Jeff

Gladney

Gladney was selected in the first round by the Vikings in 2020. Waived after his rookie season following domestic violence charges, Gladney was found not guilty. After missing all of 2021, Gladney was ready to resume his career with the Cardinals before losing his life in an early morning car crash. Our thoughts are with his loved ones.

The Vikings took Gladney with the No. 31 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft but he was released by the team after one year because of a domestic violence charge. After sitting out the 2021 season, Gladney was found not guilty of assault by impeding breathing. This allowed him to sign anywhere with no threat of a lengthy suspension looming. Jordan Schultz noted that the Cardinals added him for his ability to play both inside and outside corners. Gladney struggled as a rookie but was a well-regarded prospect coming out of TCU. He should get the chance to earn a starting role if Arizona sees him living up to his first-round pedigree in the offseason.

Gladney was drafted 31st-overall by the Vikings in the 2020 NFL Draft. He was indicted on third-degree felony domestic violence charges after his rookie season and the team waived him. He missed the entire 2021 season but was found not guilty in court last week. Now facing no criminal penalties and no suspensions from the league, Gladney will be a name to monitor on the open market. He started 15 games as a rookie but allowed 8.3 yards per target and received a below-average coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. Expect a cheap, short-term deal from the Cardinals or any other team that takes a flier on the former first-round pick.

Gladney had been charged with “assault by impeding breathing.” Gladney’s NFL future remains dismal, though he has now been legally cleared by a jury of his peers. It is not impossible to believe that someone will sign the No. 31 overall pick of the 2020 draft to their 90-man offseason roster.

The No. 31 overall pick of last year’s draft, Gladney was indicted on third degree felony domestic violence charges on Tuesday. Gladney has been accused of hitting his girlfriend with closed fists, choking her and “pulling (her) by her hair trying to hold her still in order to get (an iPhone’s) Face ID to work” in an April 2 incident. The Vikings had been waiting for the court to make a decision. Heading into what would have been his age-25 campaign, Gladney is facing a lengthy suspension, and his career in serious doubt.

Gladney was accused of hitting his girlfriend with closed fists, choking her and “pulling (her) by her hair trying to hold her still in order to get the Face ID to work” on her phone outside his vehicle on April 2. Minnesota’s No. 31 overall pick last year, Gladney faces up to 2-10 years in prison if convicted. The 24-year-old’s career is likely over if all accusations are proven true.

A four-year starter at TCU, Gladney (5’10/191) earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2018 after allowing an elite 4.7 yards per target before taking a step back in his final season (7.2 yards per target) as a perceived one-year wonder. An instinctual player with plus athleticism — according to the Horned Frogs’ training staff, Gladney squats 620 pounds, benches 400, and hang cleans 400-plus — he made a career in shadowing a majority of the nation’s top wideouts as one of only two FBS players with at least 15 passes defended in each of the last two seasons. Still, the red flags are there: He’ll be 23 on draft night, tore his ACL and LCL in his senior year of high school, underwent meniscus surgery this past offseason, and was scratched from the 2020 Senior Bowl due to a sore knee. He also disappointed at Indy’s combine, running a 4.48 40 (he clocked at 4.34 last offseason) and sluggish 7.26 three-cone (13th-percentile) in front of league execs. Gladney may be forced into a sub-package role at the next level given his size, but he has the tracking skills and traits to eventually man the perimeter as a No. 2.

A four-year starter at TCU, Gladney (5’10/191) earned second-team All-Big 12 honors in 2018 after allowing an elite 4.7 yards per target before taking a step back in his final season (7.2 yards per target) as a perceived one-year wonder. An instinctual player with plus athleticism — according to the Horned Frogs’ training staff, Gladney squats 620 pounds, benches 400, and hang cleans 400-plus — he made a career in shadowing a majority of the nation’s top wideouts as one of only two FBS players with at least 15 passes defended in each of the last two seasons. Still, the red flags are there: He’ll be 23 on draft night, tore his ACL and LCL in his senior year of high school, underwent meniscus surgery this past offseason, and was scratched from the 2020 Senior Bowl due to a sore knee. He also disappointed at Indy’s combine, running a 4.48 40 (he clocked at 4.34 last offseason) and sluggish 7.26 three-cone (13th-percentile) in front of league execs. Gladney may be forced into a sub-package role at the next level given his size, but he has the tracking skills and traits to eventually man the perimeter as a No. 2.