Justin Layne
Number31, 35, 26
PositionCornerback
Birth dateJanuary 12, 1998 (age 28)
Birth placeCleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Height6 ft
Height in2
Weight lb192
High schoolBenedictine (Cleveland)
CollegeMichigan State (2016–2018)
Draftyear2019
Draftround3
Draftpick83
Pastteams
Highlights
StatleagueNFL
Statlabel 1Total tackles
Statvalue 145
Statlabel 2Pass deflections
Statvalue 21
Statlabel 3Fumble recoveries
Statvalue 31
PfrLaynJu00

Justin Layne (born January 12, 1998) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans.

Early life

Layne attended Benedictine High School in Cleveland, Ohio. While there Layne was teammates with current NFL linebacker Jerome Baker. He played cornerback and wide receiver in high school. He committed to the Michigan State University to play college football.[1][2]

College career

Layne entered his freshman season with the Spartans in 2016 as a wide receiver but was converted into a cornerback prior to the fifth game of the season.[3] During his career, he played in 34 games and had 130 tackles, three interceptions, 0.5 sacks and one touchdown. After his junior season, Layne entered the 2019 NFL draft.[4]

Professional career

Pittsburgh Steelers

Layne was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (83rd overall) of the 2019 NFL draft.[5] He briefly appeared in ten games in 2019, getting only three tackles on the season.[6]

Layne was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Steelers on July 29, 2020.[7] He was activated on August 11, 2020.[8] He appeared in all 16 games for the Steelers, and collected 22 tackles on the year. On August 30, 2022, he was released by the Steelers.[9]

New York Giants

On August 31, 2022, Layne was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants.[10] On November 14, 2022, he was waived.[11]

Chicago Bears

On November 15, 2022, the Chicago Bears claimed Layne off waivers.[12] He was waived on December 20.[13]

Carolina Panthers

On December 21, 2022, Layne was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers, but did not report to the team.[14] He was released on March 8, 2023.

References

  1. ^ Charboneau, Matt (April 25, 2015). "MSU gets commitment from 4-star WR Justin Layne". Detroit News. Retrieved 2023-05-18.
  2. ^ Griffith, Mike (April 25, 2015). "No. 1-ranked Ohio WR Justin Layne makes verbal commitment to Michigan State". mlive.com
  3. ^ Solari, Chris (2016-11-15). "Spartans' Justin Layne and Donnie Corley quite the duo -- for now". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  4. ^ "Draft-bound Layne to miss Michigan State's bowl". ESPN.com. Associated Press. 2018-12-19. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  5. ^ "Steelers select Layne in third round". Steelers.com. April 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Justin Layne 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-07-06.
  7. ^ "Layne placed on Reserve/COVID-19 list". Steelers.com. July 29, 2020. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Varley, Teresa (August 11, 2020). "Layne activated from reserve/COVID-19 list". Steelers.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  9. ^ Varley, Teresa (August 30, 2022). "Steelers make two trades; release five players". Steelers.com
  10. ^ Eisen, Michael (August 31, 2022). "Giants claim 4 players off waivers; 4 released". Giants.com
  11. ^ Eisen, Michael (November 14, 2022). "DL Henry Mondeaux signed off practice squad; CB Rodarius Williams activated". Giants.com
  12. ^ "Bears' Justin Layne: Picked up by Chicago". cbssports.com. November 15, 2022. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  13. ^ Mayer, Larry (December 20, 2022). "Bears put Sanborn on IR, sign LB Elijah Lee". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved 2024-11-07.
  14. ^ Gantt, Darin (December 21, 2022). "Panthers claim cornerback Justin Layne". Panthers.com. Retrieved 2024-11-07.