American gridiron football player (born 1994)
Kenneth James Lawler, Jr.
(born June 25, 1994) is an American professional
football
wide receiver
for the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
of the
Canadian Football League
(CFL). He was drafted by the
Seattle Seahawks
in the seventh round, 243rd overall, of the
2016 NFL Draft
. He played
college football
at
California
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Lawler attended
Upland High School
in
Upland, California
.
[1]
He had 53
receptions
for 1,267 yards and 12
touchdowns
as a senior and 42 receptions for 887 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. Lawler was rated by
Rivals.com
as four-star recruit and committed to the
University of California, Berkeley
to play
college football
.
[2]
College career
[
edit
]
Lawler
redshirted
his first year at California in 2012 after he was ineligible the first six weeks while
NCAA
looked into some independent-study classes he had taken. He considered transferring in the offseason due to the firing of head coach
Jeff Tedford
, but chose to stay at California after meeting with the newly hired head coach
Sonny Dykes
.
[3]
In 2013, he played in 11 games with five starts and had 37 receptions for 347 yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore, he again played in 11 games with five starts and led the team with 54 receptions for 701 yards and nine touchdowns.
[4]
As a junior, Lawler had 52 receptions for 658 yards and 13 touchdowns over 13 games. After his junior season, Lawler entered the
2016 NFL Draft
.
[5]
[6]
Professional career
[
edit
]
Pre-draft
[
edit
]
Prior to the
2016 NFL Draft
, Lawler had been projected by NFL scouts and analysts to be a middle-round pick.
[3]
[7]
Lawler slid in part due to his leaner frame and his slower
40-yard dash
time.
[3]
Seattle Seahawks
[
edit
]
On April 30, 2016, the
Seattle Seahawks
selected Lawler with a seventh round pick, 243rd overall in the
2016 NFL Draft
.
[9]
[10]
On May 6, 2016, the Seahawks announced that they had signed Lawler to his rookie contract.
[11]
On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Seahawks as part of final roster cuts and was signed to the
practice squad
.
[12]
[13]
He signed a reserve/future contract with the Seahawks on January 16, 2017.
[14]
On September 2, 2017, Lawler was waived by the Seahawks and was later signed to their practice squad.
[15]
[16]
He was released by the team on September 13, 2017.
[17]
BC Lions
[
edit
]
The
BC Lions
of the
Canadian Football League
(CFL) announced on May 9, 2018, they had signed Lawler to a contract, along with four other
wide receivers
.
[18]
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (first stint)
[
edit
]
The
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
of the CFL signed Lawler to their practice roster on October 22, 2018. Lawler became a regular contributor for the Blue Bombers during the
2019 season
, with his breakout game coming in a loss against Hamilton, where he caught 10 passes for 144 yards.
[19]
As the leading receiver on the team in yards, Lawler helped the Bombers to their first
Grey Cup
win in 29 years, when they won the
107th Grey Cup
at the end of the 2019 season.
[20]
[21]
After the CFL canceled the
2020 season
due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
, Lawler chose to opt-out of his contract with the Blue Bombers on August 27, 2020.
[22]
He signed a one-year contract extension with Winnipeg on February 3, 2021.
[23]
Midway through the
2021 season
, on October 4, 2021, it was revealed that Lawler had been arrested for impaired driving and was suspended for the team's Week 10 match.
[24]
Despite the struggles in his personal life, Lawler went on to lead the CFL in receiving with 1,014 yards and six touchdowns. As a result, Lawler was named both a
CFL West
All-Star and CFL All-Star for the first time. The Bombers finished the year with the best regular season record. Winnipeg defeated Saskatchewan to go to
108th Grey Cup
, their second consecutive championship game. They won in overtime to win their second Grey Cup in a row. Lawler added 90 yards receiving in the postseason to help the Blue Bombers to their second title.
[25]
Edmonton Elks
[
edit
]
Lawler signed with the
Edmonton Elks
of the CFL to a one-year contract to open free agency on February 8, 2022, and became the highest paid receiver in the CFL.
[26]
In late August 2022 Lawler suffered an ankle injury.
