Kenny Lawler

Kenneth James Lawler, Jr. (born June 25, 1994) is a professional gridiron football wide receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round, 243rd overall, of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.

Kenny Lawler
No. 89     Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Lawler during a Blue Bombers game in 2021.
Born: (1994-06-25) June 25, 1994
Pomona, California
Career information
StatusActive
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)Wide receiver
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight203 lb (92 kg)
CollegeCalifornia
High schoolUpland (CA)
NFL draft2016 / Round: 7 / Pick: 243
Drafted bySeattle Seahawks
Career history
As player
(2016–2017)*Seattle Seahawks
(2018)*BC Lions
(2018–present)Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star2021
CFL West All-Star2021
Career stats

Early years

Lawler attended Upland High School in Upland, California. He had 53 receptions for 1,267 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior and 42 receptions for 887 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. Lawler was rated by Rivals.com as four-star recruit and committed to the University of California, Berkeley to play college football.[1]

College career

Lawler redshirted his first year at California in 2012 after he was ineligible the first six weeks while NCAA looked into some independent-study classes he had taken. He considered transferring in the offseason due to the firing of head coach Jeff Tedford, but chose to stay at California after meeting with the newly hired head coach Sonny Dykes.[2]

In 2013, he played in 11 games with five starts and had 37 receptions for 347 yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore, he again played in 11 games with five starts and led the team with 54 receptions for 701 yards and nine touchdowns.[3] As a junior, Lawler had 52 receptions for 658 yards and 13 touchdowns over 13 games. After his junior season, Lawler entered the 2016 NFL Draft.[4][5]

Professional career

Prior to the 2016 NFL Draft, Lawler had been projected by NFL scouts and analysts to be a middle-round pick.[2][6] Lawler slid in part due to his leaner frame and his slower 40-yard dash time.[2]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dash20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jump
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m)		 203 lb
(92 kg)		 33+3⁄8 10+1⁄24.64 s4.20 s7.13 s31 in
(0.79 m)		9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)
All values from NFL Combine.[6]

Seattle Seahawks

On April 30, 2016, the Seattle Seahawks selected Lawler with a seventh round pick, 243rd overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.[7][8] On May 6, 2016, the Seahawks announced that they had signed Lawler to his rookie contract.[9] On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Seahawks as part of final roster cuts and was signed to the practice squad.[10][11] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Seahawks on January 16, 2017.[12] On September 2, 2017, Lawler was waived by the Seahawks and was later signed to their practice squad.[13][14] He was released by the team on September 13, 2017.[15]

BC Lions

The BC Lions announced on May 9, 2018, they had signed Lawler to a contract, along with four other wide receivers.[16]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed Lawler to their practice roster on October 22, 2018. Lawler became a regular contributor for the Blue Bombers during the 2019 season, with his breakout game coming in a loss against Hamilton, where he caught 10 passes for 144 yards.[17] As the leading receiver on the team in yards, Lawler helped the Bombers to their first Grey Cup win in 29 years, when they won the 107th Grey Cup at the end of the 2019 season.[18][19] After the CFL canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawler chose to opt-out of his contract with the Blue Bombers on August 27, 2020.[20] He signed a one-year contract extension with Winnipeg on February 3, 2021.[21] Midway through the 2021 season, on October 4, 2021 it was revealed that Lawler had been arrested for impaired driving and was suspended for the team's Week 10 match.[22]

Statistics
Receiving   Regular season   Playoffs
Year Team Games Rec Yards Avg Long TD Games Rec Yards Avg Long TD
2019 WPG 16 43 637 14.8 54 4 3 8 126 15.6 30 1
2020 WPG Season cancelled Season cancelled
2021 WPG 13 64 1,014 15.8 47 6
CFL totals 29 107 1,651 15.4 54 10 3 8 126 15.6 30 1

Personal life

Lawler Jr. recently had a son, Kenneth James Lawler II. Lawler's siblings; Perri, Sydney and Kenzel. Younger brother is a Junior at Roosevelt High School, QB on Varsity. Lawler's mother, Patricia Hicks works in the medical field and his father is Kenneth Lawler Sr.,who played college football as a cornerback at Oregon and later became a coach at Mt. Sac Junior College, went on to coach at Boise State and now at San Bernardino Valley College. With his wife, Mary, combined have six children.[2]

References
  1. "Kenny Lawler". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  2. Condotta, Bob (June 8, 2016). "Kenny Lawler not taking easy plays, or status with Seahawks, for granted". Seattle Times. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  3. Letourneau, Connor (September 10, 2015). "Cal's Kenny Lawler matures into prized target". sfgate.com. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  4. Faraudo, Jeff (January 5, 2016). "Cal receiver Kenny Lawler entering NFL draft". sfgate.com. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  5. Letourneau, Connor (January 5, 2016). "Cal's Kenny Lawler to declare for NFL draft". sfgate.com. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  6. "WR - Kenny Lawler - California, Pac-12". NFL.com. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  7. "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  8. Kelly, Danny (April 30, 2016). "NFL Draft Results: Seahawks select Kenny Lawler with 7th round pick, 243 overall". FieldGulls.com. SBNation. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  9. Henderson, Brady (May 6, 2016). "Seahawks sign 9 of 10 draft picks; 13 UDFA signings announced". MyNorthwest.com. ESPN. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  10. "Seattle Seahawks Set 53-Man Roster, Trade For Defensive Backs L.J. McCray And Dewey McDonald". Seahawks.com. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017.
  11. "Seahawks Make Roster Moves And Sign Eight Players To Practice Squad". Seahawks.com. September 5, 2016. Archived from the original on February 13, 2018.
  12. "Seahawks Sign 10 Players To 2017 Future Contracts". Seahawks.com. January 16, 2017. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
  13. Drovetto, Tony (September 2, 2017). "Seahawks Make Three More Trades, Set 53-Man Roster". Seahawks.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017.
  14. Lewis, Derek (September 9, 2017). "Seahawks switch Cyril Grayson with Kenny Lawler on PS". 247sports.com.
  15. Drovetto, Tony (September 13, 2017). "Seahawks Make Practice Squad Roster Moves". Seahawks.com.
  16. Chidley, David (May 9, 2018). "Kevin Elliott among five receivers signed by Lions". CFL.ca. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  17. Paul Friesen (October 2, 2019). "Lawler coming off near-perfect game". Winnipeg Sun.
  18. Paul McKay (November 26, 2019). "Reflection of champions: Blue Bombers' players savouring the Grey Cup". CTV Winnipeg.
  19. "For the Grey: Bombers End Cup Drought with Win Over Ticats". CFL. November 26, 2019.
  20. Moore, Kelly (August 27, 2020). "Winnipeg Blue Bombers announce opt outs for Kenny Lawler and Thiadric Hansen". GlobalNews.ca. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  21. "Blue Bombers agree to terms with receiver Kenny Lawler". BlueBombers.com. February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  22. Press, The Canadian (October 4, 2021). "Bombers' Lawler arrested for impaired driving, suspended for Friday's game - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
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