MyCole Pruitt

MyCole Pruitt (born March 24, 1992) is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Illinois, where he was a two-time first-team FCS All-American. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round, 143rd overall of the 2015 NFL Draft.

MyCole Pruitt
Pruitt with the Tennessee Titans in 2019
No. 85 – Tennessee Titans
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1992-03-24) March 24, 1992
South Bend, Indiana
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:Kirkwood (MO)
College:Southern Illinois
NFL Draft:2015 / Round: 5 / Pick: 143
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • 2× consensus All-American (2013, 2014)
  • CFPA Tight End of the Year (2013, 2014)
  • 3× first-team All-MVFC (2012, 2013, 2014)
  • Honorable mention All-MVFC (2011)
  • MVFC All-Newcomer team (2011)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2020
Receptions:32
Receiving yards:343
Receiving touchdowns:4
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early years

Pruitt was born to Colette Bonds and Carlos Pruitt on March 24, 1992, in South Bend, Indiana, He went to Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, where he was a three-time All-Conference defensive end and first team All-Conference tight end in 2009. He attended the same high school as former Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. As a freshman, he hauled in seven passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns. He led his team to a 10–1 record and made the state playoffs during his sophomore year. He caught 30 passes for 397 yards with six touchdowns and posted 50 tackles (14 for loss) and six sacks, helping his team advance to the second round of the playoffs in his junior season. He was a four-year honor roll student.

In addition, Pruitt played basketball, volleyball and competed in track & field at Kirkwood. He led the hoops team to the 2008–09 district championship. He participated in throws and jumps on the track team, and was a state qualifier in the discus, with a top-throw of 47.90 meters (157 feet, 1 inch).[1] He also posted bests of 13.40 meters (43 feet, 11.75 inches) in the shot put and 5.55 meters (18 feet, 2 inches) in the long jump.[2]

Rivals.com rated Pruitt as a two-star recruit at tight end.[3]

College career

Following high school, Pruitt attended Southern Illinois University, where he played for the Southern Illinois Salukis football team from 2010 to 2014. He was redshirted for the 2010 season and was named SIU's Offensive Scout Player of the Week during the Quincy game week. He was a consensus FCS All-American as a junior and senior.[4] He finished his college football career at SIU as the MVFC record holder in career receptions (211), receiving yards (2,601) and receiving touchdowns (25) among tight ends.[5] He graduated in December 2014 with a bachelor's degree in industrial technology.

Freshman season (2011)
See also: 2011 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

As a redshirt freshman in 2011, Pruitt played in 11 games; he hauled in 43 passes for 562 yards and 3 touchdowns, placing eighth in the conference in receptions per game with 3.9 yards and receiving yards per game with 51.1 yards. He was named team receiver MVP by teammates as he led the team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. He earned a spot on the MVFC All-Newcomer team and was an honorable mention All-Conference selection.

Sophomore season (2012)
See also: 2012 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

In 2012, Pruitt was a Third-Team All-American honoree by The Sports Network and a First-Team All-MVFC selection. He started in all 11 games at tight end. He led the team in receptions (49), receiving yards (577) and touchdown receptions (4) for the second consecutive season. His 92 career receptions ranked second in school history by a tight end at the time, while his 49 receptions tied for eighth most in a single-season in school history. He was fourth nationally among tight ends in receiving yards and sixth nationally among tight ends in receptions per game (4.5). He also ranked fifth in the MVFC in receptions and sixth in receiving yards per game (52.5) and led all conference tight ends in both categories. Against SEMO, Pruitt posted a career-best nine receptions for 121 yards. On September 17, 2012, Pruitt was named the National Performer of the Week at tight end by the College Football Performance Awards.[6]

Junior season (2013)
See also: 2013 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

Ranked as the top tight end in the FCS by the College Football Performance Awards, Pruitt was named a First-Team All-American by the AFCA, The Sports Network, Associated Press (AP) and FCS Athletic Directors Association as a junior in 2013. He was also a First-Team All-MVFC selection. He started 10 games, missing the final two games of the season after playing the second half against Missouri State with a broken leg. He led the MVFC in receptions (48) and receiving yards (601) by a tight end, and was also third in the conference with 4.8 receptions per game and sixth in receiving yards per game (60.1). He posted five touchdown catches, the most by a Saluki since 2008. He finished the season as SIU's all-time leader in career receptions (140) and receiving yards (1,740) by a tight end. He was named the CFPA National Performer of the Week for his performance against Eastern Illinois and was a four-time weekly CFPA tight end honorable mention.

