Jaquiski Tartt

Jaquiski Tartt (born February 18, 1992) is an American football safety for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Samford.[1]

Jaquiski Tartt

Tartt in 2015
No. 29 – San Francisco 49ers
Position:	Strong safety
Personal information
Born:	February 18, 1992 Mobile, Alabama
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:	Davidson (Mobile, Alabama)
College:	Samford
NFL Draft:	2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (2015–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles: 301 Sacks: 4.0 Forced fumbles: 2 Pass deflections: 17 Interceptions: 4 Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Tartt attended Davidson High School in Mobile, Alabama. Tartt played basketball in high school and did not start playing football until his senior season.[2][3] Despite playing football for one season, he committed to Samford University to play college football.

College career

Tartt attended Samford from 2010 to 2014. After redshirting as a freshman, he saw his first action in 2011. As a redshirt sophomore in 2012, he became a starter and remained throughout his senior season. For his career, he had 277 tackles and six interceptions.[4]

Professional career

On November 10, 2014, it was announced that Tartt had accepted his invitation to the 2015 Senior Bowl.[5][6] On January 24, 2015, Tartt played in the 2015 Reese's Senior Bowl and recorded three tackles and made one tackle for a loss as part Gus Bradley's South team that lost 34–13 to the North. His appearance made him the first player from Samford to play in Senior Bowl.[5] Tartt attended the NFL Scouting Combine held at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana, but chose to only perform the 40-yard dash, 20-yard dash, 10-yard dash, and broad jump partially due to a hand injury. He finished ninth among all participating defensive backs in the broad jump and 19th in the 40-yard dash.[7] On March 10, 2015, Tartt attended Samford's pro day and performed all of the combine drills and ran positional drills. He fared well at his pro day and attracted representatives and scouts from 18 NFL teams as the primary prospect working out at the event.[8] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Tartt was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts.[9] He was ranked the second best strong safety in the draft by DraftScout.com, was ranked the third best safety in the draft by NFL analyst Mike Mayock, was ranked the fourth best safety by Sports Illustrated, and was ranked the sixth best safety prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Charles Davis.[10][11][12]

External video
Jaquiski Tartt's NFL Combine Workout

Pre-draft measurables

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 1 ^3⁄8 in (1.86 m)	221 lb (100 kg)	^3⁄8 in (0.01 m)	^7⁄8 in (0.02 m)	4.53 s	1.61 s	2.67 s	4.30 s	7.08 s	33 in (0.84 m)	10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)	13 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13]

2015

The San Francisco 49ers selected Tartt in the second round (46th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. Tartt was the third safety drafted in 2015, behind Arizona State's Damarious Randall and Alabama's Landon Collins.[14] The selection made Tartt the highest drafted Samford player in school history.[15] Upon joining the 49ers, Tartt reunited with former high school teammate Jimmie Ward.[16]

External video
49ers draft Jaquiski Tartt's 46th overall

On May 1, 2015, the San Francisco 49ers signed Tartt to a four-year, $5.03 million contract that includes $2.58 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.92 million.[17]

Tartt entered training camp slated as a backup safety and was expected to primarily play in special teams and appear minimally as a backup on defense. Head coach Jim Tomsula named Tartt the backup strong safety to begin the regular season, behind veteran Antoine Bethea.[18]

He made his professional regular season debut in the San Francisco 49ers' season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings and recorded four solo tackles and made his first career sack in their 20–3 victory.[19] He sacked quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a 14-yard loss in the first quarter and made his first career tackle on running back Matt Asiata in the second quarter.[20] On October 22, 2015, Tartt collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 20–3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 7.[19] During the first seven games, Tartt was used primarily in dime packages and on special teams.[21] On November 1, 2015, Tartt earned his first career start in place of Antoine Bethea in Week 8. Defensive coordinator Eric Mangini named Tartt the starter after Bethea tore his pectoral muscle the previous week and missed the remainder of the season.[22] Tartt finished the 49ers' 27–6 loss at the St. Louis Rams with six combined tackles.[19] The following week, he made a season-high two pass deflections and four tackles in the 49ers' 17–16 win against the Atlanta Facons in Week 9.[19] On December 13, 2015, Tartt collected eight combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception during a 24–10 loss at the Cleveland Browns in Week 14.[19] His interception occurred in the second quarter off a pass attempt by rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel.[23] Tartt was inactive for the 49ers' Week 17 win against the St. Louis Rams due to a knee injury.[24] He finished his rookie season with 65 combined tackles (52 solo), three passes defensed, two sacks, and an interception in 15 games and eight starts.[25]

