Rayshawn Kyli Wilborn (born April 1, 1997) is an American professional football linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Garden City Community College and Ball State and was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He has also been a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and New York Giants.
 Wilborn with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2024 | |||||
| Hamilton Tiger-Cats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | April 1, 1997 Lansing, Michigan, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | J. W. Sexton (MI) | ||||
| College: | Garden City CC Ball State | ||||
| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| CFL status: | American | ||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
| Stats at CFL.ca | |||||
Early life
editWilborn was born on April 1, 1997, in Lansing, Michigan.[1] He attended J. W. Sexton High School where he earned four varsity letters in football and was twice named first-team all-state.[2] Wilborn was a two-time captain and as a junior set the school record for single-season sacks with 18.[2] He also played on offense, and as a senior caught 14 touchdown passes and recorded 970 receiving yards.[2]
College career
editWilborn began his college football career at Garden City Community College in 2016, helping them win the national championship.[3] In two seasons with Garden City, he posted 120 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 23 TFLs while appearing in 23 games.[2]
In 2018, Wilborn transferred to Ball State.[3] Joining the school in January, he started all 12 games for the football team as an outside linebacker, leading them in both TFLs (10.5) and tackles (83).[2] He made his first career interception against Notre Dame and later made one against NIU, the latter of which he returned for 43 yards.[2]
As a senior in 2019, Wilborn changed from linebacker to safety after the team needed a player at the position.[4] That season, he started all 12 games and posted 83 tackles, placing third on the team.[2] He also made two interceptions, against NC State and Eastern Michigan, and tied for fourth on Ball State with six pass breakups.[2]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+1⁄2 in (1.92 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) |
9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | |||||||||
| All values from Pro Day[5] | ||||||||||||
Atlanta Falcons
editAlthough projected by some as a seventh round pick in the 2020 NFL draft, Wilborn ultimately went unselected, and afterwards was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent.[4][6] He was waived at the final roster cuts, on September 5.[7]
Pittsburgh Steelers
editOn October 23, 2020, he was signed to the practice squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers,[8] only to be released on November 17.[9]
Green Bay Packers
editIn January 2021, Wilborn was signed by the Green Bay Packers to a future contract.[10] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on July 24, and was then activated on August 4.[9] Wilborn was released at the end of August, during the final roster cuts, and was afterwards brought back as a member of the practice squad.[11] He was placed on the COVID-19 list for a second time on December 31,[12] later receiving activation on January 5, 2022.[13] Wilborn was signed to a future contract again on January 25, 2022, after spending the entire 2021 season on the practice squad.[14] He was released by the Packers on August 30, 2022, at the final roster cuts.[15]
Denver Broncos
editWilborn received a tryout from the Denver Broncos in November 2022,[16] and was afterwards signed to their practice squad on November 22.[17] He was elevated to the active roster for the Broncos' Week 17 game with the Kansas City Chiefs,[18] and made his NFL debut in the loss, appearing on 14 special teams snaps.[1] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[19] He was waived on August 14, 2023.[20]
New York Giants
editOn August 15, 2023, Wilborn was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.[21] He was waived on August 29.[22]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
editWilborn signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) on February 28, 2024.[23]
References
edit- ^ a b "Ray Wilborn Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Ray Wilborn". Ball State Cardinals.
- ^ a b White, Shannon (October 24, 2020). "Taking a closer look at the Steelers newest practice squad LB Ray Wilborn". Behind The Steel Curtain. SB Nation.
- ^ a b Guskey, Jordan (April 24, 2020). "Draft won't effect Wilborn's confidence". The Star Press. p. B1, B2 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "2020 Draft Scout Ray Wilborn, Ball State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
- ^ Callaway, Brian (April 25, 2020). "Atlanta Falcons reach deals with Greater Lansing graduates Austin Edwards, Ray Wilborn". Lansing State Journal.
- ^ "2020 NFL cuts for all 32 teams: Who's in and who's out". ESPN. September 5, 2020.
- ^ Graves, Will (October 23, 2020). "Steelers RB Conner letting play do talking during hot start". Associated Press.
- ^ a b "Ray Wilborn Transactions & Injuries". Sports Forecaster.
- ^ Meerdink, Jon (January 8, 2021). "Packers sign defensive back Innis Gaines, two others to futures contracts". Acme Packing Company. SB Nation.
- ^ Kruse, Zach (September 1, 2021). "Analyzing Packers' complete 69-player roster to start 2021". USA Today.
- ^ Mosqueda, Justis (December 31, 2021). "Packers injury update: DT Tyler Lancaster listed as questionable vs Vikings". Acme Packing Company. SB Nation.
- ^ Mosqueda, Justis (January 5, 2022). "Packers injury update: T David Bakhtiari and C Josh Myers practice on Wednesday". Acme Packing Company. SB Nation.
- ^ Huber, Bill (January 25, 2022). "Packers Sign Rocket-Fast Receiver to Futures Contract". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Hodkiewicz, Wes (August 30, 2022). "Packers keep two RBs, seven WRs: Here's the initial 2022 roster". Green Bay Packers.
- ^ Heath, Jon (November 24, 2022). "Broncos tried out 8 players this week, including a quarterback". Yahoo! Sports.
- ^ DiLalla, Aric (November 22, 2022). "Broncos sign LB Dakota Allen off Browns' practice squad, place RB Chase Edmonds on injured reserve". Denver Broncos.
- ^ Gabriel, Parker (December 31, 2022). "Broncos OLB Randy Gregory placed on injured reserve with knee issues, fined further for Christmas Day outbursts vs. Rams". The Denver Post.
- ^ Swanson, Ben (January 9, 2023). "Broncos sign nine players to future contracts". DenverBroncos.com.
- ^ DiLalla, Aric (August 14, 2023). "Broncos sign WR J.J. Koski, waive LB Ray Wilborn". DenverBroncos.com. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
- ^ Alper, Josh (August 15, 2023). "Giants claim LB Ray Wilborn off waivers". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
- ^ Eisen, Michael (August 29, 2023). "Giants announce 53-man roster for 2023". Giants.com.
- ^ Miller, Anthony (February 28, 2024). "Hamilton Tiger-Cats Sign Two Former NFL Defenders". si.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
