DeAundre Alford (born November 5, 1997) is an American professional football cornerback and punt returner for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He won the 2021 Grey Cup with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as a starter in his first season, defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33–25. He played college football at Tusculum.
 Alford with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022 | |||||||||||||
| No. 20 – Atlanta Falcons | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | November 5, 1997 Hernando, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 180 lb (82 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Spalding (Griffin, Georgia) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Tusculum (2016–2019) | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||||||||
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| Stats at CFL.ca | |||||||||||||
College career
editAlford played college football for the Tusculum Pioneers from 2016 to 2019 where he played in 40 games and recorded 140 tackles and 10 interceptions.[1] He also had 40 passes defended as a Pioneer, which is a school record.[1]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
170 lb (77 kg) | |||||||||||
| Values from Pro Day[2] | ||||||||||||
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
editFollowing his collegiate career, Alford signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on February 10, 2020.[3][4] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he did not play in 2020 and several of his pro day workouts were canceled.[5]
After completing training camp with the Blue Bombers in 2021, Alford won a starting job at cornerback and played in his first professional game on August 5, 2021, against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he recorded six defensive tackles.[6] On September 18, 2021, he recorded his first career interception and first career touchdown as he picked off Edmonton Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius and returned it 20 yards for the score.[7] He finished the game with two tackles, two interceptions, and a forced fumble and was named the CFL's top performer of the week.[8] Alford had a strong season with the Bombers, finishing as a CFL All-Star in his first season. He would help the Bombers' league-leading defense to their second consecutive Grey Cup title as they defeated the Tiger-Cats 33–25.[9]
Atlanta Falcons
editOn January 10, 2022, Alford signed a reserve/future contract with the Atlanta Falcons.[10]
On October 2, 2022, during a Falcons game against the Cleveland Browns, he would make a game-sealing interception on a pass thrown by Jacoby Brissett to win the game 23–20.[11]
Personal life
editAlford was born in Hernando, Mississippi and grew up in Griffin, Georgia.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Dee Alford". Tusculum Pioneers. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Dee Alford College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
- ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
- ^ "Dee Alford signs with Winnipeg Blue Bombers". Tusculum Pioneers. February 10, 2020.
- ^ Allen, Taylor (August 2, 2021). "Rookie Alford set for spot in Bombers secondary". Winnipeg Free Press.
- ^ "CFL Game Details, Week #1 – Game #1 – Year 2021, Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers" (PDF). Hamilton Tiger-Cats. August 5, 2021.
- ^ "Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs Edmonton Elks". Canadian Football League. September 18, 2021.
- ^ "Alford, Lawrence and Reilly named CFL's weekly top performers". Sportsnet. September 21, 2021.
- ^ Paul Friesen (January 4, 2022). "Friesen: Bombers' Alford on whirlwind NFL tour". Winnipeg Sun.
- ^ Bair, Scott (January 10, 2022). "Falcons sign 17 to reserve/future contracts". Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ Flick, Daniel (October 2, 2022). "WATCH: Falcons CB Dee Alford Makes Game-Winning Interception vs. Browns". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 2, 2022.