loss (stopping a player behind the line of scrimmage). He also caused two fumbles (when a player drops the ball). On offense, he caught eight passes and scored two touchdowns. His efforts helped his team reach the postseason. He was recognized for his great season by earning All-Gwinnett County honors. He was also the only player from Gwinnett County invited to play in the first Georgia High School Senior Allstar Bowl.
Beyond Football: Robotics and Track
Stephen Weatherly was not just good at sports. At North Atlanta High, he was also the leader of the school's robotics team. His team won the Georgia regional championship and went on to the world championships in St. Louis. There, they competed against other teams from all over the world.
He also excelled in track and field. He was a sprinter and a long jumper for his school. As a junior, he ran the 100-meter dash in 11.13 seconds and the 200-meter dash in 22.98 seconds. He also jumped 5.87 meters (about 19 feet, 3 inches) in the long jump.
College Career at Vanderbilt
Stephen Weatherly was considered a top recruit by ESPN, ranked as the 24th best defensive end in the country. He chose to play for Vanderbilt University.
For his first two years at Vanderbilt, he played as a defensive end. In his very first game as a freshman in 2013, he got his first college sack against quarterback Bo Wallace. For his last two years at Vanderbilt, he switched to playing outside linebacker.
| Regular season statistics | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||
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| Season | Team | GP | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sck | Tfl | PDef | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TDs | FF | FR | FR YDS |
| 2013 | Vanderbilt | 12 | 0 | 18 | 12 | 6 | 3.5 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | Vanderbilt | 12 | 9 | 59 | 30 | 29 | 4.5 | 12.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | Vanderbilt | 12 | 12 | 39 | 24 | 15 | 3.5 | 8.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 36 | 21 | 116 | 66 | 50 | 11.5 | 26.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
Professional Football Career
Stephen Weatherly was chosen by the Minnesota Vikings in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft. He was the 227th player picked overall. He was the first defensive lineman or linebacker from Vanderbilt to be drafted since 2012.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄8 in (1.94 m) |
267 lb (121 kg) |
34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) |
10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) |
4.61 s | 1.59 s | 2.67 s | 4.42 s | 7.07 s | 31 in (0.79 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
23 reps | |
| All values from NFL combine, except 20-yard shuttle and 3-cone drill from Vanderbilt's Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Time with the Minnesota Vikings (First Period)
After being drafted, Weatherly was first released by the Vikings as part of their final roster cuts in September 2016. However, he was quickly signed to their practice squad the very next day. After spending 11 weeks on the practice squad, he was moved to the active roster in November 2016.
In his first two seasons, Stephen didn't start any games or get any sacks. But in 2018, he got a bigger role when teammate Everson Griffen was out. Stephen started six games that season and recorded three sacks. In 2019, he started only one game but still managed to get three sacks during the regular season. He also had one sack in the postseason against the San Francisco 49ers.
Playing for the Carolina Panthers
On March 23, 2020, Stephen Weatherly signed a two-year contract with the Carolina Panthers. He was named one of the starting defensive ends for the 2020 season. He started the first nine games before he had to go on injured reserve in November 2020 because of finger surgery. He was released by the Panthers in February 2021.
Back with the Minnesota Vikings (Second Period)
Stephen Weatherly re-signed with the Vikings on March 8, 2021, returning to his first NFL team.
Joining the Denver Broncos
In October 2021, Weatherly was traded to the Denver Broncos. The Broncos also received a 2023 seventh-round draft pick, while the Vikings received a 2022 seventh-round pick.
With the Cleveland Browns
On April 18, 2022, Weatherly signed with the Cleveland Browns. However, in August 2022, he was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.
Personal Life and Hobbies
Stephen Weatherly studied sociology at Vanderbilt University. His first and middle names, Stephen Dian, are a special tribute to his grandmother. She earned degrees from two very famous universities: MIT and Harvard.
When he was in high school, Stephen was part of the Fulton County Youth Commission. This group worked to help young people in the community by involving youth leaders in making policies and doing community service. He even traveled throughout Germany with this program.
Stephen has many interesting hobbies. He enjoys playing chess and doing math puzzles. He can even solve a Rubik's Cube! He also likes skateboarding. What's more, he can play six different musical instruments.
One of Stephen's unique hobbies is glass-blowing. He even appeared as a guest judge on a Netflix show called Blown Away in 2021. In the episode, he talked about his experiences in football. He related to the artists on the show about how it's important to talk about mental health and how athletes often accept physical challenges to pursue what they love.
Stephen Weatherly is also known for wearing sunglasses under his helmet during games. He had a relationship with Olympic volleyball player Jordan Thompson.
