| No. 44 – Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | July 2, 1996 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 235 lb (107 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Syracuse | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2018 / Round: 7 / Pick: 235 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 18, 2023 | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||||
Zaire Franklin (born July 2, 1996) is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Syracuse.
College career
While at Syracuse, Franklin recorded 311 career tackles over the course of 48 total games, starting the final 39 of his career. Franklin was a two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection.[1] Additionally, he was only the second three-time captain in Orange football history and the first since 1896.[2]
Professional career
| 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 0+1⁄8 in (1.83 m) |
239 lb (108 kg) |
31+3⁄4 in (0.81 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 4.62 s | 1.55 s | 2.65 s | 4.22 s | 6.97 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | 30 reps | |
| All values from 2017 Syracuse Pro Day[3] | ||||||||||||
Franklin was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round, 235th overall, of the 2018 NFL Draft.[4] The Colts previously obtained the pick used to select Franklin by trading Henry Anderson to the New York Jets. Franklin made his NFL debut on September 9, 2018, against the Cincinnati Bengals, recording one tackle on special teams.[5] He made his first career start at linebacker on September 23 against the Philadelphia Eagles, notching one tackle on defense and another on special teams.[6] In his rookie season, Franklin appeared in all 16 regular season games, starting two, and recorded 29 tackles and one pass defended.[7]
On September 8, 2020, Franklin was named one of the five team captains heading into the 2020 season.[8]
On March 16, 2022, Franklin signed a three-year, $12 million contract extension with the Colts.[9] In the 2022 season, Franklin had three sacks, 167 total tackles (102 solo), six passes defended, and two forced fumbles in 17 starts.[10]
Franklin was the Colts nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his charitable efforts in founding and leading Shelice's Angels [11] Shelice's Angels seeks "to open doors and provide resources that will help build self esteem while providing positive reinforcement in the lives of young women" and focuses specifically in the areas of technology, community giving, and academic achievement.[12]
References
- ↑ "Zaire Franklin". Cuse.com. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
- ↑ Bailey, Stephen (October 11, 2017). "Syracuse football names 2017 captains: LB Zaire Franklin 1st 3-timer since 1890s". Syracuse.com. The Post-Standard. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
- ↑ "Zaire Franklin, Syracuse, OLB, 2018 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com.
- ↑ Mock, Brett (April 28, 2018). "Indianapolis Colts Select LB Zaire Franklin with Pick 235 in NFL Draft". StampedeBlue.com. SB Nation. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
- ↑ "Cincinnati Bengals at Indianapolis Colts - September 9th, 2018-Snap counts". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ↑ Walker, Andrew (September 25, 2018). "2018 Colts Rookie Watch: Week 3". Colts.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- ↑ Stano, Ryan (January 23, 2019). "Colts 2018 rookies: Zaire Franklin". HorseShoeHeroes.com. FanSided. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- ↑ Walker, Andrew (September 8, 2020). "Colts Announce Team Captains For 2020 Season". Colts.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ↑ Stankevitz, JJ (March 16, 2022). "Colts Sign LB Zaire Franklin To Contract Extension". Colts.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ↑ "Zaire Franklin 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ↑ "Colts Nominate LB Zaire Franklin For 2023 Walter Payton Man Of The Year Award". www.colts.com. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ↑ "About". Shelice's Angels. Retrieved December 5, 2023.