2016

On January 3, 2016, the San Francisco 49ers fired head coach Jim Tomsula after finishing with a 5–11 record in 2015.[26] Throughout training camp, Tartt competed against Antoine Bethea to be the starting strong safety.[27] Head coach Chip Kelly named Tartt the backup strong safety behind Antoine Bethea to start the regular season in 2016.[28]

He was sidelined for the 49ers' Week 6 loss to the Buffalo Bills after injuring his quadriceps the previous week.[29] On November 27, 2016, Tartt made his first start at free safety and recorded three combined tackles in their 31–24 loss at the Miami Dolphins in Week 12. He earned the starting role for the rest of the season after the 49ers placed Eric Reid on injured reserve after he tore his bicep in his right arm.[30] In Week 14, he collected a career-high 12 combined tackles (ten solo) and a sack during a 23–17 loss to the New York Jets.[31] Tartt finished the 2016 season with 61 combined tackles (47 solo), three pass deflections, and a sack in 15 games and six starts.[25]

2017

On January 2, 2017, the San Francisco 49ers fired head coach Chip Kelly after the 49ers finished with a 2–14 record in 2016.[32] Defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil held a competition between Tartt and Eric Reid to name a new starting strong safety after Antoine Bethea was granted his release.[33] Head coach Kyle Shanahan named Tartt the backup strong safety to begin the regular season, behind Eric Reid.[34]

He started in the San Francisco 49ers' season-opener against the Carolina Panthers and recorded a season-high seven solo tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by quarterback Cam Newton in the second quarter of their 23–3 loss.[35] Tartt started the first two regular season games at free safety in place of Jimmie Ward who was inactive due to a hamstring injury.[36] The following week, he was named the starting strong safety after Eric Reid was inactive for three games (Weeks 3–5) due to a knee injury.[37] In Week 8, he tied his season-high of seven combined tackles during a 33–10 loss at the Philadelphia Eagles. The following week, Tartt recorded three combined tackles before exiting in the third quarter of the 49ers' 20–10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals after breaking his arm. On November 6, 2017, the San Francisco 49ers placed Tartt on injured reserve due to his fractured forearm.[38] He finished the 2017 season with 55 combined tackles (38 solo), three pass deflections, an interception, and was credited with half a sack in nine games and nine starts.[25] Pro Football Focus gave Tartt an overall grade of 85.8, ranking him 15th among all qualifying safeties in 2017.[39]

2018

On April 27, 2018, Tartt signed a two-year, $13 million contract extension with the 49ers through the 2020 season.[40] He started eight games while dealing with a shoulder injury throughout the year. He was placed on injured reserve on December 21, 2018.[41] He finished the season with 42 tackles, two passes defensed, and one interception.

2019

Tartt in a game against the Washington Redskins

In week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football, Tartt forced a fumble on rookie wide receiver DK Metcalf which he recovered in the 27–24 overtime loss.[42] In Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs, Tartt recorded a sack on Patrick Mahomes during the 31–20 loss.[43]

2020

In Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, Tartt recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Kyler Murray during the 24–20 loss.[44] He suffered turf toe in Week 9 and was placed on injured reserve on November 11, 2020.[45]

NFL statistics

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions						Fumbles
		GP	GS	Comb	Total	Ast	Sck	SFTY	PDef	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FF	FR
2015	SF	15	8	65	52	13	2.0	0	3	1	25	25.0	25	0	1	0
2016	SF	15	6	51	47	14	1.0	0	3	0	0	0.0	--	0	--	--
2017	SF	9	9	55	38	17	0.5	0	3	1	37	37.0	37	0	--	--
2018	SF	8	8	42	32	10	0.0	0	2	1	23	23.0	23	0	--	--
2019	SF	12	12	48	34	14	0.5	0	2	0	0	0.0	--	0	1	2
2020	SF	7	7	30	20	10	0.0	0	4	1	16	16.0	16	0	--	--
Career		66	50	301	223	78	4.0	0	17	4	101	25.3	37	0	2	2

