 Aiken with theNew England Patriots in 2009 | |||||||||||
| No. 89, 88, 85 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | (1980-12-14)December 14, 1980 (age 44) Clinton, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | James Kenan (NC) | ||||||||||
| College: | North Carolina | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2003: 4th round, 127th pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Samuel Aiken (born December 14, 1980) is an American former professionalfootballwide receiver. He was selected by theBuffalo Bills in the fourth round of the2003 NFL draft. He playedcollege football atNorth Carolina.
He also played for theNew England Patriots andCleveland Browns.
Aiken attended James Kenan High School inWarsaw, North Carolina where he was an All-Conference honoree infootball,basketball, and track and field. In track and field, he placed second at the North Carolina State Meet on the high jump.
After graduating from high school, Aiken attended theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He appeared in all 11 games at wide receiver as a freshman in 1999, earning co-Most Outstanding Freshman honors with defensive endJulius Peppers. He recorded three catches for 16 yards, returned 13 kickoffs for a 21.2 average, and 12 punts for a 1.9 yard average. As a sophomore in 2000, Aiken again played in all 11 games and ranked third on the team with 29 receptions for 410 yards and three touchdowns. In 2001, Aiken led his team with 46 catches for 789 yards and eight touchdowns, second best in school history. He also played on all special teams units. As a senior in 2002, Aiken had 68 catches for 990 yards, both school records, as well as four touchdowns.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 209 lb (95 kg) | 31+1⁄4 in (0.79 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 4.65 s | 1.62 s | 2.71 s | 7.22 s | 39+1⁄2 in (1.00 m) | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine.[1] | ||||||||||||
Aiken was selected by theBuffalo Bills in the fourth round, with the 127th overall pick, of the2003 NFL draft.[2] He was primarily a special teams player in his five seasons for the Bills, covering kicks and punts for aBobby April-coached unit that was consistently among the best in the league.[3]
As a rookie in2003, Aiken played in five of the team's first 11 games, recording 3 receptions for 35 yards and two special teams tackles before being placed oninjured reserve on November 26. In2004, Aiken played in 16 games, recording a Buffalo career-high 11 catches for 148 yards as well as 14 special teams tackles. He started two games for the Bills in2005 while playing in all 16 including a matchup in a snow filled game starting for a suspendedEric Moulds; he caught four passes for 57 yards on the season while finishing second on the team with 24 special teams tackles. In2006, Aiken played in 15 games and picked up 13 special teams tackles. In his final season with the Bills in2007, Aiken played in 12 games, recording one catch for 10 yards and six special teams tackles.
On March 3, 2008, Aiken was signed by theNew England Patriots as an unrestricted free agent. Aiken was active for 14 games in his first season with the Patriots, making two starts at wide receiver and recording eight receptions for 101 yards. He finished fifth on the team with 10 special teams tackles. In2009, Aiken was named a special teams captain following the loss of former special teams aceLarry Izzo in free agency. He also played in an increased role in the offense following the release of offseason acquisitionsJoey Galloway andGreg Lewis. He started 7 games for the Patriots, making a career-high 20 receptions for 326 yards. He also caught the first two touchdowns of his career, a 54-yarder in Week 7 and an 81-yarder in Week 13, the third longest career completion for quarterbackTom Brady. He finished the season with 14 games played and 11 special teams tackles. In October 2009, Aiken signed a contract extension through 2011.[4] He was released during final cuts on September 4, 2010.
Aiken was signed by theCleveland Browns on September 25, 2010. He was released on October 12, 2010.
In 2012, Aiken returned to his college alma mater, North Carolina, to serve as a graduate assistant (GA) coach for the Tar Heels.
Aiken lives in North Carolina.He has a daughter named Ava Aiken who goes to school at Olds Elementary she is his favorite daughter he says on a new york times article
