Nathan Hairston (born June 30, 1994) 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 ...

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 ...

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, and was selected by 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 ...

in the fifth round of the

2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

Professional career

Pre-draft

On December 21, 2016, it was announced that Hairston had accepted his invitation to play in the 2017 East-West Shrine Game. He impressed draft scouts and analysts during Shrine Game practices. On January 21, 2017, Hairston recorded three combined

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

as part of the East team that lost 10–3 to the West in the 2017 East-West Shrine Game. Hairston attended the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and completed the majority of combine and positional drills. On March 8, 2017, Hairston participated at Temple's

pro day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

, but stood on the majority of his combine numbers and only performed the three-cone drill, short shuttle, and positional drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Hairston was projected to be drafted anywhere from the fifth to seventh rounds by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the 30th best

prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.

Indianapolis Colts

2017

The

selected Hairston in the fifth round (158th overall) of the

. Hairston was selected by an Orangutan from the Indianapolis Zoo, making him one of the only NFL players to be drafted by an animal. Hairston was the 23rd cornerback drafted in 2017. On May 11, 2017, the Colts signed Hairston to a four-year, $2.66 million contract that includes a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $267,758. Hairston entered

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 ...

as a backup cornerback and

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

player and was slated to be a developmental project. Head coach

Chuck Pagano Charles David Pagano (born October 2, 1960) is an American football coach who is currently a senior secondary coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 ...

named Hairston the fourth cornerback on the Colts' depth chart to begin the regular season in 2017. He was listed on the depth chart behind Vontae Davis, Rashaan Melvin, and Quincy Wilson. He made his professional regular season debut in the Colts' season-opener at the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

and made one solo tackle in their 46–9 loss. The following week, Hairston made his first career start as a nickelback after Vontae Davis was ruled inactive due to a groin injury. He recorded four solo tackles and made his first career sack on Cardinals' quarterback

Carson Palmer Carson Hilton Palmer (born December 27, 1979) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy as ...

in their 16–13 overtime loss to the 2017 Arizona Cardinals. On October 1, 2017, Hairston collected a season-high six combined tackles and forced a safety for the first scoring play of his career during a 46–18 loss at the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

in Week 4. Hairston sacked Seahawks' quarterback

Russell Wilson Russell Carrington Wilson (born November 29, 1988) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He has primarily played for the Seattle Seahawks. With the Sea ...

for a six-yard loss in the first quarter in the endzone for his first career safety. Hairston was inactive for the Colts' Week 5 win against 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 ...

due to a

quadriceps The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

injury. On November 26, 2017, Hairston recorded five combined tackles, made a season-high two pass deflections, and also made his first career

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, 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 ...

in the Colts' 20–16 loss against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

in Week 12. He made his first career interception off a pass by Titans' quarterback

Marcus Mariota Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks footb ...

, that was originally intended for wide receiver Taywan Taylor, and returned it for a ten-yard gain in the second quarter. Hairston was inactive for the Colts' Week 15 loss to 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 ...

after suffering a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include headache, dizziness, difficulty with thinking and concentration, sleep disturbances, a brief ...

the previous week. He finished his rookie season in 2017 with 36 combined tackles (25 solo), five pass deflections, two sacks, one interception, and a safety in 14 games and four starts.

2018

On January 1, 2018, the Colts fired head coach

after the Colts finished with a 4–12 record in 2017. On February 11, 2018, the Colts hired former

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 ...

offensive coordinator

Frank Reich Frank Michael Reich (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former player who is the interim head coach at Stanford University. He played 14 seasons as a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He became a coac ...

as their new head coach. Hairston competed against Kenny Moore II and Pierre Desir to be a starting cornerback to begin the regular season. Head coach Frank Reich named Hairston a starting cornerback to begin the regular season, alongside Kenny Moore and safeties Malik Hooker and Clayton Geathers. Hairston was inactive for the Colts' Week 5 loss at 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 ...

on ''

Thursday Night Football ''Thursday Night Football'' (often abbreviated as ''TNF'') is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that broadcast primarily on Thursday nights. Most of the games kick off at 8:15 Eastern Time (8:20 prior to ...

'' due to a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury.

New York Jets

On August 28, 2019, Hairston was traded to the

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

for a conditional 2020 sixth round pick. In week 14 against the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

, Hairston recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by

Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine teams, the ...

in the 22–21 win. Hairston was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, but was re-signed two days later. He was waived on October 1, 2020.

Baltimore Ravens

On October 12, 2020, Hairston was signed to the

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 ...

of the

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 ...

' practice squad.

Denver Broncos

On December 12, 2020, Hairston was signed by the Broncos off the Ravens' practice squad. He was released by the Broncos on April 8, 2021, but re-signed with the team the next day. He was waived on August 31, 2021, and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 14, 2021.

Minnesota Vikings

On March 28, 2022, Hairston signed a one-year deal with 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 ...

. He was released on August 30, 2022.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 21, 2022, Hairston was signed to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

practice squad. He was placed on the practice squad/injured list on December 28, 2022. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2023. On August 28, 2023, Hairston was released by the Cardinals as part of final roster cuts before the start of the 2023 season.

References

External links

Temple Owls bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hairston, Nate 1994 births Living people Sportspeople from Frederick, Maryland Players of American football from Maryland American football cornerbacks American football wide receivers Temple Owls football players Indianapolis Colts players New York Jets players Baltimore Ravens players Denver Broncos players Minnesota Vikings players Arizona Cardinals players