A. J. Finley
| No. 24 – Los Angeles Chargers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | September 14, 2001 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 202 lb (92 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | St. Paul's Episcopal School (Mobile, Alabama) | ||||
| College: | Ole Miss | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2023 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| |||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||
| |||||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||
A. J. Finley (born September 14, 2001) is an American football safety for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Ole Miss.
Early life[edit]
Finley grew up in Mobile, Alabama and attended St. Paul's Episcopal School. As a senior he put up six interceptions.[1] On June 29, 2018, Finley committed to play college football at Ole Miss over other schools such as Duke, Iowa, Purdue, Tennessee, and Wake Forest.[2][3]
College career[edit]
Finley played four years at Ole Miss and recorded 244 tackles, 8.5 being for a loss, eight interceptions, 13 pass deflections, four fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, and a touchdown.[4] In his first season he posted 16 tackles, two for a loss, and two fumble recoveries.[5] However, in Finley's second season he had a breakout year putting up 62 tackles, two going for a loss, three interceptions, seven pass deflections, and a fumble recovery.[6] Finley's third season was his best collegiate year where he had 90 tackles, one going for a loss, three interceptions, including returning one for a touchdown, four pass deflections, and a forced fumble. For his performance on the year he was named an AP All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) second-team.[7][8] Finley also had an outstanding fourth year in 2022 where he posted 76 tackles, 3.5 being for a loss, two interceptions, two pass deflections, and a forced fumble,[9] After the conclusion of the 2022 season Finley declared for the NFL draft.[10]
Professional career[edit]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄8 in (1.89 m) |
202 lb (92 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) |
4.57 s | 1.63 s | 2.61 s | 4.22 s | 6.93 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) |
9 ft 11 in (3.02 m) |
11 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[11][12] | ||||||||||||
After not being selected in the 2023 NFL draft, Finley signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent.[13][14] Finley made the Chargers' initial 53 man roster out of training camp. After being inactive the first two games, he was waived on September 23, 2023 and re-signed to the practice squad.[15][16] He was promoted back to the active roster on September 30.[17]
References[edit]
- ^ "AJ Finley". Ole Miss Athletics. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Berry, Zach (June 29, 2018). "3-star ATH A.J. Finley commits to Ole Miss". Red Cup Rebellion. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Potter, Davis (June 29, 2018). "Ole Miss' run on commitments continues with Alabama athlete A.J. Finley". The Oxford Eagle. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "A.J. Finley College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ "2019 Ole Miss Rebels Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "2020 Ole Miss Rebels Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "2021 Ole Miss Rebels Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "AP All-SEC team". Arkansas Democrat Gazette. December 9, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "2022 Ole Miss Rebels Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ Eckert, David (December 31, 2022). "Ole Miss football safety AJ Finley makes 2023 NFL Draft decision". Yahoo! News. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "AJ Finley Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout AJ Finley College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
- ^ Alper, Josh (April 30, 2023). "Chargers sign 18 undrafted free agents". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ Borquez, Gavino (April 29, 2023). "Chargers sign 18 undrafted free agents after 2023 NFL draft". USA Today. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Sign Zack Bailey to Active Roster". Chargers.com. September 23, 2023.
- ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Place Mike Williams on Injured Reserve; Sign Wide Receiver Simi Fehoko". Chargers.com. September 26, 2023.
- ^ "Chargers Place Corey Linsley and JT Woods on Non-Football Illness List; Sign Dean Marlowe and AJ Finley to Active Roster". Chargers.com. September 30, 2023.