_(cropped).jpg) Apke with theWashington Football Team in 2021 | |||||||||||
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | (1995-04-11)April 11, 1995 (age 29) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 205 lb (93 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Mt. Lebanon(Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania) | ||||||||||
| College: | Penn State (2014–2017) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2018: 4th round, 109th pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Troy Steven Apke (born April 11, 1995) is an American professionalfootballsafety andcornerback. He playedcollege football for thePenn State Nittany Lions and was selected by theWashington Redskins in the fourth round of the2018 NFL draft. He is the son of formerPittsburgh Steelers playerSteve Apke.
Apke was born inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania to formerPittsburgh Panthers andPittsburgh Steelers linebackerSteve Apke. His mother also rantrack and field forPittsburgh.[2] He grew up in nearbyMt. Lebanon Township and attendedMt. Lebanon High School, where he participated infootball,basketball, andtrack and field. Apke advanced to thePIAA state track and field championships his junior and senior years. He was also theWPIAL Champion in the100 meters in 2014, recording a time of 10.81 seconds. He was a three-year starter for the football team playingwide receiver andsafety. During his junior and senior seasons Apke had 1,776 receiving yards and 20touchdowns and on defense, 68tackles with 3interceptions. A 3-star recruit, Apke committed toPenn State.[3]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Apke WR | Pittsburgh | Mt. Lebanon | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 13, 2013 | |
Star ratings:Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources: | ||||||
During his freshman season at Penn State, Apke played four games onspecial teams, totaling two tackles. In his sophomore year, he played in all 13 games, starting one. He finished the season with 26 total tackles, one forcedfumble, and one pass deflection. During his junior season, Apke played in all 14 games starting one again. On October 1, he recorded a career high six tackles and one pass deflection in a win overMinnesota.
Prior to his senior season Apke was named a starter at safety by head coachJames Franklin. In the season opener againstAkron Zips, Apke had four tackles and was one of eight players to be a part of three-straight seasons with a shutout on the Nittany Lions roster. Also, he was one of three who played in all three of those games. Apke graduated with a degree in Criminology. Prior to playing in the2017 Fiesta Bowl, he was one of twenty on the roster who graduated before the Bowl game.[4]
Apke was selected to participate in the January 2018 edition of theNFLPA Collegiate Bowl, where he was named game MVP[5] after a team-high seven tackles, a forced fumble and a 56-yard interception return for a touchdown.[6]
| Season | G | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Asst. | Tot. | Sacks | TFL | FF | FR | Int. | Yds. | Avg. | TD | Def. | ||
| 2014 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 2017 | 13 | 36 | 19 | 55 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 44 | 63 | 48 | 111 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 0 | 7 |
| 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 ft1+1⁄4 in (1.86 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 32+3⁄8 in (0.82 m) | 8+3⁄8 in (0.21 m) | 4.34 s | 1.48 s | 2.52 s | 4.03 s | 6.56 s | 41training camp | 10 ft 11 in (3.33 m) | 16 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[7] | ||||||||||||
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Apke attended theNFL Combine, where he ran the40-yard dash in 4.34 seconds.[8] (“He can RUN, run” was Deion Sanders’ description conveying his surprise at how fast Apke ran the 40). In the2018 NFL draft, he was selected by theWashington Redskins in the fourth round, 109th overall.[9] Apke made his NFL debut in the Redskins season opener against theArizona Cardinals, where he made a touchdown-saving tackle on a punt return, but was injured on the play. He was subsequently placed oninjured reserve a month later.[10]
Coming into the2019 season Apke was expected to be a contributor on special teams. Through the first six weeks Apke had three tackles. In week 7 versus theSan Francisco 49ers, Apke saw significant action on defense after an injury to starting safetyMontae Nicholson. Apke had an interception, the first of his career, as well as a pass deflection and 6 tackles in just under a half of action in a 9–0 loss.[11]
In 2020, Apke was named the startingfree safety after beating outSean Davis duringtraining camp.[12] Due to poor performance to start the season, he lost his starting position after Week 5.[13] He converted tocornerback in 2021, making him the first white NFL player at the position sinceDustin Fox in 2008.[14]
Apke re-signed with the team on March 17, 2022.[15] He was released on August 16, 2022,[16] but re-signed to theirpractice squad on August 31.[17] He was released again on October 5, 2022, but re-signed back to the practice squad on October 21.[18][19] Apke was released again on November 26, 2022.[20] On December 30, he was re-signed to the practice squad.[21] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[22] The Commanders placed Apke on injured reserve on August 8, 2023.[23] He was released on November 20.
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