Simoni Lawrence
No. 21     Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Lawrence with the Tiger-Cats in 2023
Born: (1989-02-01) February 1, 1989
Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania
Career information
StatusActive
CFL statusAmerican
Position(s)Linebacker
Height6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight231 lb (105 kg)
CollegeMinnesota
Career history
As player
2010St. Louis Rams
2010Hartford Colonials
2010–2011Tampa Bay Buccaneers*
2011Las Vegas Locomotives
2012Edmonton Eskimos
2013Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2014Minnesota Vikings*
2014–presentHamilton Tiger-Cats
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star2015, 2019, 2021
CFL East All-Star2014–2016, 2019, 2021
Career stats
Total tackles533
Sacks26.0
Interceptions11
Forced fumbles10
Defensive touchdowns1

Simoni Lawrence (born February 1, 1989) is an American-born Canadian football linebacker for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Minnesota.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 0+3⁄8 in
(1.84 m)		 232 lb
(105 kg)		 33 in
(0.84 m)		 9+5⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		4.55 s1.60 s2.66 s4.35 s6.88 s40.0 in
(1.02 m)		10 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)		21 reps
Sources:[1][2]

St. Louis Rams

Lawrence was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent on April 26, 2010, but was released one month later.

Hartford Colonials/Philadelphia Eagles

Lawrence was then drafted by the Hartford Colonials 22nd overall in the 2010 UFL Draft on June 2, 2010, but signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on June 8. He was part of the Eagles' final cuts on August 28 and joined the Colonials instead, playing in eight games for the team.

Chicago Bears

After the conclusion of the 2010 UFL season, he signed with the Chicago Bears on December 14, 2010 and spent three weeks on the team's practice roster.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

He then joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 30, 2010 and participated in the team's training camp for the 2011 season. However, he was released on September 3, 2011.[3]

Las Vegas Locomotives

Lawrence played in the UFL for the Las Vegas Locomotives in 2011.[4]

Edmonton Eskimos

Lawrence signed with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League on January 10, 2012, playing in 15 games and starting one.[5] Over the course of the season Lawrence contributed 15 tackles, 11 special teams tackles and 1 fumble recovery.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

During the following off-season, he was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with Greg Wojt and Jeremiah Masoli for Nathan Kanya and the rights to Carson Rockhill on February 5, 2013.[6] In his first season with the Ti-Cats Lawrence made an immediate impact, amassing 53 tackles, 3 special teams tackles, 1 quarterback sack, and 3 interceptions.

Minnesota Vikings

On February 10, 2014, Lawrence signed with the Minnesota Vikings.[7] He was released on May 13, 2014.[8]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (II)

As a free-agent Lawrence signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, agreeing to a three-year contract on June 1, 2014. In 2014, Lawrence played in 16 of the 18 regular season games, and both playoff games en route to the team's second consecutive trip to the Grey Cup (the Ti-Cats lost both championship appearances). He led the team in tackles in that season, with 78; while adding 3 sacks, 2 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Lawrence continued his stellar play into the 2015 season, accumulating 78 tackles, 5 sacks and 2 interceptions. His performance on the field was recognized when he was named a CFL All-Star. In his fourth season with the Ti-Cats Lawrence set a career-high with 89 tackles, while also contributing 4 sacks and 1 interception for a touchdown. On January 11, 2017 Lawrence and the Ti-Cats agreed to a two-year contract extension.[9]

On February 11, 2019, Lawrence signed a two-year extension with the Tiger-Cats.[10] Lawrence was suspended for two games by the CFL for his hit to the head of Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Zach Collaros in his team's 2019 season opener.[11] During Week 14, Lawrence was fined by the CFL for unnecessary roughness, when he twisted Terry Williams' ankle. In Week 15, Lawrence was fined the maximum amount under the CBA for a late hit to the head of Eskimos quarterback Logan Kilgore.[12] On September 30, 2019, Lawrence set a new CFL record for defensive tacles in a single game with 17 made, surpassing Reggie Hunt's previous record of 16.[13] For the 2019 season, he played in 15 regular season games and led the league in defensive tackles with a career-high 98, to go along with three interceptions and four quarterback sacks.[14] For his dominant season, he was named the East Division's Most Outstanding Defensive Player and a CFL All-Star.[14][15]

On January 19, 2021, it was announced that Lawrence had signed a contract extension with the Tiger-Cats.[16]

References

  1. ↑ "Simoni Lawrence Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  2. ↑ "2010 NFL Draft Scout Simoni Lawrence College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Buccaneers , Reduce roster to NFL limit of 53 players". kffl.com. September 3, 2011. Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Simoni Lawrence bio Archived 2013-09-27 at archive.today
  5. ↑ Eskimos sign linebacker and wide receiver
  6. ↑ Esks and Ticats complete five-player deal
  7. ↑ Matthew Scianitti [@TSNScianitti] (February 10, 2014). "Simoni Lawrence will sign with the Minnesota Vikings, according to a #CFL source #Ticats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ↑ "Vikings Officially Sign 15 College Free Agents, Waive 4 Veterans". Vikings.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Tiger-Cats sign LB Lawrence to extension - Article - TSN". TSN. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  10. ↑ "Tiger-Cats re-sign linebacker Lawrence to a two-year contract". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. February 11, 2019.
  11. ↑ TSN ca Staff (2019-06-17). "Hamilton Tiger-Cats LB Simoni Lawrence suspended two games for hit on Riders QB Zach Collaros - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  12. ↑ TSN ca Staff (2019-09-25). "Hamilton Tiger-Cats' LB Simoni Lawrence fined for hit on Edmonton Eskimos' QB Logan Kilgore - TSN.ca". TSN. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
  13. ↑ "Simoni Lawrence sets new CFL record for tackles in a game". Canadian Football League. September 30, 2019.
  14. 1 2 "Banks, Lawrence, Van Zeyl, Williams, Steinauer up for 2019 CFL Awards". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. November 7, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Nine Tiger-Cats named 2019 CFL All-Stars". Hamilton Tiger-Cats. November 27, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Staying in the Hammer: Lawrence, Ticats agree to extension". Canadian Football League. January 19, 2021.
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