Brandon Boykin (born July 13, 1990) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and was selected by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

in the fourth round of the

2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...

. He was also a member of the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

and

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

Early life

Boykin attended

Fayette County High School (Georgia) Fayette County High School (FCHS) is located in Fayetteville, Georgia, United States. It was named a National Blue Ribbon School in 1999 and a Georgia School of Excellence in 2000. The school enrolls approximately 1,322 students in grades 9- 12 ...

and played for the varsity football team. In his senior year, he, along with fellow NFL Player Matt Daniels, led the football team into its first undefeated season in over 20 years but lost in the second round of the GHSA playoff. Boykin also played for the school's basketball team where he averaged 18 points and five assists per game while helping lead his team to the State Championship game where he and his team came up short.

College career

Boykin attended the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

from 2008 to 2011. He finished his career with 159 tackles, nine

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

and a

sack A sack usually refers to a rectangular-shaped bag. Sack may also refer to: Bags * Flour sack * Gunny sack * Hacky sack, sport * Money sack * Paper sack * Sleeping bag * Stuff sack * Knapsack Other uses * Bed, a slang term * Sack (band), ...

. As a senior, he was named the MVP of the

2012 Outback Bowl The 2012 Outback Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on January 2, 2012, at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season. It was the 26th edition of the Outback Bowl, and was tele ...

after tackling

Keshawn Martin Keshawn Charles Martin (born March 15, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was selected by the Hou ...

for a safety, and returning a punt 92 yards for a touchdown in a 33–30 triple overtime loss to the

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 Varsity team, varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan Army, Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the sc ...

. Boykin also won the

Paul Hornung Award The Paul Hornung Award is a college football award that was created in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission in Louisville, Kentucky, with the support of Paul Hornung, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football ...

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Boykin was selected in the fourth round (123rd overall) of the

by the

. He signed a four-year contract with the team on May 11, 2012. His first season he recorded 31 total tackles, 7 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble. He saw little playing action on defense, but his 1,037 kick return yards were second in the NFC and seventh in the NFL. Boykin started the 2013 season with his first interception, off Redskins

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Robert Griffin III Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RGIII or RG3, is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, most notably with the Washington Redskins. He ...

, helping the Eagles to win 33–27. He recorded his next interception in a week 5 win over the

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) * Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'g ...

where he picked off

Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning family, he is the youngest ...

. In a week 10 game against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

who were without quarterback

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

, Boykin intercepted quarterback

Scott Tolzien Scott Jeffery Tolzien (born September 4, 1987) is an American former professional football quarterback and coach who currently serves the quarterbacks coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college foot ...

's pass in the

endzone The end zone is the scoring area on the field, according to gridiron-based codes of football. It is the area between the end line and goal line bounded by the sidelines. There are two end zones, each being on the opposite side of the field ...

and ran it back for 76 yards. He followed up again the next week, intercepting Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. In a week 16 game against the

, Boykin intercepted

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...

and ran it back 54 yards for the score. The week 17 showdown against division rival

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

was for the

NFC East The National Football Conference – Eastern Division or NFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It has four members: the Dallas Cowboys, New Yo ...

division title. Late in the fourth quarter the Cowboys marched down the field when back-up quarterback

Kyle Orton Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was selected by the Chicago Bears in the f ...

threw behind his

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

, Miles Austin. Boykin intercepted the pass and kneed it after a short return. The interception led to the Eagles rushing the ball twice for a first down, then two kneel downs to run out the clock and seal the Eagles' divisional win at a final score of 24–22. Boykin enjoyed a breakout year in 2013 with 42 solo tackles, 5 assists, 2 forced fumbles, 16 passes defended, and 6 interceptions (second in the NFL). For the 2014 season, Boykin had 36 solo tackles, 5 assists, 9 passes defended, and an interception.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On August 1, 2015, Boykin was traded to the

in exchange for a conditional 2016 5th-round pick.

Carolina Panthers

On March 28, 2016, Boykin signed a one-year contract with the

. The Panthers released Boykin and two others to create roster space for six new rookie tryouts two months later.

Chicago Bears

On July 27, 2016, Boykin signed with the

. He was placed on the team's

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

list on August 3, 2016 due to a

pectoral Pectoral may refer to: * The chest region and anything relating to it. * Pectoral cross, a cross worn on the chest * a decorative, usually jeweled version of a gorget * Pectoral (Ancient Egypt), a type of jewelry worn in ancient Egypt * Pectora ...

injury suffered during training camp.

Baltimore Ravens

On June 5, 2017, Boykin signed with the

. He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2017.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Georgia Bulldogs biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boykin, Brandon 1990 births Living people Players of American football from Atlanta American football cornerbacks American football return specialists Georgia Bulldogs football players Philadelphia Eagles players Pittsburgh Steelers players Carolina Panthers players Chicago Bears players Baltimore Ravens players