[27]
At the time of the injury he was tied for second place in both receptions (56) and receiving yards (849). He returned to action on October 1 against the
Montreal Alouettes
. However, a couple days later it was reported that Lawler had suffered a shoulder/collarbone injury and underwent season ending surgery.
[28]
He finished the season with 58 receptions for 894 yards and five touchdowns. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 14, 2023.
[29]
Winnipeg Blue Bombers (second stint)
[
edit
]
On the first day of free agency, on February 14, 2023, it was announced that Lawler had signed a two-year contract with the Blue Bombers.
[30]
Lawler was transferred to the team's suspended list in advance of the 2023 season as he was facing passport challenges related to his impaired driving charge in October 2021.
[31]
Lawler returned to the Bombers starting lineup in Week 7, having missed the first six games of the season.
[32]
Career statistics
[
edit
]
Receiving
|
|
Regular season
|
|
Playoffs
|
Year
|
Team
|
Games
|
Rec
|
Yards
|
Avg
|
Long
|
TD
|
Games
|
Rec
|
Yards
|
Avg
|
Long
|
TD
|
2019
|
WPG
|
16
|
43
|
637
|
14.8
|
54
|
4
|
3
|
8
|
126
|
15.6
|
30
|
1
|
2020
|
WPG
|
Season cancelled
|
Season cancelled
|
2021
|
WPG
|
13
|
64
|
1,014
|
15.8
|
47
|
6
|
2
|
6
|
90
|
15.0
|
26
|
0
|
2022
|
EDM
|
12
|
58
|
894
|
15.4
|
54
|
5
|
Team did not qualify
|
|
2023
|
WPG
|
12
|
50
|
901
|
18.0
|
64
|
6
|
In progress
|
|
CFL totals
|
53
|
215
|
3,446
|
16.0
|
64
|
21
|
5
|
14
|
216
|
15.4
|
30
|
1
|
Personal life
[
edit
]
Lawler Jr. recently had a son, Kenneth James Lawler II. Lawler's siblings; Perri, Sydney and Kenzel. Younger brother was a Junior at Roosevelt High School, QB on Varsity. Lawler's mother, Patricia Hicks works in the medical field. His father is Kenneth Lawler Sr. and he played college football as a
cornerback
at
Oregon
, he would later became a coach at Mt. Sac Junior College, then at
Boise State
and currently at
San Bernardino Valley College
. With his wife, Mary, they have six children combined.
[3]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Kenny Lawler, Upland , Wide Receiver"
.
247Sports
. Retrieved
January 28,
2022
.
- ^
"Kenny Lawler, 2012 Wide Receiver, California"
.
Rivals.com
. Retrieved
January 18,
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Condotta, Bob (June 8, 2016).
"Kenny Lawler not taking easy plays, or status with Seahawks, for granted"
.
Seattle Times
. Retrieved
June 10,
2016
.
- ^
Letourneau, Connor (September 10, 2015).
"Cal's Kenny Lawler matures into prized target"
.
sfgate.com
. Retrieved
May 6,
2016
.
- ^
Faraudo, Jeff (January 5, 2016).
"Cal receiver Kenny Lawler entering NFL draft"
.
sfgate.com
. Retrieved
May 6,
2016
.
- ^
Letourneau, Connor (January 5, 2016).
"Cal's Kenny Lawler to declare for NFL draft"
.
sfgate.com
. Retrieved
May 6,
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Kenny Lawler Draft and Combine Prospect Profile"
.
NFL.com
. Retrieved
May 6,
2016
.
- ^
"2016 Draft Scout Kenny Lawler, California NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile"
.
draftscout.com
. Retrieved
September 13,
2022
.
- ^
"2016 NFL Draft Listing"
.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
. Retrieved
February 25,
2019
.
- ^
Kelly, Danny (April 30, 2016).
"NFL Draft Results: Seahawks select Kenny Lawler with 7th round pick, 243 overall"
.
FieldGulls.com
. SBNation
. Retrieved
May 6,
2016
.
- ^
Henderson, Brady (May 6, 2016).
"Seahawks sign 9 of 10 draft picks; 13 UDFA signings announced"
.
