Introduction
Jerald Hawkins (born October 16, 1993) is an American football offensive tackle for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana State University. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Early years
Hawkins attended West St. Mary High School in Baldwin, Louisiana. He played both offensive and defensive tackle. He committed to Louisiana State University (LSU) to play college football.
College career
Hawkins was a three-year starter at offensive tackle for LSU from 2013 to 2015. He started at right tackle his first two years before switching to left for his junior year. After his junior year he entered the 2016 NFL Draft.
Professional career
Entering the 2016 NFL Draft, Hawkins was projected by the majority of NFL analysts and scouts to be a second or third round pick. He received the invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all the required combine drills and positional drills. On March 14, 2016, he participated at LSU's pro day and chose to only perform the three-cone drill and positional drills for team representatives and scouts. He was ranked the ninth best offensive tackle prospect available in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 ⁄8 in (1.97 m) |
305 lb (138 kg) |
34 ⁄4 in (0.87 m) |
9 ⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
5.23 s | 4.89 s | 8.19 s | 8 ft 4 in (2.54 m) |
23 reps | ||||
| All values from NFL Combine, | ||||||||||||
Pittsburgh Steelers
Hawkins was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. On June 2, 2016, Hawkins signed a four-year, $2.87 million contract with a signing bonus of $530,488. On August 28, 2016, he was placed on injured reserve by the Steelers after suffering a shoulder injury during a joint practice with the Detroit Lions.
He entered training camp in 2017 competing for a backup offensive tackle position with Matt Feiler, Chris Hubbard, and Keavon Milton. Hawkins was named the backup left tackle behind Alejandro Villanueva to begin the regular season.
On November 26, 2017, Hawkins made his professional debut against the Green Bay Packers.
On May 30, 2018, Hawkins suffered a torn quad during organized team activities. He was officially placed on injured reserve on June 5, 2018, ruling him out for the 2018 season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
On August 31, 2019, Hawkins was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers along with the Steelers' seventh round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft in exchange for the Buccaneers' sixth round pick in the 2021 draft.
Houston Texans
On August 10, 2020, Hawkins was signed by the Houston Texans.