Quintez Cephus
Quintez Cephus (born April 1, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin.
No. 87 – Detroit Lions | |||
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Position: | Wide receiver | ||
Personal information | |||
Born: | April 1, 1998 | ||
Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
Weight: | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||
Career information | |||
High school: | Stratford Academy (Macon, Georgia) | ||
College: | Wisconsin | ||
NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 5 / Pick: 166 | ||
Career history | |||
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Roster status: | Active | ||
Career NFL statistics | |||
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High school career
Playing at Stratford Academy in Macon, Georgia, Cephus played running back, wide receiver and defense, earning a three-star recruiting grade.[1]
College career
Cephus committed to Wisconsin on November 13, 2015.[2] He also received offers from Miami, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt and Georgia Southern.[3] Cephus had also committed to Furman for basketball but decided to pursue football as a "business decision".[2]
During his sophomore season, Cephus caught thirty passes and had his first career collegiate 100-yard receiving game, against Purdue.[1] However, an broken leg, sustained against Indiana on November 4, sidelined Cephus for the rest of the season and required surgery.[4]
After missing his junior season due to pending legal charges, the NCAA cleared Cephus to play on August 23, 2019.[5] After being expelled and reinstated by the school, Cephus said he returned to the football team because unlike others at the school, the football team never stopped supporting him.[6] Cephus was noted for his ability to separate from defenders on the field of play during his senior season.[7]
On January 6, 2020, Cephus declared for the 2020 NFL Draft. The move came after Cephus led the 2019 Badgers team in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.[8] He also participated in the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, where he drew praise from other players at the Combine.[9] He was drafted in the 5th round with the 166th pick by the Detroit Lions.
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 0 7⁄8 in (1.85 m) |
202 lb (92 kg) |
32 1⁄8 in (0.82 m) |
8 3⁄4 in (0.22 m) |
4.73 s | 4.33 s | 7.20 s | 38.5 in (0.98 m) |
10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) |
23 reps | |||
All values from NFL Combine |
Cephus was selected at No. 166 overall in Round 5 of the 2020 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions.[10] The Lions previously acquired the 166th selection from the trade that sent cornerback Darius Slay to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Personal life
In the early morning hours of April 22, 2018, Cephus engaged in sexual acts with two women who had flirted with him at a bar the night before. Cephus claimed the acts were consensual, but the women claimed that they were too drunk to give consent legally and that Cephus sexually assaulted them.[11] Later that day, the Dane County Sherriff's Department searched Cephus' apartment, and in August, Cephus was suspended from the Badgers football team.[12] Also in August, Cephus was formally charged with second- and third-degree counts of sexual assault of an intoxicated victim.[13] On October 9, Cephus sued the University of Wisconsin-Madison in federal court, stating that the university's Title IX investigation, occurring simultaneously with the Dane County investigation, deprived Cephus of due process relating to the Fifth Amendment.[14] Also in October, Cephus entered into a not guilty plea, with a trial set for February, although that was later delayed to August.[15] During spring of 2019, Cephus left the University of Wisconsin-Madison.[16] It was later revealed that he was expelled by the school.[17] In March 2019, Cephus dropped his lawsuit against the university.[11] On August 2, Cephus was acquitted on both counts.[18] UW later re-admitted Cephus as a student before the 2019 fall semester, citing new information in their investigation.[11]
References
- Kirk, Otis (May 14, 2018). "PFF has Wisconsin wide receiver at top of one category". 247Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Polack, Nick (November 13, 2015). "Wisconsin football recruiting: Quintez Cephus commits to Badgers". Bucky's 5th Quarter. SBNation. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- "Quintez Cephus Interests". 247Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Galloway, Jason (November 10, 2017). "Badgers football: Wisconsin's Quintez Cephus to miss rest of season after undergoing surgery on right leg". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- "NCAA clears Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus to play". USA Today. August 23, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Potrykus, Jeff (August 19, 2019). "UW reinstates former wide receiver Quintez Cephus as a student". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Gannett. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Morley, Jacob (March 14, 2020). "Draftmas Week 6: Quintez Cephus, Jabari Zuniga". Packer Report. 247Sports. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Potrykus, Jeff (January 6, 2020). "UW wide receiver Quintez Cephus will skip his final season of eligibility and enter the NFL draft". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Gannett. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Kocorowski, Jake (February 28, 2020). "Quintez Cephus 2020 NFL Scouting Combine Results". AllBadgers. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Alter, Marlowe (April 25, 2020). "Detroit Lions take WR Quintez Cephus in NFL draft with pick from Darius Slay trade". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- McCain, Michael (September 7, 2019). "After Re-Admitting Quintez Cephus, Wisconsin Could Face a Tough Legal Battle". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Goldberg, Rob (August 20, 2018). "Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus Suspended After Being Charged with Sexual Assault". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Trelevan, Ed (August 21, 2018). "Wisconsin receiver Quintez Cephus charged with sex assaults of two women". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Trelevan, Gary (October 10, 2018). "Quintez Cephus sues UW, says disciplinary investigation violating his rights". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- "Trial for suspended Badgers football player facing sexual assault charges delayed". Channel 3000. February 11, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Galli, Tony (March 28, 2019). "Former Badger wide receiver Cephus leaves school". WKOW. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Potrykus, Jeff (August 19, 2019). "UW reinstates former wide receiver Quintez Cephus as a student". Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Gannett. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
- Wells, Adam (August 2, 2019). "Ex-Wisconsin WR Quintez Cephus Found Not Guilty of Alleged Sexual Assault". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 17, 2020.