Khaleke Hudson

Khaleke Hudson
refer to caption
Hudson with the Washington Commanders in 2022
No. 39 – Cleveland Browns
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1997-12-06) December 6, 1997 (age 26)
McKeesport, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school:McKeesport (McKeesport)
College:Michigan (2016–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 5 / pick: 162
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2024
Total tackles:110
Sacks:1.0
Pass deflections:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Khaleke Hudson (born December 6, 1997) is an American professional football linebacker for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines, twice named an All-Big Ten selection. He was drafted by the Washington Commanders in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL draft. Hudson shares an NCAA record for most tackles for a loss in a game with eight, doing so in 2017.

Early life

Hudson attended McKeesport Area High School in Pennsylvania where he played safety and running back. He was recruited by several top programs as a two-way player.[1] At the time of his January 27, 2016 commitment to Michigan he was the number one rated football prospect in the Pennsylvania statewide class of 2016 according to Scout.com and the number 10 rated player on Rivals. He had offers from Pittsburgh, UCLA, and Penn State.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40‡ Commit date
Khaleke Hudson
ATH 		McKeesport, Pennsylvania McKeesport H.S. 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 4.81 Jan 27, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Michigan Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  • "2016 Michigan Football Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  • "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.

College career

Hudson with Michigan in 2017

Hudson made his debut on September 3, 2016, against Hawaii.[3] In the 2016 campaign, Khaleke made an appearance in all 13 games primarily on special teams. Khaleke only appeared in 2 games as a Safety, and was the Special Teams Player of the Game after a home win against Illinois.[4] On November 4, 2017, he set the school single-game record with eight tackles for loss against Minnesota in the Little Brown Jug rivalry game,[5] earning Big Ten Conference Co-Defensive Player of the week.[6] Hudson was recognized as the FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week for the effort (15 total tackles, 12 of which were solo, 3 quarterback sacks, and a forced fumble),[7] which tied an NCAA single-game record and set a Big Ten Conference tackle for loss record.[8][9] Following the 2017 season, Hudson, who was second in the conference in tackles for loss for the season, earned third-team All-Big Ten recognition from the coaches.[8][10]

Prior to his junior season in 2018, Hudson was named to preseason watch lists for the Lott Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.[11][12] He was named preseason first-team all-Big Ten by Athlon Sports.[13] Hudson appeared in all 13 games for the Wolverines but assumed a lesser role in the defense than his sophomore season. He finished with three tackles for loss and 39 total tackles on the year, and was named an honorable mention all-conference selection by both media and coaches.[14][15]

As a senior, Hudson was named to the preseason watchlist for the Butkus Award.[16] During the 2019 season, Hudson was Michigan's leading tackler with a career-best 97 stops, including 3.5 for loss with two sacks. He added three pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, and a blocked kick. In the following season Hudson was named to second-team 2019 All-Big Ten.[17]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11 in
(1.80 m) 		224 lb
(102 kg) 		29+3⁄8 in
(0.75 m) 		10 in
(0.25 m)		 4.56 s 1.51 s 2.67 s 33.0 in
(0.84 m)		 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)		 30 reps
All values from NFL Combine[18][19]

Washington Football Team / Commanders

Hudson was selected by the Washington Football Team in the fifth round (162nd overall) of the 2020 NFL draft. Washington previously acquired this selection in a trade that sent Quinton Dunbar to the Seattle Seahawks.[20] He signed his four-year rookie contract with the team on July 23, 2020.[21]

On December 7, 2021, Hudson was placed on injured reserve after suffering an ankle injury in the Week 13 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.[22]

On August 30, 2022, Hudson was waived by the Commanders and signed to the practice squad the next day.[23][24] He was promoted to the active roster on October 21.[25] He signed a one-year contract extension on March 12, 2023.[26]

New Orleans Saints

On April 4, 2024, Hudson signed with the New Orleans Saints.[27] He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[28][29]

Cleveland Browns

On September 11, 2024, Hudson was signed by the Cleveland Browns off the Saints practice squad.[30]

References

  1. ^ White, Mike (December 23, 2015). "2015 High School Football Player of the Year: McKeesport's Khaleke Hudson". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  2. ^ Quinn, Brendan F. (January 27, 2016). "Khaleke Hudson commits to Michigan as 26th player in 2016 recruiting class". MLive.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  3. ^ Baumgardner, Nick (September 4, 2016). "Michigan plays a whopping 17 freshmen in opener vs. Hawaii". MLive.com. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "Khaleke Hudson - Football".
  5. ^ "Postgame Notes: Michigan 33, Minnesota 10". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  6. ^ "Big Ten Football Players of the Week: Nov. 6, 2017". BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. November 6, 2017. Archived from the original on November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  7. ^ He takled Daniel Rop 20 Times in high school."Michigan's Hudson Is Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week". Sportswriters.net. Football Writers Association of America. November 7, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  8. ^ a b "Thirteen Wolverines Named All-Big Ten on Defense, Special Teams". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. November 28, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  9. ^ Needelman, Joshua (November 7, 2017). "Michigan football's Khaleke Hudson named National Defensive Player of the Week". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  10. ^ "Big Ten Announces Football All-Conference Teams for Defense and Special Teams". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. November 28, 2017. Archived from the original on November 30, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  11. ^ "2018 Watch List | Lott IMPACT Trophy | Honoring College Football's Defensive Best". lottimpacttrophy.org. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  12. ^ "2018 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Preseason Watch List". July 24, 2018. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  13. ^ "Big Ten Football 2018 All-Conference Team". Athlon Sports. May 23, 2018.
  14. ^ "2018 All-Big Ten Football Teams and Individual Award Recipients" (PDF). BigTen.org. Big Ten Conference. November 28, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  15. ^ "Khaleke Hudson College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  16. ^ Wenzel, Matt (July 22, 2019). "Two Wolverines, one Spartan named to Butkus Award watch list". MLive.com. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  17. ^ "Fourteen Wolverines Honored by Big Ten on Defense and Special Teams". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "Khaleke Hudson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  19. ^ "2020 Draft Scout Khaleke Hudson, Michigan NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  20. ^ Sang, Orion. "Washington takes Michigan LB Khaleke Hudson in Round 5 of 2020 NFL draft". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  21. ^ Fortier, Sam; Jhabvala, Nicki (July 23, 2020). "No. 2 overall pick Chase Young signs with Washington". Washington Post. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  22. ^ Washington Football Team Public Relations (December 7, 2021). "Washington places LB Khaleke Hudson on IR, signs Milo Eifler from Miami's practice squad". WashingtonFootball.com. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  23. ^ "Commanders cut 25 players, place 3 on IR". Commanders.com. August 30, 2022. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  24. ^ "Commanders announce practice squad". Commanders.com. August 31, 2022.
  25. ^ "Commanders place Tariq Castro-Fields on IR, sign Khaleke Hudson to active roster". Commanders.com. October 21, 2022.
  26. ^ Selby, Zach (March 12, 2023). "Commanders re-sign Khaleke Hudson to one-year extension". Commanders.com. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  27. ^ "New Orleans Saints agree to terms with linebacker Khaleke Hudson". NewOrleansSaints.com. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  28. ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 27, 2024.
  29. ^ "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 28, 2024.
  30. ^ "Browns place DT Maurice Hurst II and three others on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 11, 2024.
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