Kenneth Acker (born February 6, 1992) 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 ...

player who was a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

in 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

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

SMU Mustangs The SMU Mustangs are the sport, athletic teams that represent Southern Methodist University in University Park, Texas, United States. SMU was founded in 1911 and joined the Southwest Conference, competing against Baylor Bears, Baylor, Rice Owls, ...

and was selected by the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

in the sixth round of the

2014 NFL draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

College career

Acker started out at

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

, playing football as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

in 2010. He remained in SMU until 2013, when he graduated as a Senior and entered the

. During his time at SMU, Acker made 128 tackles, 31 assisted tackles, 6 interceptions, and scored a defensive touchdown. His most successful year was his

Junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

year in 2012, when he made the Top 10 in the

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

for punt return yards, interceptions, interception return yards, interception return touchdowns, and passes defended.

Professional career

San Francisco 49ers

Acker was selected by the

in the sixth round of the

(180th overall), before signing a four-year contract with the 49ers. He played during the pre-season, and impressed during the game 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 ...

, drawing an offensive penalty, knocked away a pass, and even made an interception, only for it to be called back due to a penalty. Acker played through the pre-season with a stress fracture in his left foot, and was placed on injured reserve shortly after the diagnosis. After a strong preseason in 2015, Acker was given the starting cornerback job shortly before the 49ers regular season opener against 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 ...

. Acker was on the field for a team high 56 defensive snaps in a 20-3 49ers victory. Through Week 14, Acker had impressed in his starting role, having amassed 3 interceptions (tied for the team lead), 8 pass deflections and 58 solo tackles. He lost his starting job that week to Dontae Johnson.

Kansas City Chiefs

On August 27, 2016, Acker was traded to 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 ...

for an undisclosed draft pick.

Indianapolis Colts

On April 11, 2018, Acker signed with 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 ...

. He was released on May 15, 2018.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On August 11, 2018, Acker signed with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on September 1, 2018. He was released on September 8, 2018.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On January 29, 2021, Acker signed with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

. He was released on July 16, 2021.

References

External links

Saskatchewan Roughriders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Acker, Kenneth Living people 1992 births Players of American football from Portland, Oregon American football cornerbacks SMU Mustangs football players San Francisco 49ers players Kansas City Chiefs players Indianapolis Colts players Jacksonville Jaguars players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Canadian football defensive backs Players of Canadian football from Oregon