Johnathan Hankins (born March 30, 1992) 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 ...

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

for the Seattle Seahawks of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

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at Ohio State, where he received

All-American 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 ...

honors, and was selected by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has also played for the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

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 ...

and

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 ...

Early life

Hankins was born in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He began his

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

career as a 255 pound guard in his freshman year. For his sophomore year he transferred to Southeastern High School, where he started on the defensive line. Five-star prospect William Gholston transferred to Southeastern in 2008, creating the "best defense in Detroit", with Hankins shutting down the inside and Gholston patrolling on the edge. Hankins was regarded as a three star recruit by Rivals.com, and was listed as the No. 20 prospect from Michigan in the class of 2010. He intended to accompany Gholston to Michigan State, but did not get any offer from the Spartans. Hankins eventually picked Ohio State over offers from

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

College career

Hankins enrolled in

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

, where he played for the

Ohio State Buckeyes football The Ohio State Buckeyes football team competes as part of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, representing Ohio State University in the Big Ten Conference. Ohio State has played its home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio, since 1 ...

team from 2010 to 2012. As a true freshman, Hankins made the Buckeyes rotation and recorded 16 tackles (3 solo) plus a

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackle (football move), tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the l ...

for the season. He weighed in as a freshman "at about 350, 355," and was regarded as only a two-down player by defensive coordinator Jim Heacock. By his sophomore year, Hankins managed to get his weight down to 330 and became a starter, registering 67 tackles (32 solo) and three sacks. Following his 2012 junior season, he was a first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection, and received first-team

honors from Scout.com.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Even though Hankins only entered his junior season in 2012, he was projected to leave Ohio State early. In preseason

mock draft Mock draft is a term used by sports websites and magazines in reference to a simulation of a sports league draft (sports), draft or fantasy sports league's draft. ESPN has run mock drafts on the front page of its website, allowing any visitor to ...

s from May 2012, Hankins was listed as a mid first-rounder for the 2013 NFL draft. By mid-season, he had moved up to a top-10 spot. In December 2012, Hankins announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility, entering the 2013 NFL Draft.

New York Giants

Hankins was selected by the

in the second round (49th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft. After Linval Joseph left the Giants for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

, Hankins was expected to step into his role in 2014. Known as a run stuffer, Hankins surprisingly showed flashes as a pass rusher recording 7 sacks, 6 quarterback hits and 21 hurries. Hankins exceeded expectations as he recorded 51 tackles, 7 sacks and a forced fumble and was named to Pro Football Focus'

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

Team at defensive tackle. On November 8, 2015, Hankins tore his pectoral muscle during the second quarter of the week 9 game against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

. He was placed on season-ending

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 ...

on November 10, 2015. In the 2016 season, Hankins returned from his injury, registering 43 tackles and 3 sacks. He also made the playoffs for the first time in his career.

Indianapolis Colts

On April 13, 2017, Hankins signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the

. He started 15 games, recording 44 tackles (fifth on the team), 4 tackles for loss, two sacks and 3 passes defensed. He had 4 tackles and one sack against the Seattle Seahawks. He made 8 tackles against the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

. He had 5 tackles and one sack 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 ...

. On March 17, 2018, Hankins was released by the Colts, because he wasn't seen as a fit for the 4-3 defense thas was implemented by new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders

On September 13, 2018, Hankins signed with the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

to replace an injured Justin Ellis. He played in 15 games with 14 starts, recording 36 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. He had 2 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. On March 10, 2019, Hankins signed a two-year contract extension with the Raiders. He started all 16 games, collecting 50 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one pass defensed. He had 8 tackles against the

. He made 4 tackles and one sack against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. In 2020, he started all 16 games, compiling 48 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. He was placed on the reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the Raiders on November 18, 2020, and activated three days later. On March 20, 2021, the Raiders re-signed Hankins to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. He started 14 games, registering 38 tackles and one pass defensed. He missed 3 games with an injury. Hankins re-signed with the Raiders on April 4, 2022. He was passed on the depth chart by Andrew Billings. He was declared inactive in the Week 5 game against 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 ...

. He appeared in 5 games with one start, tallying 9 tackles with one quarterback pressure and one pass defensed.

Dallas Cowboys

On October 25, 2022, Hankins along with a 2024 seventh-round pick, was traded to the

in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round draft choice (#204- Jarrick Bernard-Converse). He was acquired to improve the team's run defense. He was placed on injured reserve with a sprained pectoral muscle on December 14. He was activated on January 16, 2023. Hankins re-signed with the Cowboys on March 29, 2023. He started 14 games, recording 27 tackles, three sacks and two passes defensed. He missed 3 games with a high-ankle sprain injury.

Seattle Seahawks

On March 20, 2024, Hankins signed with the Seattle Seahawks. He reunited with defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who was his defensive line coach with the

. On May 7, 2025, Hankins re-signed with the Seahawks.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

Seattle Seahawks bioA Model and NFL Player's Stunning Garden-Inspired Wedding in Ohio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hankins, Johnathan 1992 births Living people Southeastern High School (Michigan) alumni American football defensive tackles Players of American football from Detroit Ohio State Buckeyes football players New York Giants players Indianapolis Colts players Las Vegas Raiders players Oakland Raiders players Dallas Cowboys players Seattle Seahawks players