Mekhi Garner

Mekhi Garner
refer to caption
Garner in 2024
Personal information
Born: (2000-01-11) January 11, 2000 (age 24)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:212 lb (96 kg)
Career information
High school:Poteet (TX)
College:Navarro (2018)
Louisiana (2019–2021)
LSU (2022)
Position:Cornerback
Undrafted:2023
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Mekhi Garner (born January 11, 2000) is an American professional football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Navarro Bulldogs, Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and LSU Tigers

Early life

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Garner was born on January 11, 2000, in Dallas, Texas.[1] He attended Poteet High School in Mesquite and played defensive back, recording as a junior 39 tackles, six pass breakups, two interceptions and a forced fumble.[2] He initially committed to play college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, but eventually decided to begin his college career at Navarro.[3]

College career

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Garner spent his freshman year, 2018, at Navarro College.[4] He appeared in 10 games, posting 48 tackles, five pass breakups, two interceptions and 0.5 tackles-for-loss.[5] He joined the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns after one season at Navarro.[6] In his first season there, Garner played two games and totaled four tackles.[3] Originally a backup to begin the 2020 season, he was thrust into a starting role due to several players contracting COVID-19 and his performance there led to him remaining a starter.[3][7][8] He finished the season with 11 games played, eight as a starter, with 27 tackles, three interceptions (second on the team), seven pass breakups (second on the team), one sack and one tackle-for-loss, being named honorable mention all-conference.[3]

In 2021, Garner played in 13 games, starting 11, and earned third-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors as he compiled 31 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble and a sack.[3][9] He transferred to LSU in 2022.[10][11] In his only season with the team, he posted 43 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss and eight pass breakups while starting all 13 games.[12] His eight pass breakups lead the team.[3] Although Garner had a remaining year of eligibility, he opted to declare for the NFL draft while accepting an invitation to the East–West Shrine Bowl.[6]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
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 2 in
(1.88 m)
212 lb
(96 kg)
32+14 in
(0.82 m)
10+18 in
(0.26 m)
4.55 s 1.54 s 2.61 s 4.29 s 6.94 s 38.5 in
(0.98 m)
10 ft 8 in
(3.25 m)
12 reps
Sources:[13][14]

After going unselected in the 2023 NFL draft, Garner signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent.[15] He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad.[16][17] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 18, 2024.[18] He was waived with an injury designation on August 17.[19]

References

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  1. ^ "Mekhi Garner Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  2. ^ Soliz, Brandon (June 7, 2017). "Mesquite Poteet's Mekhi Garner becomes Texas Tech's first 2018 defensive commit". The Dallas Morning News.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Yarris, Brett (April 19, 2023). "Mekhi Garner, CB, LSU | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network.
  4. ^ Vann, Leah (January 11, 2022). "LSU lands Cajuns cornerback Mekhi Garner from transfer portal". The Advocate.
  5. ^ "2018-19 Football Statistics - Navarro College". NJCAA Region 14.
  6. ^ a b Alexander, Wilson (December 8, 2022). "A starting LSU cornerback is headed for the NFL after accepting showcase invitation". Nola.com.
  7. ^ Buckley, Tim (September 22, 2020). "UL cornerback Garner was ready for the job". The Daily Advertiser. p. B1, B3 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ Foote, Kevin (August 19, 2021). "There's no hiding the high expectations for UL cornerback Mekhi Garner this season". The Advocate.
  9. ^ Nettuno, Tyler (April 28, 2022). "LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 2 Mekhi Garner". USA Today.
  10. ^ West, Glen (January 11, 2022). "LSU Lands Commitment from ULL Cornerback Transfer Mekhi Garner". Sports Illustrated.
  11. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Mekhi Garner, Cornerback, LSU Tigers". Sports Illustrated. June 2, 2022.
  12. ^ Nagy, Zack (December 8, 2022). "LSU DB Mekhi Garner Declares For 2023 NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated.
  13. ^ "Mekhi Garner Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  14. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Mekhi Garner College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
  15. ^ Shipp, Sonny (April 30, 2023). "Mekhi Garner signs undrafted free agent deal with Philadelphia". 247Sports.
  16. ^ Spadaro, Dave; McPherson, Chris (August 29, 2023). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  17. ^ "Eagles announce practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. August 30, 2023.
  18. ^ "Eagles sign 20 players to Reserve/Futures deals". Eagles Wire. USA Today. January 18, 2024.
  19. ^ "Roster Moves: Eagles sign T Gottlieb Ayedze, waive DB Mekhi Garner". philadelphiaeagles.com. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
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