Mario Edwards Jr.

Mario Lashun Edwards Jr. (born January 25, 1994) is an American football defensive end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints.

Mario Edwards Jr.
Edwards with the Oakland Raiders in 2015
No. 97 – Chicago Bears
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1994-01-25) January 25, 1994
Gautier, Mississippi
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:280 lb (127 kg)
Career information
High school:Billy Ryan (Denton, Texas)
College:Florida State
NFL Draft:2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
College
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2020
Total tackles:110
Sacks:14.5
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:0
Pass deflections:3
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Mario was raised in Denton, Texas, while his father played for the Dallas Cowboys. Edwards attended Prosper High School for his freshman and sophomore year, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. He started at defensive end for the state champion Eagles as a freshman.[1] Edwards recorded 69 tackles and three sacks as a freshman on top of catching 17 passes for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He then transferred to Billy Ryan High School. As a junior, he recorded 127 tackles, 50 tackles for loss and 18 sacks leading Denton Ryan to a state runner-up finish against Austin Lake Travis led by Michael Brewer.[2] As a senior in 2011, he recorded 72 tackles and 11 sacks and was the USA Today High School Defensive Player of the Year.[3] Further, he earned All-American honors by USA Today, Parade, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. In track & field, Edwards competed as a shot putter during his final two years at Denton, recording a top-throw of 15.08 meters (49 ft, 3 in) at the 2012 Richardson Invitational, where he placed first.[4]

Regarded as a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, Edwards was ranked as the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect in his class.[5] In fact, he was ranked No. 3 overall,[6] which was Rivals.com’s highest ranking for a defensive tackle prospect since Haloti Ngata (No. 2) in 2002. According to ESPN recruiting analyst Craig Haubert, Edwards was similar to Da'Quan Bowers at the same stage of their careers.[1] Recruited by numerous schools, Edwards took official visits to Texas, Oklahoma, Florida State, and Louisiana State, before committing to the Seminoles on January 24, 2012.[7][8]

College career
Edwards at Florida State in 2014

In his true freshman year in Tallahassee, Edwards was initially projected to redshirt, but then forced into action due to the loss of Brandon Jenkins in week one. Edwards appeared in 11 games and made his first career start in the 2012 ACC Championship Game replacing Cornellius Carradine. For the season he had 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2013, Edwards recorded 34 tackles, 3.5 sacks and an interception. Returning as a starter his junior season in 2014, Edwards recorded 44 tackles and 3.0 sacks.

After his junior season, Edwards entered the 2015 NFL Draft.[9][10]

Professional career
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 2 5⁄8 in
(1.90 m)		 279 lb
(127 kg)		 33 1⁄4 in
(0.84 m)		 10 7⁄8 in
(0.28 m)		 4.84 s 1.76 s 2.84 s 4.55 s 7.44 s 32 1⁄2 in
(0.83 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 32 reps
All values from NFL Combine[11]

Oakland Raiders

Edwards was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round (35th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.[12]

On June 19, 2015, the Oakland Raiders signed Edwards to a four-year, $6.01 million contract with $3.72 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.63 million.[13] On December 23, 2015, Edwards was placed on injured reserve.[14]

On September 5, 2016, Edwards was placed on injured reserve due to a hip injury.[15] He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on December 23, 2016.[16]

On September 1, 2018, Edwards was waived by the Raiders.[17]

New York Giants

On September 2, 2018, Edwards was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.[18]

New Orleans Saints

On March 15, 2019, Edwards signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the New Orleans Saints.[19] He was released on September 5, 2020.[20]

Chicago Bears

On September 8, 2020, Edwards was signed by the Chicago Bears.[21] He played in 15 games recording 17 tackles and a career-high 4.0 sacks.

On January 15, 2021, Edwards was suspended the first two games of the 2021 season for violating the NFL’s PED policy.[22]

Personal life

Edwards was born while his father, Mario Edwards Sr., was still in high school. While the elder Edwards played college football at Florida State, the younger stayed in Mississippi with his grandmother, Ruth Chambers, and Mario Sr.'s sister and two brothers.[1] After Edwards Sr. was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2000, the family moved to the northern Dallas area.[1][23]

References
  1. "Mario Edwards is proving why he's No. 1 in the ESPNU 150". ESPN. June 9, 2011.
  2. "Lake Travis sidesteps Denton Ryan for title". ESPN. December 18, 2010.
  3. All-USA: Green-Beckham, Edwards Jr. named players of year
  4. http://www.athletic.net/TrackAndField/MeetResults.aspx?Meet=143222#5181
  5. https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/rankings/rank-2893
  6. https://sports.yahoo.com/footballrecruiting/football/recruiting/rankings/rank-rivals100/2012
  7. Mario Edwards Jr. confirms commitment to Florida State
  8. Mario Edwards Jr. makes his final decision
  9. Noles losing Williams, Edwards
  10. FSU DE Mario Edwards Jr. officially declares for NFL Draft
  11. https://www.nfl.com/prospects/mario-edwards/32194544-5760-8536-a1c3-95e3f84a11b2
  12. "NFL Draft picks 2015: Mario Edwards Jr. goes to Raiders at No. 35". SBNation.com. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  13. "Sportrac.com: Mario Edwards Jr. Contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  14. "Raiders Sign LB John Lotulelei to Active Roster". Raiders.com. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
  15. "Raiders Place Edwards Jr. on Reserve/Injured; Add Two to Practice Squad". Raiders.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2016.
  16. "Raiders Activate DE Mario Edwards Jr". Raiders.com. December 23, 2016.
  17. "Oakland Raiders announce roster transactions - 9.1.18". Raiders.com. September 1, 2018.
  18. Eisen, Michael (September 2, 2018). "Giants waive QB Davis Webb, announce practice squad among roster moves". Giants.com.
  19. "Saints agree to terms with DE Mario Edwards Jr. on two-year contract". NewOrleansSaints.com. March 15, 2019.
  20. Alper, Josh (September 5, 2020). "Saints release Anthony Chickillo, Mario Edwards". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
  21. Mayer, Larry (September 8, 2020). "Roster Moves: Bears sign Edwards, put Piñeiro on IR". Chicago Bears. Retrieved September 8, 2020.
  22. Smith, Michael David (January 15, 2021). "Mario Edwards suspended two games". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  23. "Mario Edwards Jr., star Texas recruit, following in footsteps of father, a former Pascagoula star". Mississippi Press. June 13, 2011.
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