Kwon Alexander

At 29 years old, Kwon Alexander has this physical status:

Kwon Alexander (born August 3, 1994) is an American football linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football at Louisiana State University.

Early years

Alexander attended Oxford High School in Oxford, Alabama. An impact player on the defensive side of the ball, Alexander missed most of his 2011 senior campaign with a knee injury after posting 144 tackles, 17 sacks, and six forced fumbles (three recoveries) as a junior in 2010. Oxford finished the season 12–2, advancing the AHSAA Class 6A state semi-finals where they lost 32–22 to Marlon Humphrey's Hoover. Alexander participated in the Under Armour All-American Game as a member of the black team. He was chosen as a finalist for the High School Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s top linebacker. He was also named to the 2011 ESPN All-Alabama Football Team and was a Class 6A All-State Football Team Honorable Mention.

Alexander was also a state qualifier in track & field at Oxford. At the 2011 AHSAA 6A Section 4, he posted personal-best times of 11.24 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 22.99 seconds in the 200-meter dash, placing 9th and 7th, respectively.

Regarded as a four-star prospect according to ESPN.com, Rivals.com, and Scout.com, Alexander was ranked No. 19 in the 2012 Scout.com Final Southeast Top 150. He was ranked No. 45 in the Press-Register Super Southeast 120 and No. 29 in the 2012 ESPNU 150. He was listed in the MaxPreps 2012 Top 100. He was rated as Alabama’s No. 3 prospect by ESPN.com, No. 11 by Rivals.com, and No. 6 by 247Sports.com. Nationally, ESPN.com and Scout.com rated him as the No. 3 linebacker, 247sports.com rated him as the nation’s No. 9 linebacker, while Rivals.com rated him at No. 20. He committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college football.

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College career

Alexander was a student at LSU from 2012 to 2014. He appeared in seven games as a true freshman and had 12 tackles. He played nine of 13 games as a sophomore. He had 65 tackles on the season. Alexander, a junior, led the team in 92 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Alexander made the 2015 NFL Draft after his junior season.

Professional career

Alexander revealed on Twitter on December 31, 2014, that he did not return to senior season and start the 2015 NFL Draft. Alexander was one of 33 collegiate linebackers to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Alexander completed all of the required drills, placing second among all linebackers in the 40-yard dash, sixth in the bench press, and short shuttle, and ninth in the three-cone drill.

Alexander attended LSU's pro day on March 27, 2015, but chose to remain on his team's rosters and only did positional drills for team leaders and scouts from all 32 NFL franchises, including Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, New York Giants, New York Giants, and Pittsburgh Steelers. He took only one private tour with the San Francisco 49ers during the draft process. Alexander was expected to be a third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts at the conclusion of the pre-draft process. He was ranked as the second best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by NFL analyst Charles Davis and was ranked sixth best outside linebacker in the draft by NFLDraftScouts.com, and seventh best linebacker by NFLDraftScouts.com.

Alexander was selected in the fourth round (124th overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In order to advance four spots and select Alexander, the Buccaneers traded their fourth (128th overall) and seventh round (218th overall) picks to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday for their fourth (128th overall) and seventh round (218th overall) picks. In 2015, he was the 11th linebacker drafted.

The Buccaneers signed Alexander to a four-year, $2.75 million deal, which also includes a signing bonus of $478,322.

Alexander began training camp, proving himself as the starting strongside linebacker against Danny Lansanah. After doing well, he was promoted to middle linebacker to face veteran Bruce Carter in the starting lineup. Alexander was named as the starting middle linebacker by head coach Lovie Smith, as well as outside linebackers Lavonte David and Lansanah.

During a 42–14 loss, Alexander made his NFL debut and his first NFL appearance against the Tennessee Titans, with five combined tackles and a pass deflection. In a 19–9 road loss to the Houston Texans, he had ten combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made his first NFL interception off a pass attempt by Ryan Mallett. Alexander made five combined tackles, two pass deflections, and his first NFL firing of Blake Bortles against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. Broderick Taylor, Alexander's younger brother, had been killed just two days before. During a 23-20 road victory over the Atlanta Falcons, he started the following game and made 11 combined tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recoverence, and an interception. He has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts. Alexander was banned for violating the league's drug policy on performance-enhancing drugs on December 7, but he missed the last four games of the season (Weeks 14–17).

