Kaitori "KT" Leveston Jr. (born October 28, 1999) is an American professional football guard for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats and was selected by the Rams in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft.
| No. 66 – Los Angeles Rams | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Guard |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | October 28, 1999 Waco, Texas, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 336 lb (152 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Midway (Waco, Texas) |
| College: | Kansas State (2018–2023) |
| NFL draft: | 2024 / round: 7 / pick: 254 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Injured reserve/designated for return |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editLeveston grew up in Waco, Texas,[1] where he attended Midway High School and played football and basketball.[2] He helped the basketball team win a district championship and played as both an offensive tackle and defensive end in football.[1] He was named a second-team all-district selection at tackle as a junior and then was named first-team all-state and all-district as a senior while helping Midway to a 15–1 record and an appearance in the Class 6A D2 state championship.[1][3] He committed to play college football for the Kansas State Wildcats as a three-star recruit, being ranked the 96th-best offensive tackle nationally and the 148th-best player overall in the state.[4]
College career
editLeveston redshirted as a true freshman at Kansas State in 2018.[5] He played four games as a backup in the 2019 season, then appeared in 10 games, five as a starter, in 2020.[6] After spending the 2021 season as a backup, he won a starting role in 2022 and started 14 games while being named honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference.[6][7] He graduated with a degree in 2022 but opted to return for a final season in 2023, as all players were granted an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] He started 13 games in the 2023 season and was named honorable mention All-Big 12 and to the Waco Tribune-Herald's Super Centex All-College Team.[8][9] He ended his collegiate career having started 32 of the 50 games he played in.[10] He was invited to the East–West Shrine Bowl and to the NFL Scouting Combine.[11]
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 3+7⁄8 in (1.93 m) |
326 lb (148 kg) |
34+3⁄8 in (0.87 m) |
9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) |
5.38 s | 1.85 s | 3.09 s | 4.85 s | 7.90 s | 27.5 in (0.70 m) |
9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) |
25 reps | |
| All values from NFL Scouting Combine/Pro Day[12][13] | ||||||||||||
Leveston was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the seventh round (254th overall) of the 2024 NFL draft.[14] After being picked, he noted that he considered being picked 254th special because he grew up in Waco, which is located in area code 254.[15] He was placed on injured reserve on August 27.
References
edit- ^ a b c d Brugler, Dane (April 2024). "The Beast: 2024 NFL Draft Guide" (PDF). The Athletic. p. 147.
- ^ Ashley, Joe (April 28, 2024). "Los Angeles Rams take Midway alumni KT Leveston in seventh round of NFL Draft". KWTX. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Klein, Ricardo (April 29, 2024). "Rams News: Final 2024 LA Draft Pick Discusses "Dream Come True" Moment". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Fritchen, D. Scott (August 22, 2019). "THROWBACK THURSDAY: The 2018 class". 247Sports. Retrieved June 23, 2024.
- ^ Robinett, Kellis (October 26, 2023). "KT Leveston had to grow up before he became a star offensive lineman for Kansas State". Wichita Eagle.
- ^ a b "KT Leveston". Kansas State Wildcats.
- ^ Green, Arne (September 1, 2022). "How KT Leveston's growth helped transform Kansas State football's offensive line". The Topeka Capital-Journal.
- ^ Jackson, Stu (April 27, 2024). "READ: Rams select OL KT Leveston with 254th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft". Los Angeles Rams.
- ^ "K-State's Leveston, former Midway lineman, getting NFL shot with Rams". Waco Tribune-Herald. April 28, 2024.
- ^ Maher, Katie (April 27, 2024). "K-State's Leveston drafted by Rams in final round". WIBW-TV.
- ^ Green, Arne (April 27, 2024). "Pros and cons of the Los Angeles Rams picking Kansas State's KT Leveston in 2024 NFL Draft". The Topeka Capital-Journal.
- ^ "KT Leveston Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout KT Leveston College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
- ^ Carlson, Zac (April 27, 2024). "KT Leveston drafted by Los Angeles Rams in seventh round of 2024 NFL Draft". 247Sports. Retrieved June 30, 2024.
- ^ Jackson, Stu (April 27, 2024). "Pick 254 meant to be for KT Leveston". Los Angeles Rams. Retrieved June 30, 2024.