Jimmy Staten
Jimmy Lewis Staten IV is an American former football defensive end. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at [Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football|Blue Raiders football|Middle Tennessee].
Early life
Staten was born on May 4, 1991, to Jimmy Staten III and Shirley Staten. He attended Ware County High School in Waycross, Georgia, where he was a two-way player in football. As a junior, Staten earned Class AAAA All-State honors as an offensive lineman from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Sports Writers Association. Even then, he was "seen as even more valuable" as a defensive end, according to The Florida Times-Union. As a senior, Staten posted 87 tackles and was voted one of the top 100 players in the South by The AJC. He was also selected to play in the 2008 Georgia Athletic Coaches Association North/South All-Star Game as a member of the South squad. In addition to football, Staten lettered in track and field, reaching the state finals in the shot put. He verbally committed to playing college football at Middle Tennessee State University three weeks before signing his National Letter of Intent with the Blue Raiders on February 4, 2009.College career
As a freshman in 2009, Staten took a redshirt and was a member of the scout team. He appeared in 13 games in 2010, recording five tackles. The following season in 2011, Staten started all 12 games and tallied 29 tackles, four tackles for loss and a sack. He started all 12 games again in 2012, posting 36 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a QB hurry.In 2013, Staten was voted one of four team captains for the Blue Raiders. In 12 games played, he recorded 30 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup and two QB hurries in his final season. He earned All-Conference USA honorable mention honors and was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
Professional career
Seattle Seahawks
After being projected as a seventh round pick or free agent, Staten was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL draft. Staten was sitting in his college graduation ceremony at Murphy Center when he received the phone call from Seattle indicating that they were going to draft him.Staten was signed to a rookie contract with Seattle on May 16, 2014. On August 17, 2015, he was waived by the Seahawks.