Vernon Hargreaves is an American professional football cornerback who started playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Florida after being selected 11th overall in the 2016 National Football League (NFL) Draft. Vernon Hargreaves earned five stars from Rival.com and was named the nation’s top corner rookie and second-best player overall.
In 2013, while in high school, Hargreaves won the All-American Under Armor Game MVP award after signing with the Gators.
The biography of Vernon Hargreaves
Vernon Hargreaves III was born on June 3, 1995, in Tampa, Florida, to parents, Vernon Hargreaves, Jr. and Jackie Hargreaves. He was raised in a football family alongside his two sisters Chanelle and Carina, which gave him a solid background in the sport.
His father was a former college football standout at the University of Connecticut, who coached linebackers at Miami from 1998 to 2005; coach at USF in Tampa for two years from 2010 to 2012, then in Houston in 2013 and 2014.
Growing up in Tampa, Hargreaves attended Wharton High School where he started playing football. He combined studies and sports, competing both on track and in football. From second to last, Hargreaves had 203 tackles, 2 sacks, 9 interceptions and 11 touchdowns.
Not just football, in his senior year he competed in track and field and did a pretty impressive record in the Hillsborough County National Division 200 meter run with a personal best of 22.56 seconds; fourth in the 100 meters; twelfth from a jump of 1.78 m; and second place in the 6.79m long jump.
Career
With an excellent athletic record, Hargreaves received dozens of athletic scholarships from major top universities, but chose to stay close to home and accepted one from the University of Florida. He played as a cornerback for the Florida Gators football team in the Southeastern Conference, SEC competition, for three consecutive years from 2013 to 2015.
In his 2013 debut as a true freshman, Vernon Hargreaves played 10 of 12 games with 38 tackles and 3 interceptions and earned first-team All-SEC honors at cornerback. In his second and third years, he played in 24 games with 73 tackles, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles and 15 passes defended. As is typical with most American football players, Hargreaves announced he would move up to senior senior year to enter the 2016 NFL Draft.
He started his professional football career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who selected him 11th overall in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft to play cornerback. He signed a guaranteed 4-year, $14.17 million contract including an $8.51 million bonus with the Buccaneers on May 6, 2016.
His first game in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Atlanta Falcons first season was a massive win with two fights combined. Head coach Dirk Koetter retained the services of the cornerback to start the 2017 regular season, in which he earned another 25-23 victory for the team against the New York Giants. Hargreaves reached a career high this season on Oct. 1 with nine solo tackles and defended one pass.
The following month, precisely on November 12, Hargreaves suffered a hamstring injury in the third quarter of the Buccaneers’ 15–10 victory over the New York Jets. Before leaving the game, he made three combination tackles and was out of action for weeks 11-15, missing five games before the Buccaneers placed him on injured reserve on December 20, 2017.
In total, Hargreaves played in nine games and eight starts and finished his sophomore season with five passing deflections and 42 combined tackles (37 solos).
Body measurements
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 204 pounds
Arm Strength: 30 5/8″ Hands: 8 3/4″
Strengths: The NFL’s strengths analysis shows Hargreaves has excellent body control and power foot balance. He is described as a top-notch, quick-jerk athlete with a pulsating explosion between his feet and hips, allowing him to explode forward and attack the throw.
It doesn’t get stuck and supports the run quickly and against wide receiving screens; a fierce competitor and a burly tackler who runs through his target.