.jpg) Gilbert with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 | |||||||||||
| No. 0 – Sioux City Bandits | |||||||||||
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| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1991-11-07)November 7, 1991 (age 34) Huntsville, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 202 lb (92 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Huntsville | ||||||||||
| College | Oklahoma State (2010–2013) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2014: 1st round, 8th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Justin Rodrell Gilbert (born November 7, 1991) is an American professionalfootballcornerback for theSioux City Bandits of theNational Arena League (NAL). He was selected by theCleveland Browns with the eighth pick in the2014 NFL draft, after playingcollege football atOklahoma State. He has also been a member of thePittsburgh Steelers.
Gilbert attendedHuntsville High School inHuntsville, Texas, where he was a three-sport star infootball,basketball andtrack. He played as adefensive back andquarterback for the Huntsville Hornets football team, and was a two-time district MVP. He was aSuperPrep All-region selection and was ranked by that publication as the No. 51 player in Texas. As a junior, he accumulated 785 passing yards and 628rushing yards. In his senior year, he rushed for over 1,000 yards with ninetouchdowns and passed for over 800 yards.[1]
Also a standouttrack & field athlete, Gilbert was one of the state's topsprinters. He captured two regional titles at the 2010 State 3-4A Regional, winning the100-meter dash, with a time of 10.47 second, and the200-meter dash, with a time of 21.29 seconds, while also placing second in thelong jump (6.78 meters) and anchoring the4x100 squad to a second-place finish.[2]
Considered a four-star recruit byRivals.com, Gilbert was listed as the No. 37 athlete in the state of Texas in 2010.[3]
Gilbert attendedOklahoma State University between 2010 and 2013. As atrue freshman in 2010, Gilbert was a backupcornerback andkick returner. For the season he had 18tackles and returned twokickoff returns for touchdowns. He was named afreshman All-American by Rivals.com.[4] As a sophomore in 2011, he had 48 tackles, fiveinterceptions and two kickoff return touchdowns. He was the defensive MVP of the 2012Fiesta Bowl.[5] As a junior in 2012, he had 53 tackles and one kickoff return for a touchdown. He nearly entered the2013 NFL draft but decided against it.[6] As a senior in 2013, he set theBig 12 Conference record for kickoff return touchdowns with six.[7] He was also a finalist for theJim Thorpe Award.[8][9] Gilbert won the 2013 College Football Performance Award as the nation's top defensive back.[10][11]
| 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 ft0+1⁄8 in (1.83 m) | 202 lb (92 kg) | 33+1⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) | 4.35 s | 1.54 s | 2.50 s | 4.39 s | 6.92 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | 20 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[12] | ||||||||||||
Gilbert was considered one of the top cornerback prospects for the2014 NFL draft.[13][14] Gilbert was selected with the eighth pick in the first round by theCleveland Browns.[15] After a slow start to his rookie season, when he had missed two games with an illness and a heel injury, Gilbert played in Week 14 against theIndianapolis Colts when teammateK'Waun Williams was injured. He ended the game with four tackles and one interception, which he returned for a touchdown. The Colts won 25–24.
On September 3, 2016, Gilbert was traded to thePittsburgh Steelers for a 2018 sixth-round draft pick.[16]
After not seeing the field in Week 1 against theWashington Redskins, Gilbert made his Steelers debut against theCincinnati Bengals on September 18, playing exclusively onspecial teams. After another week of special teams duty against thePhiladelphia Eagles, Gilbert made his debut on defense against theKansas City Chiefs on October 2, coveringTravis Kelce. Through the first 10 weeks, he played only 11 defensive snaps and was mainly used on kickoff coverage, but he returned three kickoffs for 69 yards.[17]
During the 2016 season, Gilbert played in 12 games, recording one solo tackle and assisting on two others. He also made his NFL postseason debut, playing against the Chiefs andNew England Patriots, returning three kickoffs for 43 yards.
On February 6, 2017, Gilbert was released by the Steelers.[18][19]
On June 20, 2017, Gilbert was suspended by NFL commissionerRoger Goodell for one year for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.[20]
On January 13, 2023, Gilbert signed with theSioux City Bandits ofChampions Indoor Football (CIF).[21] On December 18, 2023, he re-signed with the Bandits for their first season in theNational Arena League (NAL).[22]
