Nickell Robey-Coleman
Nickell Earl Robey-Coleman (born January 17, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2013 after playing college football at USC. Robey-Coleman has also played for the Los Angeles Rams.
 Roby-Coleman in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||
| No. 31 – Philadelphia Eagles | |||||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
| Born: | January 17, 1992 Frostproof, Florida | ||||||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||
| High school: | Frostproof (Frostproof, Florida) | ||||||||||||||||
| College: | USC | ||||||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2013 | ||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 15, 2020 | |||||||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||||||
High school career
A native of Frostproof, Florida, Robey-Coleman attended Frostproof Middle-Senior High School, where he played quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back, and return specialist for the Bulldogs football team. During his senior year, in 2009, he had 764 yards on 88 carries (8.9 avg.) with nine touchdowns and caught 17 passes for 232 yards (13.7 avg.) with six touchdowns on offense. He had 73 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles on defense and averaged 17.1 yards on eight punt returns and 34.7 yards on seven kickoff returns.[1] Robey-Coleman was ranked as a four-star recruit and the ninth best cornerback coming out of high school by the Rivals.com recruiting service.[2] He chose USC over West Virginia, Tennessee, and Clemson, among other schools.
In addition to playing high school football, he was on Frostproof's baseball and track teams.
College career
After graduating high school, Robey-Coleman attended and played college football for USC.
As a freshman, Robey-Coleman started all of the 2010 season when he became a cornerback after playing wide receiver in high school. He was named to the 2010 Collegefootballnews.com Freshman All-American honorable mention list, All-Pac-10 honorable mention, and Phil Steele's All-Pac-10 fourth team in recognition of his freshman season.[1]
Robey-Coleman put together a solid sophomore season in 2011. He started in all 12 games, posting a record of 63 tackles (including 5.5 for losses and 2 sacks), a team-high nine deflections, and two interceptions (with one a touchdown). He made 12 punt returns for 132 yards total. He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection and was named to the 2011 CollegeFootballNews.com Sophomore All-American second team.[1]
In his final season with the Trojans in 2012, Robey-Coleman would once again put together a solid season. He was a Jim Thorpe Award candidate and returned punts and kicks for the Trojans. He was a second team All-Pac-12 selection in 2012.[3]
Robey-Coleman decided to forgo his senior season and entered the 2013 NFL Draft.[4]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 7 1⁄4 in (1.71 m) |
169 lb (77 kg) |
29 3⁄4 in (0.76 m) |
9 1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.53 s | 1.57 s | 2.48 s | 4.09 s | 6.74 s | 37 1⁄2 in (0.95 m) | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) | 10 reps | |
| All values from 2013 NFL Combine[5] | ||||||||||||
Buffalo Bills
Robey-Coleman was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the 2013 NFL Draft.[6] In a Week 7 matchup against the Miami Dolphins, Robey-Coleman recorded his first interception, returning it 19 yards for a touchdown. In the 2013 season, he recorded 39 tackles, 3.0 sacks, six stuffs, one forced fumble, and one interception.[7]
In his second season in the NFL, Robey-Coleman would put together a solid campaign, where he recorded 46 tackles, one sack, one stuff, and one pass defensed.[8]
On August 9, 2015, Robey-Coleman signed a two-year contract extension with the Bills.[9] In the 2015 season, he recorded 46 tackles, one sack, and four passes defensed.[10]
In the 2016 season, Robey-Coleman recorded 35 tackles, two run stuffs, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and seven passes defensed.[11]
On March 6, 2017, Robey-Coleman was released by the Bills.[12]
Los Angeles Rams
On April 7, 2017, Robey-Coleman was signed by the Los Angeles Rams.[13][14] In Week 3, he recorded an interception against the San Francisco 49ers that led to running back Todd Gurley to score his first touchdown of the game in the Rams 41-39 win. In Week 6 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he recorded his second interception off a tipped ball by tight end Marcedes Lewis in a 27-17 win. He played in 15 games with four starts as the Rams' primary slot corner and nickelback, recording a career-high 49 tackles, nine passes defensed, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.[15][16]
On March 13, 2018, Robey-Coleman signed a three-year contract extension with the Rams.[17] In the NFC Championship on January 20, 2019, against the New Orleans Saints, Robey-Coleman was involved in a controversial moment late in the game when he collided with Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis helmet-to-helmet. The hit would have been pass interference or a personal foul, but neither came about. The Rams went on to win 26-23 in overtime, sending them to Super Bowl LIII. Following the game, Robey-Coleman admitted that he thought he should have been called for defensive pass interference or a personal foul.[18] On January 25, 2019, Robey-Coleman was fined $26,739 for the hit on Lewis.[19] During the Super Bowl, Robey-Coleman made a helmet-to-helmet hit on Rex Burkhead, which resulted in a personal foul. The entire game turned out to be a defensive struggle as the Rams eventually were defeated, 13-3.[20] On February 10, 2019, Robey-Coleman was again fined $26,739.[21]
