'Daniel Wilkinson' (born
March 13,
1973 in
Dayton, Ohio) is an
American football defensive tackle who is currently a free agent. Wilkinson played
collegiately at
Ohio State University. During the
1994 NFL Draft, the
Cincinnati Bengals selected Wilkinson with the top overall selection.
College career
During Wilkinson's year in
1991, Ohio State made him a
redshirt and placed him on the scout team. At the time, Wilkinson weighed 348-
pound (mass)s and played
offensive tackle. During the season, he lost 48 pounds and began to play defense.
During his year, Wilkinson earned All-
Big Ten honors after he had 46 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, and 6.5 sacks. As a in
1993, Wilkinson finished with 44 tackles and 13 tackles-for-loss. He earned All-Big Ten honors and an
All-American selection. He subsequently declared for the
1994 NFL Draft.
Professional career
Cincinnati Bengals
In 1994, the Bengals made Wilkinson the first No. 1 overall draft pick in franchise history. During his rookie season, he led the team with 19
quarterback hurries. He set a season-high and led the team with seven tackles against the
Indianapolis Colts on
November 20. During the season finale against the
Philadelphia Eagles on
December 20, Wilkinson volunteered to give up his starting spot so Bengals great
Tim Krumrie could start his final home game. Wilkinson still made two sacks in a reserve role.
Wilkinson set a career-high with eight
quarterback sacks in
1995 - a total which led all
AFC interior linemen that season and was the most by a Bengals interior lineman since
Mike Reid in
1972. Wilkinson's 18 quarterback hurries were second on the team and he played in 829 snaps, second-most on the defensive line. He spent time at both defensive tackle positions and right
defensive end. He played the first two games of the regular season with a cast on his hand after breaking his ring finger in the final preseason game. He registered two sacks and led defensive line with five tackles (all solo) in win against the
Jacksonville Jaguars on
September 10 and sacked
quarterback Mark Brunell on fourth down in the final minute of the game to preserve the Bengals win. Wilkinson suffered a neck injury against the
Chicago Bears on
December 10 and was inactive for the final two games of the season.
Wilkinson led the Bengals in sacks for the first time in
1996 with 6.5, including one in each of the first five games, and also led the defensive line with 44 solo tackles. He led a rushing defense which allowed fewest yards per game (102.7) since the
1983 Bengals allowed 93.7. He opened the year with a season-high eight tackles, a sack and five quarterback hurries against the
St. Louis Rams on
September 1. He made his first career interception against the
Baltimore Ravens on
November 3, picking off a
Vinny Testaverde pass.
In
1997, Wilkinson played much of the season at right defensive end after the Bengals converted to a
3-4 defense, totaling a team-high five sacks. He was awarded the team's defensive game ball for his play in Cincinnati’s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on
November 23. He missed his only game of the season against the
Dallas Cowboys on
December 14 with a stinger in his neck.
Washington Redskins
In
December of
1998, Wilkinson clashed with ownership and the city he played in. He was disappointed the Bengals place the
franchise tag on him during the offseason. He also called
Cincinnati a "racist" city, saying its residents were "prejudiced and uptight and stiff." The remarks forced owner
Mike Brown to act, and on
February 26, 1998 Wilkinson was traded to the Washington Redskins.
Wilkinson was very productive during his first season in Washington, leading the team in sacks (7.5), quarterback pressures (50) and tackles-for-loss (six). His 50 quarterback pressures were 30 more than the team's No. 2 man in that category (defensive end
Kenard Lang). Wilkinson set career highs in total tackles (60) and solo stops (45), playing in more snaps (1,037) than any other defensive tackle in the NFL that season. He intercepted his second career pass against Philadelphia on
November 15 when he picked off the deflected pass deep in Eagles territory and ran four yards before being tackled, setting up the Redskins' first touchdown. He also performed well against the
New York Giants on
November 1 with 14 QB pressures, seven tackles and a pass deflection. He tied a career-high with eight tackles against the
Arizona Cardinals on
November 22.
Wilkinson led the Redskins with eight sacks to match his career-high from 1995 and finished second in quarterback pressures (43) in
1999. In a Week 7 game against the Chicago Bears, Redskins defensive end
Marco Coleman hit Bears quarterback
Shane Matthews, forcing the ball into Wilkinson's hands. He returned it (at a comfortable pace) 88 yards for a touchdown, with speedster
Darrell Green escorting him most of the way. The play gave the Redskins a 14-0 lead in their 48-22 win over Chicago and was the fourth-longest interception return for a score in Redskins history, the longest such return ever by a Redskins player at home and the longest return ever by a Redskins defensive lineman.
Wilkinson also racked up five tackles (three solo), two sacks, five pressures and a pass defensed at the New York Giants on
September 19, when he was awarded a game ball along with the rest of the starting defensive line. He recorded a team-high nine pressures, a sack, two solos and one tackle-for-loss against the Arizona Cardinals on
December 12.
In
2000, Wilkinson experienced the lowest sack total of his career at just 3.5 for the year. He made a season-high four tackles on two occasions, at the Dallas Cowboys and at
Pittsburgh Steelers in consecutive weeks in mid-December. He had a season-long, nine-yard sack at the Jacksonville Jaguars on
October 22.
While Wilkinson didn't post entirely impressive statistics in
2001, he made key blocks allowing other defensive players to make big plays while also contributing in other ways. His pass deflection on second-and-goal led to an interception by
Otis Leverette on the one-yard line and ended a critical scoring threat by the
Carolina Panthers on
October 21. The Redskins went on to beat the Panthers 17-14 in overtime. Although he posted no stats in the game, Wilkinson's pressure helped hold Philadelphia's offense to only 186 total yards. On the year, Wilkinson finished with 25 tackles (19 solo), four sacks and two interceptions. His two interceptions came off
Donovan McNabb and
Aaron Brooks.