Senior season (2014)
See also: 2014 Southern Illinois Salukis football team

In his final season at SIU, Pruitt was named a First-Team All-American by the Associated Press (AP), AFCA, The Sports Network and Walter Camp Foundation. as well as a First-team All-MVFC selection. He was also selected as the FCS tight end of the year by the College Football Performance Awards. He set a school record in receptions with 81, leading the conference. He had 13 touchdown receptions (including at least one in every MVFC game), which rank second in single-season SIU history, while his 861 receiving yards ranks fifth in single-season SIU history. He ranked 12th in the FCS in receptions per game (6.8) and seventh in touchdown receptions (13). He led the MVFC in receptions per game (6.8) and ranked second in receiving touchdowns (13). He started all 12 games, and had three-straight 100-yard games. He had 10 receptions and 136 yards at Purdue and also had 10 receptions at Illinois State, becoming the first player since Cornell Craig (1999) with multiple 10+ reception games in a season. He led all Division I tight ends (FBS and FCS) in receptions (by 20), receiving yards (by 141) and receiving touchdowns (by four). He was a three-time CFPA Tight End Performer of the Week (after PUR, WIU and USD games). He was named the best tight end in MVFC history as part of the Valley's 30-year anniversary.[7] For his career, he had a MVFC record 221 receptions for 2,601 yards and 25 touchdowns.[8]

Professional career

Prior to the draft, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller listed Pruitt as the seventh-best tight end prospect in his final 2015 rankings. Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com placed him at No. 4, while NFL.com's Lance Zierlein slotted him in at No. 10. He was considered to be a late-Day 2 or Day 3 pick.

Pruitt impressed at the 2015 NFL Combine; weighing in at 252 pounds, Pruitt ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds, which was by far the best time among tight ends. He also posted the top vertical jump at the position with a leap of 38'0", and his 9'10" broad jump finished as fourth-best. In the shuttles, he had the third-best time in both the 20-yard (4.37 seconds) and 60-yard (11.85) workouts.[9]

External video
Pruitt's NFL Combine workout
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 2 1⁄4 in
(1.89 m)		 251 lb
(114 kg)		 1⁄2 in
(0.01 m)		 1⁄4 in
(0.01 m)		4.58 s1.63 s2.70 s4.37 s7.25 s38 in
(0.97 m)		9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)		17 reps
All values from NFL Combine[10]

Minnesota Vikings
Pruitt with the Vikings in 2015

Pruitt was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (143th overall pick) of the 2015 NFL Draft. The pick was part of a trade where the Vikings and Detroit Lions swapped third round picks, and the Lions' sent their fifth-rounder to Minnesota.[11] Pruitt signed a four-year, $2,510,588 deal with the Vikings with a $230,588 signing bonus that's all guaranteed.

During the first two weeks of the 2015 season, Pruitt recorded just four snaps in each game. Against the Detroit Loions in Week 7, Pruitt recorded his first NFL catch, a 13-yard gain to convert on third-and-12; needing to get past the 28, Pruitt caught the ball at the Detroit 35, broke two tackles, spun and was hit twice more at the 29–30 but surged forward. He also showed his versatility by delivering a key block that helped running back Adrian Peterson break free for a 75-yard gain.[12] With Rhett Ellison out with a concussion against the Chicago Bears in Week 8, Pruitt saw a season-high 28 snaps out of the 58 offensive plays the Vikings ran in their 23–20 win. He finished the game with two catches for 15 yards.[13] Pruitt had two receptions for a season-high 36 yards in the Vikings' loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14.[14]

Pruitt was released by the Vikings on November 8, 2016 and was later signed to the practice squad.[15][16]

Chicago Bears

On December 13, 2016, Pruitt was signed by the Chicago Bears off the Vikings' practice squad.[17] He was released by the Bears on September 2, 2017.[18]

Buffalo Bills

On September 4, 2017, Pruitt was signed to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad.[19] He was released on September 14, 2017.[20]