On March 17, 2020, the Rams declined the option on Robey-Coleman's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.[22]
Philadelphia Eagles
On March 31, 2020, Robey-Coleman signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.[23]
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Comb | Total | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | TD | PD | INT | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2013 | BUF | 16 | 2 | 39 | 30 | 9 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 19T | 1 |
| 2014 | BUF | 16 | 7 | 48 | 38 | 10 | 1.0 | — | 2 | 2 | 0 | 7 | — | — | 0.0 | — | — |
| 2015 | BUF | 16 | 3 | 46 | 39 | 7 | 1.0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | — | — | 0.0 | — | — |
| 2016 | BUF | 16 | 3 | 35 | 32 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 44 | 22.0 | 41T | 1 |
| 2017 | LAR | 15 | 4 | 49 | 39 | 10 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 56 | 28.0 | 31 | 0 |
| 2018 | LAR | 16 | 1 | 37 | 25 | 12 | 0.0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | LAR | 16 | 3 | 35 | 31 | 4 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 7 | — | — | 0.0 | — | — |
| Career | 111 | 23 | 289 | 234 | 55 | 5.0 | 5 | 5 | 50 | 1 | 48 | 6 | 119 | 19.8 | 41 | 2 | |
Personal life
In February 2010, two weeks after he signed with the Trojans, his mother, Maxine, died, aged 44. Before leaving for school that morning, he checked on her because she had recently been hospitalized, and found her on her bedroom floor. After calling paramedics, he performed CPR on her but she was to succumb later at the hospital from heart failure.[24]
In the spring of 2014, Robey started attending transferrable classes[25] at Warner University in Florida. In 2015, he returned to USC, taking three classes, then took three more after his 2017 season with the Rams. In 2019, he finished coursework for his degree in policy, planning and development, with an emphasis in real estate development, fulfilling the promise he had made to his mother to finish college.[26] Before the 2016 season, he added the name of his mother to his own.[26]
In November 2018, Robey-Coleman's new-born son, Nickell Jr., delivered prematurely and suffering from lung complications, died.[26]
Robey-Coleman, in 2019, revealed[27] in an exchange with Neil deGrasse Tyson, that he had doubts "all his life" about the Earth being round.
References
- "Nickell Robey Bio". University of Southern California. Retrieved April 2, 2017.
- "Nickell Robey", Rivals.com, retrieved April 30, 2013
- "Pac-12". Pac-12.
- Klein, Gary (January 13, 2013). "USC cornerback Nickell Robey to declare for NFL draft" – via LA Times.
- "Nickell Robey, CB". NFL Draft Scout. NFL Draft Scout. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- Castillo, Michael (April 27, 2013). "Nickell Robey Signs With Buffalo Bills As Undrafted Free Agent". Retrieved April 30, 2013.
- "Nickell Robey-Coleman". ESPN.com.
- "Nickell Robey-Coleman". ESPN.com.
- Wesseling, Chris (August 9, 2015). "Nickell Robey, Buffalo Bills strike contract extension". NFL.com. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
- "Nickell Robey-Coleman". ESPN.com.
- "Nickell Robey-Coleman". ESPN.com.
- Brown, Chris (March 6, 2017). "Bills release Carpenter, Robey-Coleman in handful of cuts". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018.
- Simmons, Myles (April 7, 2017). "Rams Sign CB Nickell Robey-Coleman". TheRams.com.
- Orr, Conor. "Nickell Robey-Coleman signs contract with Rams". NFL. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
- "Rams' Nickell Robey-Coleman: Finishes 2017 with 49 tackles". CBSSports.com. January 12, 2018. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
- "Nickell Robey-Coleman 2017 Stats". NFL.com. February 13, 2018.
- Simmons, Myles (March 13, 2018). "Rams, Robey-Coleman Agree to Terms on Three-Year Deal". TheRams.com.
- Gantt, Darin (January 20, 2019). "Nickell Robey-Coleman: "Oh hell yeah. That was P.I."". NBCSports.com.
- "Nickell Robey-Coleman fined despite non-call hit". NFL. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
- "Nickell Robey-Coleman called for dubious penalty in Super Bowl LIII". Yahoo. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
- "Robey-Coleman hit with another $26K fine for SB hit". NFL. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
- "Rams decline option for CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, making him a free agent". TheRams.com. March 17, 2020.
- Spadaro, Dave (March 25, 2020). "Nickell as the nickel? Eagles agree to terms with CB Nickell Robey-Coleman". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
- Thiry, Lindsey (January 17, 2019). "Years of sorrow haven't taken everything from Rams CB Nickell Robey-Coleman". ESPN. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- "Articulated vs. Transferable". Irvine website. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- Klein, Gary (May 8, 2019). "Rams' Nickell Robey-Coleman fulfills promise to mother, earns degree from USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
- "Neil deGrasse Tyson answers Nickell Robey-Coleman's question: Is the world round or flat". The Los Angeles Rams official website. November 27, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2021.