Player Information
He was born in Pittsburgh, PA and graduated from Central High in Louisville, KY. As a freshman at Kentucky, he started 2 of 11 games, recording 18 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass deflection. He missed 2 games due to a sprained knee. As a sophomore, he started 12 of 13 games, finishing the year with 43 tackles, 4 for loss, 2.5 sacks, 1 interception, 4 pass deflections, and a fumble recovery. He earned All-SEC Academic honors. As a junior, he started all 13 games finishing with 36 tackles, 10 for loss, 4 sacks, 2 pass deflections, and 1 fumble recovery. His senior year, he started 12 of 13 games, recording career highs of 56 tackles, 12 for loss, 4 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 1 forced fumble, and 1 recovery. He earned 2nd team All-SEC honors that year. He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.
Career Statistics
| Year | Team | G | GS | Tack | Ast | Sack | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR |
| 2010 | ATL | 16 | 15 | 32 | 8 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | ATL | 15 | 15 | 26 | 4 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTALS | 31 | 30 | 58 | 12 | 4.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
Transactions
Signed by Atlanta Falcons on June 8, 2010.
Contract details
Signed by Falcons to a four-year contract worth $2.557 million including a $767,000 signing bonus. He will have base salaries of: $310,000 (2010); $405,000 (2011); $490,000 (2012); and $575,000 (2013). His contract also includes a $738,000 escalator clause that could be due in the fourth year.