Houston Texans

On September 18, 2017, Pruitt was signed to the Houston Texans' practice squad.[21] He was promoted to the active roster on December 5, 2017.[22] He was placed on injured reserve on December 19, 2017.[23]

On September 2, 2018, Pruitt was waived by the Texans and was re-signed to the practice squad.[24][25]

Tennessee Titans

On September 10, 2018, Pruitt was signed by the Tennessee Titans off the Texans practice squad after Delanie Walker suffered a season-ending ankle injury.[26] On November 18, 2018, in a 38-10 Week 11 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Pruitt caught his first reception of the season for 19 yards.[27] On December 22, 2018, Pruitt caught his first NFL touchdown from Blaine Gabbert in the Titans' 25-16 Week 16 win against the Washington Redskins.

On March 24, 2020, Pruitt was re-signed by the Titans.[28] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on October 8,[29] and activated from the list on October 20.[30]

References
  1. "MSHSAA Class 3–4 State Track Championships". MoMileSplit.
  2. "MyCole Pruitt".
  3. "Mycole Pruitt".
  4. Todd Hefferman (December 18, 2014). "Pruitt becomes first back-to-back consensus All-American". The Southern.
  5. Lee Enterprises. "Pruitt making a name for himself at Combine". stltoday.com.
  6. "2014 «  College Football Performance Awards".
  7. "News and Features in Webster Groves, Kirkwood, Des Peres, Rock Hill, Glendale, Shrewsbury, Oakland, Warson Woods, St. Louis".
  8. Todd Hefferman (March 28, 2015). "Blog: Pruitt aims to be first Saluki TE drafted since 1997". The Southern.
  9. Goodbread, Chase (February 20, 2015). "Friday's best and worst from the NFL Scouting Combine". NFL.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  10. "MyCole Pruitt – Southern Illinois, TE : 2015 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile".
  11. Goessling, Ben (May 1, 2015). "Total breakdown: Vikings draft DE Danielle Hunter in third round". ESPN.go.com. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  12. "Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions - October 25th, 2015". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  13. "Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears - November 1st, 2015". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  14. "Minnesota Vikings at Arizona Cardinals - December 10th, 2015". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  15. Peters, Craig (November 8, 2016). "Vikings Activate Taylor Heinicke, Waive MyCole Pruitt". Vikings.com.
  16. "Vikings Sign MyCole Pruitt to Practice Squad". Vikings.com. November 10, 2016.
  17. "Bears Sign TE MyCole Pruitt". Chicago.CBSlocal.com. December 13, 2016.
  18. Mayer, Larry (September 2, 2017). "Bears reach NFL's 53-man roster limit". ChicagoBears.com. Archived from the original on April 7, 2018.
  19. Brown, Chris (September 4, 2017). "Bills round out practice squad with three signings". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018.
  20. Brown, Chris (September 14, 2017). "CB Mabin signed to practice squad". Blogs.BuffaloBills.com.
  21. "TRANSACTIONS: Texans waive Jaelen Strong". HoustonTexans.com. September 18, 2017. Archived from the original on March 26, 2018.
  22. "TRANSACTIONS: Texans sign Pruitt, White". HoustonTexans.com. December 5, 2017. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018.
  23. "TRANSACTIONS: Texans add three to active roster". HoustonTexans.com. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on April 27, 2018.
  24. "TRANSACTIONS: Texans claim three on waivers". HoustonTexans.com. September 2, 2018.
  25. "TRANSACTIONS: Texans add MyCole Pruitt to practice squad". HoustonTexans.com. September 4, 2018.
  26. "Titans Sign TE MyCole Pruitt, Place TE Delanie Walker on Injured Reserve". TitansOnline.com. September 10, 2018.
  27. RotoWire Staff (November 19, 2018). "Titans' MyCole Pruitt: Hauls in first reception". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  28. Wyatt, Jim (March 24, 2020). "Titans Agree to Terms With TE MyCole Pruitt". TitansOnline.com.
  29. Wyatt, Jim (October 8, 2020). "Titans Add Two More Players to Reserve/COVID-19 List". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  30. Alper, Josh (October 20, 2020). "MyCole Pruitt, Breon Borders off Titans' COVID-19 list". NBCSports.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
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