Alexander played in 93 combined tackles (59 solo), nine pass deflections, three firings, and two interceptions in 12 games and starts in his rookie year. Pro Football Focus gave him a overall rating of 31.6. The Buccaneers finished fourth in the NFC South with a 6–10 record, and Lovie Smith was fired at the end of the season.

Dirk Koetter, the offensive coordinator, was promoted to head coach and Mike Smith was hired as the Atlanta Falcons' head coach. Alexander was retained by Smith as the starting middle linebacker for the regular season.

Alexander started with 17 tackles and a sack in a 31–24 victory. During a 38–32 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Case Keenum 38 yards for his first NFL touchdown and returned an interceptor. In a 30-24 overtime loss to the Oakland Raiders, Alexander recorded a season-high 14 solo tackles and caught a pass. In a 26–20 road loss against the Dallas Cowboys on Week 15, he posted a career-high 21 combined tackles (11 solo) on a career-high 21 combined tackles (11 solo) in a career-best 21 combined tackles (11 solo).

Alexander finished his second season in the league with 145 total tackles (108 solo). He had seven pass deflections, three sacks, and an intercept in 16 games and starts. Pro Football Focus gave him a 77.3 overall rating, the highest second-year linebackers, and was their most improved second-year linebackers.

Alexander started playing in the Chicago Bears' season-opener with a solo tackle, a pass deflection, and intercepted former teammate Mike Glennon after a 29-7 victory. He left the game after suffering a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the next four games (Weeks 3–6)). As the Buccaneers lost to the Atlanta Falcons by a score 24-21, Alexander had a season-high 13 solo tackles in Week 15.

Alexander finished his third season with 97 combined tackles (70 solo), four pass deflections, and a career-best three interceptions in 12 games and starts. On January 16, 2018, he was named to his first Pro Bowl, replacing injured Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner. Alexander received an overall rating of 68.0, placing him 48th out of all qualifying linebackers in 2017.

Alexander played in the first six games of the season before suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Week 7. On October 22, 2018, he was put on injured reserve.

Alexander finished the season with 45 tackles, two sacks, two pass deflections, and a dismissal in six games and starts.

The San Francisco 49ers agreed to Alexander's four-year, $54 million contract, which includes a $27 million guarantee.

Alexander made a helmet-to-helmet hit against former teammate Jameis Winston during Week 1 against his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and was disqualified as a result. Alexander made three tackles in the season's first victory, 31-17. Alexander made his first interception of the season off of Andy Dalton in the 41–17 road win over the Cincinnati Bengals in his first game of the season. Alexander fumbled Adrian Peterson on running back Adrian Peterson, who was recovered by teammate Jullian Taylor in a 9-0 road victory over week 7. He left the eventual 28-25 road victory against the Arizona Cardinals two weeks later due to a reported chest injury. Alexander was diagnosed with a torn pectoral and was put on injured reserve the next day.

Alexander was supposed to return from injured reserve on January 2, 2020, and the team began training with the team again. Alexander off injured reserve was activated by the 49ers on January 10, 2020, the day before the NFC Divisional Game against the Minnesota Vikings. In the 31-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, he assisted the 49ers in defeating both the Vikings and Green Bay Packers.

Alexander was traded by the San Francisco 49ers to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a fifth-round conditional pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and linebacker Kiko Alonso on November 2, 2020. He was named a starter in Week 10 and played the next seven games before suffering a torn achilles in Week 16. On December 28, 2020, he was put on injured reserve.

Alexander was born on March 16, 2021, by the Saints. However, the team recalled him on August 3, 2021, after he had signed a one-year contract worth up to $3 million. On September 17, 2021, he was admitted to the hospital with an elbow injury. He was first activated on October 25, 2010.

Alexander signed with the New York Jets on July 28, 2022.

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