MyNorthwest.com
. ESPN
. Retrieved
May 23,
2016
.
- ^
"Seattle Seahawks Set 53-Man Roster, Trade For Defensive Backs L.J. McCray And Dewey McDonald"
.
Seahawks.com
. September 3, 2016. Archived from
the original
on August 6, 2017.
- ^
"Seahawks Make Roster Moves And Sign Eight Players To Practice Squad"
.
Seahawks.com
. September 5, 2016. Archived from
the original
on February 13, 2018.
- ^
"Seahawks Sign 10 Players To 2017 Future Contracts"
.
Seahawks.com
. January 16, 2017. Archived from
the original
on August 14, 2017
. Retrieved
January 17,
2017
.
- ^
Drovetto, Tony (September 2, 2017).
"Seahawks Make Three More Trades, Set 53-Man Roster"
.
Seahawks.com
. Archived from
the original
on October 9, 2017.
- ^
Lewis, Derek (September 9, 2017).
"Seahawks switch Cyril Grayson with Kenny Lawler on PS"
.
247sports.com
. Retrieved
January 27,
2022
.
- ^
Drovetto, Tony (September 13, 2017).
"Seahawks Make Practice Squad Roster Moves"
.
Seahawks.com
. Retrieved
January 27,
2022
.
- ^
Chidley, David (May 9, 2018).
"Kevin Elliott among five receivers signed by Lions"
.
CFL.ca
. Retrieved
May 9,
2018
.
- ^
Friesen, Paul (October 2, 2019).
"Lawler coming off near-perfect game"
.
Winnipeg Sun
. Retrieved
January 27,
2022
.
- ^
McKay, Paul (November 26, 2019).
"Reflection of champions: Blue Bombers' players savouring the Grey Cup"
.
CTV Winnipeg
. Retrieved
January 27,
2022
.
- ^
"For the Grey: Bombers End Cup Drought with Win Over Ticats"
.
CFL
. November 26, 2019
. Retrieved
January 27,
2022
.
- ^
Moore, Kelly (August 27, 2020).
"Winnipeg Blue Bombers announce opt outs for Kenny Lawler and Thiadric Hansen"
.
GlobalNews.ca
. Retrieved
August 28,
2020
.
- ^
"Blue Bombers agree to terms with receiver Kenny Lawler"
.
BlueBombers.com
. February 3, 2021
. Retrieved
February 22,
2021
.
- ^
"Bombers' Lawler arrested for impaired driving, suspended for Friday's game"
.
TSN
. October 4, 2021
. Retrieved
October 6,
2021
.
- ^
Faraudo, Jeff (December 14, 2021).
"Cal Football: Kenny Lawler, Blue Bombers Capture Second Straight Grey Cup"
.
Sports Illustrated
. Retrieved
January 27,
2022
.
- ^
"Elks ink CFL's receiving champion Kenny Lawler"
.
Edmonton Elks
. February 8, 2022
. Retrieved
February 8,
2022
.
- ^
TSN ca Staff (August 31, 2022).
"Elks WR Lawler to miss at least two weeks with ankle injury ? TSN.ca"
.
TSN
. Retrieved
August 31,
2022
.
- ^
TSN ca Staff (October 3, 2022).
"Report: Elks WR Lawler undergoes successful surgery ? TSN.ca"
.
TSN
. Retrieved
October 4,
2022
.
- ^
"Transactions ? Football player trades and signings"
.
Canadian Football League
. Retrieved
February 14,
2023
.
- ^
"Lawler lands in Winnipeg, signs two-year deal"
.
Canadian Football League
. February 14, 2022
. Retrieved
February 14,
2023
.
- ^
"Winnipeg Blue Bombers transfer Kenny Lawler to suspended list"
.
TSN
. June 1, 2023
. Retrieved
June 5,
2023
.
- ^
3Down Staff (July 17, 2023).
"Kenny Lawler to make season debut with Winnipeg Blue Bombers following immigration issue"
.
3DownNation
. Retrieved
July 19,
2023
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
External links
[
edit
]
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Active roster
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1-game injured list
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6-game injured list
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Practice roster
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