 Lawson with theSan Francisco 49ers in 2010 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 99, 50, 91 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Linebacker | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1984-07-03)July 3, 1984 (age 41) Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Eastern Wayne (NC) | ||||||||||||||
| College | NC State (2002–2005) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2006: 1st round, 22nd overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Manny Lawson (born July 3, 1984) is an American former professionalfootball player who was alinebacker in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theNC State Wolfpack, and was selected by theSan Francisco 49ers in the first round of the2006 NFL draft. Lawson also played for theCincinnati Bengals andBuffalo Bills.
His father, Donald P. Lawson, was in the Air Force and stationed atOffutt Air Force Base nearOmaha, Nebraska when Manny was born. Lawson excelled in football as well as basketball in his middle school years. He also attended Spring Creek Elementary School inSeven Springs, North Carolina.
Lawson attendedEastern Wayne High School inGoldsboro, North Carolina. Super Prep rated Lawson as one of the Top 25 players (#21) in the state of North Carolina during his senior year. He recorded 54 tackles and 12 sacks on defense and also rushed for 456 yards on offense during his final season, picking up Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. Also atrack & field star, Lawson qualified for the state indoor track meet in four events:long jump (7.72m or 24'11"),triple jump (14.41m or 47'3"),55-meter dash (6.76s),200-meter dash (22.09s) and the55-meter hurdles (7.72s).[1]
In 2002, he played in every game as a reserve outside linebacker. He recorded 35 tackles (20 solos) with a stop for a 5-yard loss on 144 plays. He caused a fumble and deflected four passes. He led the nation with three blocked punts, and was the co-winner of the Pack's Most Valuable Specialist Award. Lawson competed with the Wolfpacktrack & field squad in the spring of 2003; in his first meet, he won the long jump and the triple jump in the Patriot Games. He posted the fastest time in the60-meter hurdles (indoors) for NC State that season (8.55s). He earned the Most Dominant Award for defense after spring workouts in 2003.
In 2003, he played in every game as an outside linebacker, starting againstTexas Tech andGeorgia Tech on the strong-side. After the regular season, he shifted to right defensive end and started there againstKansas in theTangerine Bowl. He recorded 53 tackles (33 solos) with three sacks, seven stops for losses of 29 yards and three pressures. He caused two fumbles and recovered another. He blocked two punts and had five pass deflections. Lawson competed on thetrack & field squad during the winter and spring, winning the ACC title in the indoorlong jump with a mark of 7.40 meters (24'3"). He finished second in that event outdoors with a leap of 7.33 meters (24'0.5"), he finished seventh in the outdoortriple jump (14.90m or 48'10.75"), fourth in the60-meter hurdles (8.41s) and fourth with the4 × 100 meter relay with a time of 41.25 seconds. He was named the Wolfpack's Special Teams Player of the Year and Most Improved Defensive Lineman following 2004 spring drills, he also earned the Defensive Leadership Award.
In 2004, he made Second-team All-ACC performer after ranking sixth in the conference with seven sacks for 55 yards. He ranked third on the team with a dozen stops for losses of 74 yards and second with sixteen quarterback pressures. He registered 50 tackles (39 solos) with a pair of fumble recoveries and a forced fumble. He deflected four passes and blocked a punt in his first season as a starter, lining up at right defensive end in every game. He was a co-recipient of the 2004Cary Brewbaker Award, given to the most valuable defensive lineman. He was named the strength index champion for the Wolfpack linemen.
In 2005, Lawson made All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team selection by The NFL Draft Report. He started every game, except againstWake Forest, at right defensive end. He participated in 617 plays during the regular season. He recorded a career-high 58tackles (33 solos), adding three solo hits onspecial teams. He registered 21 pressures with four pass deflections and a blocked kick. He ranked second in the conference and twelfth in the nation with 10.5sacks for minus 83 yards. He ranked fourth in the conference, third on the team and 14th in the nation with 19.5 stops for losses of 112 yards
| 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 | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft5+3⁄8 in (1.97 m) | 241 lb (109 kg) | 33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) | 9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) | 4.44 s | 1.53 s | 2.61 s | 4.18 s | 6.90 s | 39.5 in (1.00 m) | 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) | 23 reps | 43 |
| All values fromNFL Combine[2][3] | ||||||||||||
TheSan Francisco 49ers selected Lawson in the first round of the2006 NFL draft with the intention that he could bring pressure off the edges as the 49ers defense transitioned from a 4–3 defense to a 3–4.[4] Although Lawson played defensive end in college, the 49ers felt that he had the athletic ability to change position to linebacker. Lawson impressed opposing teams with his athleticism and speed on the field. He showed that he could play linebacker at the next level consistently, making plays from sideline to sideline. He finished the year with 2.5 sacks, one interception, one blocked punt, and 2 fumble recoveries.
Lawson was voted Week 2 Rookie of the Week for his performance against theSt. Louis Rams by voters on theNFL website. In the game, he recorded three tackles, two sacks, and two quarterback pressures.
In 2007, he started off the season well. He accrued 11 tackles in the first two contests, both tight victories, over Arizona and St.Louis. He had several good QB pressures but mainly was noted for his excellent coverage play, keeping both teams' tight ends fairly non-existent in the offense and letting the rest of the defense focus on stopping those teams' excellent wide receiver duos. Lawson tore hisACL during a practice preparing for a week 3 games against Pittsburgh, ending his season.[5]
On August 2, 2011, Lawson signed a one-year contract with theCincinnati Bengals. On April 14, 2012, Lawson re-signed with the Bengals.[6]
On March 13, 2013, Lawson signed with theBuffalo Bills for 4 years worth up to $12 million.[7] Under new defensive coordinatorMike Pettine Lawson switched fromoutside linebacker todefensive end in Pettine's 4–3 scheme[8] He then changed back to outside linebacker for the 2015 season in coachRex Ryan's 3–4 scheme.[9]
In 2016, Lawson was suspended one game for a violation of the league's personal conduct policy due to a domestic situation during the 2015 season, and he appealed the suspension.[10] On September 2, 2016, Lawson was released by the Bills.[11]
| Year | Team | GP | COMB | TOTAL | AST | SACK | FF | FR | FR YDS | INT | IR YDS | AVG IR | LNG | TD | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | SF | 16 | 57 | 47 | 10 | 2.5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2007 | SF | 2 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2008 | SF | 14 | 45 | 33 | 12 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2009 | SF | 16 | 68 | 51 | 17 | 6.5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2010 | SF | 16 | 59 | 48 | 11 | 2.5 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2011 | CIN | 16 | 52 | 31 | 21 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2012 | CIN | 16 | 39 | 30 | 9 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2013 | BUF | 15 | 73 | 52 | 21 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2014 | BUF | 16 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Career | 127 | 424 | 316 | 108 | 23.5 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | |
Key