References

1. "2015 NFL Draft Tracker – NFL.com". NFL.com.
2. "Jaquiski Tartt living out family's dreams while starring at Samford".
3. "Senior Bowl gives Samford's Jaquiski Tartt chance to prove himself again".
4. "Samford's Tartt readies for Reese's Senior Bowl".
5. "Samford's Jaquiski Tartt will be school's first-ever player in Senior Bowl".
6. "Samford's Tartt forcing looks at Senior Bowl". Archived from the original on January 25, 2015. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
7. Stites, Adam (February 23, 2015). "NFL Combine 2015: Full Results for Defensive backs". SBNation.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
8. Brandt, Gil (March 30, 2015). "Jaquiski Tartt attracts 18 NFL teams from Samford's pro day". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
9. "Jaquiski Tartt, DS #2 SS, Samford". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
10. Charles Davis (April 1, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft prospect rankings by position". NFL.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
11. Mayock, Mike (April 27, 2015). "2015 NFL Draft: Mike Mayock's top 100 prospects". NFL.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
12. Farrar, Doug (April 14, 2015). "2015 NFL draft positional rankings: Safety". SI.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
13. "NFL Draft Profile: Jaquiski Tartt". NFL.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
14. Price, Taylor (May 1, 2015). "San Francisco 49ers Draft Samford S Jaquiski Tartt". 49ers.com. Retrieved July 3, 2017.
15. "Samford Drafted Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
16. "Jaquiski Tartt reunites with high school teammate in SF". campussports.net. May 1, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
17. "Spotrac.com: Jaquiski Tartt contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
18. "Ourlads.com: San Francisco 49ers Depth Chart: 10/01/2015". Ourlads.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
19. "NFL Player stats: Jaquiski Tartt (2015)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
20. "NFL Game Center: Week 1-2015: Minnesota Vikings @ San Francisco 49ers". NFL.com. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
21. Maiocco, Mark (June 1, 2016). "Healthy Bethea resumes role on 49ers with Tartt in shadows". nbcsports.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
22. Biderman, Chris (October 27, 2015). "Tartt set for expanded role with Bethea out". 247sports.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
23. "NFL Game Center: Week 14-2015: San Francisco 49ers @ Cleveland Browns". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
24. "St. Louis Rams At San Francisco 49ers Official Game Injury Report Has Todd Gurley Listed As Doubtful". turfshowtimes.com. January 1, 2016. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
25. "NFL Player stats: Jaquiski Tartt (career)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
26. Jones, Lindsay (January 3, 2016). "Jim Tomsula fired by 49ers after one season as coach". usatoday.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
27. "49ers rebuilding defense has starting jobs at stake in camp". times-standard.com. July 27, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
28. Biderman, Chris (September 3, 2016). "49ers release first depth chart of regular season". ninerswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
29. "sacramento.cbslocal.com". sacramento.cbslocal.com. October 14, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
30. Wagoner, Mike (November 23, 2016). "Next up for 49ers at safety: Jaquiski Tartt stepping in for Eric Reid". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
31. "NFL Player stats: Jaquiski Tartt (2016)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
32. "49ers fire Chip Kelly, Trent Baalke in major reset". usatoday.com. January 2, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
33. "Niners grant veteran safety Antoine Bethea his release". ESPN.com. March 7, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
34. Biderman, Chris (August 22, 2017). "49ers release latest depth chart ahead of third preseason game". ninerswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
35. "Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
36. Bonilla, David (September 15, 2017). "49ers-Seahawks Injury Report: Jimmie Ward Questionable". 49erswebzone.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
37. Knoblauch, Austin (October 26, 2017). "Eric Reid: No 49ers promise for '18 after switch to LB". NFL.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
38. "49ers Announce Several Roster Moves". 49ers.com. November 6, 2017. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018.
39. https://www.profootballfocus.com/nfl/players/jaquiski-tartt/9479
40. Sessler, Marc (April 27, 2018). "Niners sign Jaquiski Tartt to two-year extension". NFL.com.
41. "49ers Place S Jaquiski Tartt on Injured Reserve". 49ers.com. December 21, 2018.
42. "Seahawks knock 49ers from unbeaten ranks with 27-24 OT win". www.espn.com. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
43. "Mahomes leads Chiefs' rally past 49ers in Super Bowl, 31-20". www.espn.com. Associated Press. February 2, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
44. "Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers - September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
45. "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. November 11, 2020.

External links

• Samford Bulldogs bio