Mekhi Garner
| No. 43 – Philadelphia Eagles | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 11, 2000 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) |
| Undrafted: | 2023 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NFL statistics | |
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |
Mekhi Garner (born January 11, 2000) is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Navarro, Louisiana and LSU.
Early life[edit]
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 at Texas Tech, but eventually decided to begin his college career at Navarro.[3]
College career[edit]
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[edit]
| 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+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
10+1⁄8 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]
References[edit]
- ^ "Mekhi Garner Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Soliz, Brandon (June 7, 2017). "Mesquite Poteet's Mekhi Garner becomes Texas Tech's first 2018 defensive commit". The Dallas Morning News.
- ^ a b c d e f Yarris, Brett (April 19, 2023). "Mekhi Garner, CB, LSU | NFL Draft Scouting Report". Pro Football Network.
- ^ Vann, Leah (January 11, 2022). "LSU lands Cajuns cornerback Mekhi Garner from transfer portal". The Advocate.
- ^ "2018-19 Football Statistics - Navarro College". NJCAA Region 14.
- ^ a b Alexander, Wilson (December 8, 2022). "A starting LSU cornerback is headed for the NFL after accepting showcase invitation". Nola.com.
- ^ Buckley, Tim (September 22, 2020). "UL cornerback Garner was ready for the job". The Daily Advertiser. p. B1, B3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Foote, Kevin (August 19, 2021). "There's no hiding the high expectations for UL cornerback Mekhi Garner this season". The Advocate.
- ^ Nettuno, Tyler (April 28, 2022). "LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 2 Mekhi Garner". USA Today.
- ^ West, Glen (January 11, 2022). "LSU Lands Commitment from ULL Cornerback Transfer Mekhi Garner". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Mekhi Garner, Cornerback, LSU Tigers". Sports Illustrated. June 2, 2022.
- ^ Nagy, Zack (December 8, 2022). "LSU DB Mekhi Garner Declares For 2023 NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Mekhi Garner Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Mekhi Garner College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved June 9, 2023.
- ^ Shipp, Sonny (April 30, 2023). "Mekhi Garner signs undrafted free agent deal with Philadelphia". 247Sports.
- ^ Spadaro, Dave; McPherson, Chris (August 29, 2023). "Eagles announce initial 53-man roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
- ^ "Eagles announce practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. August 30, 2023.
- ^ "Eagles sign 20 players to Reserve/Futures deals". Eagles Wire. USA Today. January 18, 2024.
