Solomon Byrd

Solomon Byrd
refer to caption
Byrd at the 2023 Holiday Bowl
No. 50 – Houston Texans
Position:Defensive end
Personal information
Born: (1999-12-01) December 1, 1999 (age 25)
Palmdale, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Knight (Palmdale, California)
College:Wyoming (2018–2021)
USC (2022–2023)
NFL draft:2024 / round: 7 / pick: 238
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Practice squad
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Solomon Byrd (born December 1, 1999) is an American professional football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys and the USC Trojans and was selected by the Texans in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Early life and high school

Byrd was born in Palmdale, California where he attended Knight High School. In Byrd's high school career, he totaled 155 tackles with 20.5 going for a loss, 16 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and six forced fumbles.[1] Byrd would decide to commit to play college football at the University of Wyoming.[2]

College career

Wyoming

In Byrd's first season with Wyoming in 2018, he had five tackles[3] In week three of the 2019 season, Byrd had a clutch sack to force a punt with three minutes left in the game, as he helped Wyoming beat Idaho 21–16.[4] In the following week, Byrd had a breakout game notching 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and a pass deflection, in a win over Tulsa.[5] Byrd finished the 2019 season with 45 tackles with 9.5 being for a loss, 6.5 sacks, a pass deflection, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble.[6] For his performance on the 2019 season, Byrd was named a FWAA Freshman All-American.[7][8] Byrd would decide to opt out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.[9][10] In the 2021 season, Byrd finished the season with 37 tackles with 3.5 being for a loss, and 3.5 sacks.[11] After the conclusion of the 2021 season, Byrd announced his descison to enter the NCAA transfer portal.[12][13]

USC

Byrd would initially decide to transfer to Georgia Tech but would later change his commitment to USC.[14][15] In week two Byrd had two sacks, in a win over Stanford.[16] In week three, Byrd made his first career start where he made four tackles with two being for a loss, and a sack where he forced a fumble, and recovered it, as he helped USC beat Fresno State.[17] Byrd finished the 2022 season with 28 tackles with 7.5 being for a loss, four sacks, a pass deflection, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.[18]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2+7⁄8 in
(1.90 m) 		255 lb
(116 kg) 		33+5⁄8 in
(0.85 m) 		9+3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		 5.01 s 1.84 s 2.97 s 4.59 s 7.45 s 32.0 in
(0.81 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 18 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[19][20][21]

Byrd was selected by the Houston Texans in the seventh round (238th overall) of the 2024 NFL draft.[22] He was waived on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad.[23][24]

References

  1. ^ "Solomon Byrd Football Stats". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  2. ^ Foster, Brandon (December 7, 2017). "Wyoming defensive end commit Solomon Byrd makes history for his high school". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  3. ^ "Solomon Byrd 2018 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Johnke, Jeremiah (September 18, 2019). "Byrd came up big for UW with late sack against Idaho". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Pottercasper, Davis (October 3, 2019). "DE Solomon Byrd disruptive 'factor' for Wyoming's defense". AP News. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  6. ^ "Solomon Byrd 2019 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  7. ^ Potter, Davis (January 13, 2020). "Wyoming DE Solomon Byrd named FWAA Freshman All-American". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  8. ^ Katz, Michael (January 13, 2020). "Wyoming's Byrd named freshman All-American". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  9. ^ Potter, Davis (April 22, 2021). "Wyoming's opt-outs gradually getting reacclimated this spring". Reading Eagle. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Potter, Davis (September 30, 2020). "Three projected defensive starters among Wyoming players to opt out of season". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  11. ^ Sugiura, Ken (May 3, 2022). "In transferring, Solomon Byrd finds Georgia Tech 'the best situation'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Thorburn, Ryan (March 19, 2022). "Wyoming Cowboys defensive end Solomon Byrd seeking transfer". Casper Star-Tribune. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  13. ^ Tucker, Cody (March 19, 2022). "WYOMING'S SOLOMON BYRD ENTERING NCAA TRANSFER PORTAL". 7220 Sports. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  14. ^ Caudell, Jackson (May 10, 2022). "Transfer Solomon Byrd flips his Commitment From Georgia Tech". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  15. ^ Sugiura, Ken (May 10, 2022). "Defensive end Solomon Byrd changes transfer commitment from Georgia Tech to USC". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  16. ^ Kartje, Ryan (September 22, 2022). "Solomon Byrd, a surprise USC defensive playmaker, waited years for his chance to shine". Los Angeles-Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  17. ^ Grosbard, Adam (September 18, 2022). "USC's Solomon Byrd practices what coach Lincoln Riley preaches". The Orange County Register. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  18. ^ "Solomon Byrd 2022 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  19. ^ "Solomon Byrd Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  20. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Solomon Byrd College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  21. ^ "Sixteen Trojan Draft Prospects Showcase at USC Football's Pro Day". USCTrojans.com. March 20, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  22. ^ Dougherty, Drew (April 27, 2024). "Texans add DE Solomon Byrd out of USC in Round 7 of the 2024 NFL Draft". Houston Texans. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  23. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (08-27-2024)". HoustonTexans.com. August 27, 2024.
  24. ^ "Houston Texans Transactions (08-28-2024)". HoustonTexans.com. August 28, 2024.