Antone Exum

Antone Exum Jr.

Antone Exum returning a pick aginst Rutgers in his MVP performance from the 2012 Russel Athletic Bowl.
Minnesota Vikings
Personal information
Born:	(1991-02-27) February 27, 1991 Richmond, Virginia
Height:	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:	219 lb (99 kg)
Career information
College:	Virginia Tech
NFL draft:	2014 / round: 6 / pick: 182
Career history
Minnesota Vikings (2014–present)
Career highlights and awards
2012 Russell Athletic Bowl MVP Second-team All-ACC (2012) Honorable Mention All-ACC (2011)
Career NFL statistics as of 2014
Tackles: 6 Sacks: 0 Interceptions: 0 Forced fumbles: 0 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Antone Chavez Exum, Jr. (born February 27, 1991) is an American football safety for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Virginia Tech. He was drafted by the Vikings in the sixth round, 182nd overall of the 2014 NFL Draft.

High School

Exum attended Deep Run High School in Glen Allen, Virginia, where he participated in football, basketball and track. In 2008, he was named first-team All-region and was a first-team selection for the Richmond Times-Dispatch All-Metro defensive team. As a junior, he threw for 860 yards and rushed for 658 yards, scoring 25 total touchdowns, while also adding 20 tackles and three interceptions as a defensive back. He accounted for 2,357 all-purpose yards and 30 total touchdowns in his senior season, including six on returns.

He also lettered in basketball and track at Deep Run. In 2009, he earned first-place finishes in both the 100 meters (11.50s) and 200 meters (23.53s) at the Douglas Freeman Meet. He also posted a personal-best time of 23.16 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the district meet, where he placed sixth.

Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Exum was listed as the 38th best athlete prospect of his class and the No. 14 player in the state. He was rated the No. 16 prospect in Virginia by The Roanoke Times. He was rated the No. 42 athlete prospect nationally by both ESPN.com and Scouts Inc. He was also ranked the No. 69 quarterback prospect in the nation by Scout.com.

College career

Exum attended Virginia Tech from 2009 to 2013. In 2009, he redshirted as a true freshman. In 2010, Exum played in all 14 games, starting five. He played at free safety but moved around a lot in the Hokies nickel defense. He recorded 45 tackles and had a team-high nine pass breakups for the season. In 2011, he was an honorable mention All-ACC selection at safety, after he led the team with 89 tackles, while adding five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and an interception on the season. He also had 10 pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. In 2012, Exum was moved to cornerback in spring practice. He started all 13 games, recording 48 tackles, including 1.5 for loss and led the team with five interceptions. He also had 16 pass break-ups, 21 Passes Defended two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He capped off his season with an MVP performance in the 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl vs Rutgers, and was also named second-team All-ACC.

In January 2013, Exum suffered a torn ACL and lateral meniscus of his right knee during a pick-up basketball game. Before his injury, he was wildly considered to be one of the shutdown players of the season. Especially considering he had 5 interceptions and 16 pass break-ups and his 21passes defended as his first year at the Cornerback position. He missed the team's spring practice and fall camp due to the injury, but was cleared to play on October 1, 2013 by surgeon Dr. James Andrews, just under nine months since his initial diagnosis. Despite being cleared to play, Exum opted not to dress the next two games, but returned to start the next three games before spraining his ankle which caused him to miss the rest of the season, including the Sun Bowl vs. UCLA Exum and his highly touted NFL prospect teammate, Kyle Fuller, also missed the Sun Bowl.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables

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 0 in (1.83 m)	213 lb (97 kg)	33+1⁄2	9+3⁄8	4.58 s	1.58 s	2.68 s	4.13 s	7.01 s	35 in (0.89 m)	9 ft 11 in (3.02 m)	17 reps
All values from NFL Combine and Pro Day

Minnesota Vikings

After trading down twice from 148 and 168, the Minnesota Vikings drafted Exum in the sixth round (182nd overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. Many analysts stated that, had he stayed healthy all year, he most likely would have been a 1st-2nd round pick. He signed a 4 year, $2,335,788 contract with the Vikings, including a $115,788 signing bonus, $115,788 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $583,947.

Personal life

Exum is also an amateur rapper.

External links

• Virginia Tech Hokies bio