Wilkinson experiences his worst season as a pro in
2002, which would prove to be his last with the Redskins. He recorded one tackle against the
Dallas Cowboys on
November 28 before leaving the game in the third quarter with a strained right
calf. He was placed on injured reserve on
December 5, ending his season. In the 12 games he played, He recored 16 tackles (12 solo) and five pass deflections. It was the first season of his career in which he did not record a sack.
Detroit Lions
During the
2003 offseason, Wilkinson voiced his preference to stay in Washington and it appeared it would happen. The team wanted him to take a pay cut, but negotiations with Wilkinson's agent fell through and he was cut by the team on
July 29. Wilkinson received interest from the Dallas Cowboys,
Green Bay Packers and
New England Patriots and approximately four other organizations. On
August 17, he agreed to sign with the Detroit Lions.
In Wilkinson's first regular season game with the Lions against the Arizona Cardinals on
September 7, he recorded three solo tackles, five quarterback hurries, two passes defensed and a nine-yard sack of quarterback
Jeff Blake - the first Lions' sack of the season. His best game of the season came against the
Green Bay Packer on
November 27 with a sack of
Brett Favre, his first fumble recovery of 2003, two quarterback pressures and a season-high six tackles (four solos). He notched a pass defense, two quarterback knockdowns and a pressure against the St. Louis Rams on
December 28, helping hold the Rams’ rushing attack to just 41 yards.
Despite modest statistics (24 tackles and two sacks), Wilkinson made a significant impact on the Lions' run defense. He was named to
Peter King of
Sports Illustrated’s all-pro team.
In
2004, appeared in all 16 games for the Lions. He was a member of a defensive line unit that registered 30.5 sacks, the seventh-highest total among any front four in the NFL. The unit also started every game together during the season.
Wilkinson forced a fumble and sacked Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb for a seven-yard loss against Philadelphia on
September 26. He also set a career-high with two forced fumbles during the season.
He was also instrumental in the development of younger players, including
Pro Bowl defensive tackle
Shaun Rogers and defensive end
James Hall.
In the
2005 season, Wilkinson's last with the Lions, played in all 16 games for the third straight year. He finished the season with 26 tackles (20 solo) and three sacks - his highest total in four seasons.
He recorded two
Trent Dilfer sacks at the
Cleveland Browns on
October 23 for a loss of 10 yards. His sack in the first quarter for nine yards prevented the Browns from reaching the end zone, and forced a field goal attempt. He recorded his first career safety after punter
Nick Harris downed a punt on the 2-yard line against the Arizona Cardinals on
November 13. On the ensuing possession, he tackled Cardinals
fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo in the end zone in the first quarter. Wilkinson had a sack against the
Minnesota Vikings on
December 4 against quarterback
Brad Johnson for a loss of seven yards to stop a potential scoring drive and force the Vikings to punt.
Miami Dolphins
During the
2006 offseason, the Lions unsuccessfully attempted to trade Wilkinson and subsequently released him on
May 22. He received interest from multiple teams, and visited with the Miami Dolphins in early June. The two parties negotiated on a contract, but Wilkinson preferred to not sign until later so as not to go through the rigors of an entire training camp at his age. He officially signed a three-year deal with the team on
August 14. It was officially a three-year, $6.31 million contract, although it was structured in a way that would essentially make it a one-year deal. Wilkinson received a $500,000 signing bonus and had a $810,000 in base salary in 2006. His base salary would jump to $2 million in
2007 and $2.5 million in
2008. He is due a $500,000 roster bonus in the 2008 offseason.
Wilkinson played in a reserve role most of the season behind
Keith Traylor and
Jeff Zgonina, battling nagging injuries and dealing with a lawsuit (see below) which caused him to miss time. In 10 games played, he recorded 13 tackles (nine solo) and three pass deflections. On
December 21, Wilkinson was placed on season-ending injured reserve with
knee and
hamstring injuries.
In the 2007 offseason, the Dolphins attempted to trade Wilkinson to the
Denver Broncos in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in the
2007 NFL Draft. Wilkinson failed to contact either team, and while deadlines for him to report were extended during the offseason, the trade fell through and was voided on
March 31. On
June 18, the Dolphins released Wilkinson.
Career transactions
★ Drafted by the Bengals in the first round (first overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft in April 1994.
★ Traded to the Redskins on February 26, 1998.
★ Released by the Redskins on July 29, 2003.
★ Signed by the Lions on August 17, 2003.
★ Released by the Lions on May 22, 2006.
★ Signed by the Dolphins on August 14, 2006.
★ Released by the Dolphins on June 18, 2007.
Legal troubles
Wilkinson has been involved in a few
lawsuits since the start of his professional career. In 1996, Wilkinson pleaded no contest to the charge of domestic violence. He was subsequently found guilty of striking his pregnant girlfriend. Wilkinson's girlfriend, however, stated that she did not wish to pursue prosecution.
[ Wilkinson domestic dispute ]
In
March of 2006, Capital Centre LLC, a joint project headed by the Cordish Company and Washington Sports & Entertainment, sued Wilkinson. The suit alleged that Wilkinson was personally liable for a breach of contract related to a
lease the two parties had agreed to.
[ Wilkinson lease trial ] On
April 3, 2006, The Maryland federal
district court issued an opinion on the validity of the case
[ Court Opinion ].
Personal
Wilkinson attended
Dunbar High School in Dayton, Ohio. He and his wife have five children: Brooklyn, Daniel Jr., Taylor, Sydné and Kennedy and reside in Northern
Virginia[1]
References
1. http://www.detroitlions.com/bio.cfm?bio_id=186&season=7
External links
★
Detroit Lions Bio
★
Ohio State Buckeyes Bio
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