Brandon Boykin (born July 13, 1990) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

. He played college football at

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

and was drafted 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

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 also played for 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Stee ...

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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

and

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

throughout his career.

High school career

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 , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

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 ...

and a sack. As a senior, he was named the MVP of the 2012 Outback Bowl after tackling Keshawn Martin 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 sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the school colors are green and whi ...

. Boykin also won the Paul Hornung Award.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Going into the

, Boykin was projected as one of the best cornerback prospects. He was drafted 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 (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Robert Griffin III, helping the Eagles to win 33–27. He recorded his next interception in a week 5 win over the Giants where he picked off

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

. 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 club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. It is the th ...

who were without quarterback

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). Rodgers began his college football career at Butte College in 2002 before transferring to t ...

, Boykin intercepted quarterback Scott Tolzien's pass in the endzone 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 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divis ...

was for the

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

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 a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Dra ...

threw behind his wide receiver,

Miles Austin Miles Jonathon Austin III (born June 30, 1984) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in the NFL for 10 seasons ...

. 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 th ...

list on August 3, 2016 due to a pectoral 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.

References

External links

Philadelphia Eagles 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