Vadal Alexander
| No. 74 Oakland Raiders | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth: | March 23, 1994 | ||
| Place of birth: | New Orleans, Louisiana | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||
| Weight: | 336 lb (152 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Buford (GA) | ||
| College: | LSU | ||
| NFL Draft: | 2016 / Round: 7 / Pick: 234 | ||
| Career history | |||
| |||
| Roster status: | Active | ||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
| |||
Vadal Alexander (born March 23, 1994) is an American football offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU.
High school career
A native of Buford, Georgia, Alexander attended Buford High School, where he was a two-time Georgia AA First Team All-State offensive lineman as a junior and senior. In his senior season, the Buford Wolves went 14–1 and finished as GHSA Class AA runner-up, being upset in the state final by Calhoun.[1] After his senior season, Alexander participated in the Under Armour All-America Game.
Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Alexander was ranked as the No. 11 offensive guard prospect in the class of 2012.[2] Alexander chose Louisiana State over offers from Alabama, Auburn, Georgia Tech, and South Carolina.
College career
In his true freshman year at Louisiana State, Alexander played in 13 games. After an early season injury to starting left tackle Chris Faulk,[3] Alexander moved into the starting line-up, playing every offensive snap of the final nine games at right tackle. He earned Freshman All-SEC honors by the league's coaches, and was named second team Freshman All-America by Scout.com.[4] For his sophomore season, he replaced La'el Collins at left guard, who was moved over to left tackle. Alexander started all 13 games, and led the Tigers with 71 knockdowns on the season. In the Outback Bowl, he was on the field for 71 offensive plays and was credited with a career-high 13 knockdowns.
As a junior, Alexander remained a mainstay at left guard next to Collins as left tackle, giving LSU one of the most dominating guard-tackle combinations in college football. Running behind Collins and Alexander, freshman running back Leonard Fournette registered 1,034 rushing yards on the season. After LSU’s 30–27 win over Florida, Alexander earned SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors.[5] Alexander's streak of 32 straight starts snapped, however, when he missed the Arkansas game in week 11 because of a hand injury.[6] Forgoing the option to enter the 2015 NFL draft, Alexander returned to LSU and was named Preseason First Team All-SEC.[7] He was moved to right tackle, as previous right tackle Jerald Hawkins had to replace Collins on the left side.[8]
Professional career
Prior to his senior year, Alexander was considered one of the top senior prospects for the 2016 NFL draft.[9]
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in | 326 lb | 34 1⁄4 in | 10 1⁄2 in | 5.57 s | 4.90 s | 8.04 s | 7 ft 11 in | 25 reps | |||||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine.[10] | |||||||||||||||||||
Alexander was drafted by the Raiders in the seventh round, 234th overall, in the 2016 NFL Draft
References
- ↑ "Calhoun stuns Buford to win state title". Gwinnett Daily Post. December 9, 2011.
- ↑ "Rivals.com offensive guards 2012". Rivals. January 20, 2012.
- ↑ "LSU will have to adjust the o-line with LT Chris Faulk likely done for the season". Times-Picayune. September 7, 2012.
- ↑ "2012 Freshman All-American Team". Scout.com. December 7, 2012.
- ↑ "LSU guard Vadal Alexander named SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week". Times-Picayune. October 13, 2014.
- ↑ "LSU LG Vadal Alexander out for Arkansas game with hand injury". Times-Picayune. November 15, 2014.
- ↑ "Fournette, Alexander, Mills land on first team preseason All-SEC". The Advocate. July 17, 2015.
- ↑ "LSU offensive tackles Jerald Hawkins, Vadal Alexander slide naturally into new roles". Times-Picayune. March 12, 2015.
- ↑ "College football's top senior prospects for 2016 NFL Draft". NFL.com. June 10, 2015.
- ↑ http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/vadal-alexander?id=2555146