Taylor Heinicke

Taylor Heinicke
No. 6 Minnesota Vikings
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Date of birth: (1993-03-15) March 15, 1993
Place of birth: Atlanta, Georgia
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school: Suwanee (GA) Collins Hill
College: Old Dominion
Undrafted: 2015
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Taylor Heinicke (born March 15, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL).

High school career

Heinicke played football under head coach Kevin Reach at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, where he was an all-state selection as a junior after guiding Collins Hill to a 10-4 record and a trip to the Class AAAAA semifinals. As a senior, Heinicke was named the Old Spice National Player of the Year in the state of Georgia. The award is presented annually to 50 high school varsity football athletes. He was also the Gwinnett Daily Post's Offensive Player of the Year after his record season when he threw for 4,218 yards, the second most in state history, and 44 touchdowns, which is the third-best ever in Georgia, setting Gwinnett County single-season records for passing yards and touchdowns. He threw over 300 yards in nine games and also ran for 354 yards on 77 carries along with a pair of touchdowns. Following his senior season, Heinicke was invited to play at the North/South All-Star Football Classic, where he collected 254 yards and three touchdowns en-route to MVP honors after helping the North to a 22-0 victory over the South. He appeared on the reality TV show The Ride featuring high school quarterbacks competing for a spot in the U.S. Army All-American game.

College career

In 2011, Taylor Heinicke accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Old Dominion University, where he played for the Old Dominion Monarchs football team from 2011 to 2014.

2012 season

Heinicke became the starter for Old Dominion in 2012. That year he led the Monarchs to a 10–3 record in the Colonial Athletic Association, but lost in the second round of FCS playoffs against Georgia Southern. He passed for 2385 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 1 interception, and he ran for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also punted 4 times for 170 yards. Heinicke was named to the All-CAA 3rd team Offense and was the National Freshman Performer of the Year. Old Dominion finished ranked #10 in the Football Championship Subdivision.

2013 season

In 2013, Heinicke led the Monarchs to an 11–2 record, while losing in the playoffs quarterfinals, again to Georgia Southern. That year, Heinicke passed for an FCS-record 5076 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. He ran for 470 yards and 11 touchdowns. He additionally punted 11 times for 475 yards. On 9/22/12, against New Hampshire, Heinicke passed for an astounding 730 yards and five touchdowns, a Division I record. In 2012, Heinicke was awarded All-American honors, CAA Offensive Player of the Year, and the Walter Payton Award.[1] Old Dominion finished ranked #6 in the FCS.

2014 season

For the 2014 season, Old Dominion began a transition to Conference USA, meaning for the 2013 season, ODU was an independent team. Despite this, Heinicke led ODU to an 8–4 record. During the season, he passed for 4022 yards, 33 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He ran for 348 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also punted 13 times for a total of 539 yards, also kicking the longest punt on the team for the season of 61 yards. Heinicke became just the 18th quarterback from Division I to pass for 10000 yards and rush for 1000. He finished in the top-10 among FBS quarterbacks in passing yards, passing yards per game and touchdown passes.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 0 in 214 lb 4.62 s 1.59 s 2.55 s 4.21 s 6.96 s 35 in 10 ft 3 in
All values from Pro Day[2]

Minnesota Vikings

Heinicke went undrafted in the 2015 NFL Draft, but signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent.[3] He competed against Mike Kafka to back up Vikings starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater along with Shaun Hill. Kafka would get injured and was placed on injured reserve, making way for Heinicke to be the third string QB.

References

  1. ↑ Grant, Andy. "Old Dominion's Heinicke captures 2012 Walter Payton Award". The Sports Network. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  2. ↑ http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=113555&draftyear=2015&genpos=QB
  3. ↑ Vikings: Long story short, Taylor Heinicke sure he can be NFL QB
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