Leonard Floyd is a professional American football player who plays as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to that, he played with the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team during his college years, setting impressive records. Learn more about this gentleman’s life and how he developed his football career to the point where he is today.
Leonard Floyd Bio
On September 8, 1992, Leonard was born as the son of Leonard Lloyd (father) and Chrishonda Lloyd (mother) in Eastman, a small Georgian town. When the time came for high school, the boy was enrolled at Dodge County High School in Eastman, Georgia, where he fuelled his enthusiasm for football by playing in the school team as a defender and tight end. In addition to his first love of the sport, Floyd also took part in athletics events, particularly shot-putting. At the 2011 Region 3AA meeting, he threw 14.96 meters, which became his career-best.
After high school, Leonard Floyd spent a year serving at Hargrave Military Academy, where he took courses as a requirement of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). When it came time for college, nothing would stop him from devoting more time to top American sports, as he promised to play for the University of Georgia in April 2011.
In his freshman year in 2013, Floyd started in 8 of 13 games, and by the end of the season, he had a team lead of 6.5 bags with 55 winning tackles. In his second year, he maintained his good form and won 55 tackles, 6 sacks, a fumble recovery, running 96 yards for a touchdown. The year 2015 went even better for him with 72 combined tackles, 3 well-defended passes, 4.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery in all 13 games he played as a junior. After his impressive form, the boy announced his intention to join the NFL Draft in 2016.
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The Chicago Bears voted him into the first round (ninth round in total) of the 2016 NFL Draft, and on May 27, 2016, Leonard Floyd signed his first professional contract: a four-year contract worth $15.78 million, a signing bonus of $9.67 million and $15.33 million guaranteed. Upon joining the team, and as is tradition, he earned his place as a starting left outside linebacker by competing against Lamin Barrow, Pernell McPhee, Sam Acho, Lamarr Houston, Christian Jones, and Willie Young in the team’s training camp.
The boy had a good start in his debut match against Houston Texans as a linebacker, where he scored 6 combined tackles with a half-sack on Brock Osweiler of the Texans. In his next game, he suffered a calf injury which got him off the field in the next two Bears games. Nonetheless, he was born to play football as he made his comeback on the pitch when his team played against the Green Bay Packers. In that game, Leonard Floyd set a bad record when Aaron Rodgers forced the first fumble of his burgeoning career, the first defensive touchdown, and a lazy recovery when the Chicago Bears were humiliated in a 26-10 defeat.
In an attempt to tackle the running back Rashad Jennings of the New York Giants, Floyd had a collision with his teammate Akiem Hicks, resulting in a head and neck injury and a concussion, while Hicks had a compressed neck like the crown of Floyd’s helmet exerted a strong influence on his neck. Both players recovered quickly after the incident. At the end of his eventful 2016 rookie season, the Georgian-born player had 7.0 bags, 33 combined tackles (23 solos), 7 bags, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, a touchdown, and a safe in 12 games and 12 stars. With this, he finished third among all newcomers in his rookie season.
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At the beginning of the 2017 season, Leonard Floyd fought for his place in the team against his teammates Willie Young, Pernell McPhee, and Lamarr Houston throughout the training camp. He proved convincingly that he was the better player compared to the trio, and so head coach John Fox appointed him as a direct full-back at the start of the season. Floyd has always proved his worth when he plays outside for the Bears. As he is still quite young and doing so well, we expect him to reach many milestones in his career.
Height, Weight, Body Measurements
The footballer stands at a height of 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) and weighs 114 kg (251 lb). His body measurements before the design showed that his hand was at 10 1/8 in (0.26 m) and his height was 1.97 m (6 ft 5 5/8 in), while his weight was 111 kg (244 lb).
