Bryan J. Edwards (born November 13, 1998) is an American 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 ...

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 ...

. 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 ...

for the

South Carolina Gamecocks The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the NCAA Division I. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fight ...

and was selected by the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

in the third round of the

2020 NFL draft The 2020 NFL draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

Early life

Edwards attended Conway High School in

Conway, South Carolina Conway is a city in and the county seat of Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 24,849 at the 2020 census, up from 17,103 in the 2010 census, making it the 18th-most populous city in the state. The city is part of ...

. During his career, he had 188 receptions for 2,562 yards and 32

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

. He was selected to play in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Game, but did not play due to injury. He committed to the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

to play

College career

left, 200px, Edwards with South Carolina in 2019. Edwards started all 12 games he played in his freshman year at South Carolina in 2016. He had 44 receptions for 590 yards and four touchdowns. As a true freshman, Edwards earned '' Athlon's'' Freshman

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

second-team honors and

All-Southeastern Conference The All-SEC football team is an annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) honor bestowed on the best players in the conference following every college football season. Seasons

Following is a list of all-conference teams in the history of the SEC: ...

Freshman first-team accolades. As a sophomore in 2017, he started all 13 games and led the team with 64 receptions for 793 yards and five touchdowns. As a junior in 2018, he had 55 receptions for 846 yards and seven touchdowns. During his senior year in 2019, he passed

Kenny McKinley Kendrick L. McKinley (January 31, 1987 – September 20, 2010) was an American professional football wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Broncos in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL d ...

's school record for career receptions and

Alshon Jeffery Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 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 South Carolina Gamecocks, earning first-team All-Americ ...

's school record career receiving yards. He played in the first 10 games of the season before suffering a season-ending injury. He finished the season with 71 receptions for 816 yards and six touchdowns. For his career, he had 234 receptions, 3,045 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns.

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

football receiving records: * 1st place all-time receptions: 234 receptions * 1st place all-time receiving yards: 3,045 yards * 2nd place all-time receiving touchdowns: 22 receiving touchdowns * 1st place all-time consecutive games with a reception: 48 consecutive games with a catch

Professional career

Las Vegas Raiders

Edwards was selected by the

in the third round with the 81st overall pick of the

. The Raiders obtained this pick along with two first round picks as part of the trade that sent defensive end

Khalil Mack Khalil Delshon Mack (; born February 22, 1991) is an American professional football linebacker for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Buffalo Bulls and was selected by the Oakland ...

to the

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 ...

. Edwards entered his first

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

competing for a starting job against

Tyrell Williams Tyrell Williams (born February 12, 1992) is an American former professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Western Oregon and was signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He also played for the ...

Nelson Agholor Nelson Efamehule Agholor (born May 24, 1993) is a Nigerian-American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. During h ...

, Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones, and fellow rookie

Henry Ruggs III Henry James Ruggs III (born January 24, 1999) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders. He played college football for the Alabama Crims ...

. At the end of the Raiders’ training camp, head coach

Jon Gruden Jon David Gruden (born August 17, 1963) is an American football coach and media personality currently employed by Barstool Sports. After beginning his coaching career in the college ranks and working as a position coach and as an offensive co ...

named Edwards and Ruggs as the starting wide receivers for the 2020 NFL season. Edwards made his first career start and NFL debut in the Raiders’ season-opening win against the

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 ...

, notching 1 reception for 9 yards on one target. The following week against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

, Edwards recorded 2 receptions for 42 yards on two targets in the 34–24 win. In the Raiders’ Week 3 contest against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

, Edwards recorded 2 receptions for 48 yards on 3 targets before leaving the game with an ankle injury. He missed Weeks 4 to 8 recovering from the injury. After returning from the injury in Week 9, Edwards lost his starting job to

and took on a depth role for the remainder of the season. In the Raiders’ season finale against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

, Edwards recorded 2 receptions for 51 yards and his first career touchdown catch during the 32–31 win. Edwards finished his rookie season appearing in 12 games (3 starts) and recording 11 receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown.

Atlanta Falcons

On May 13, 2022, the Raiders traded Edwards along with a 2023 seventh-round pick to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

for a 2023 fifth-round selection. On November 24, 2022, Edwards was released by the Falcons.

Kansas City Chiefs

On November 28, 2022, the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

signed Edwards to their

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

. He was released on January 4, 2023.

New Orleans Saints

On March 27, 2023, Edwards signed with the

. He was waived on August 22, 2023.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

South Carolina Gamecocks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Bryan 1998 births Living people People from Conway, South Carolina Players of American football from Horry County, South Carolina American football wide receivers South Carolina Gamecocks football players Las Vegas Raiders players Atlanta Falcons players Kansas City Chiefs players New Orleans Saints players