Cade Mays
American football player (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cade Montgomery Mays (born April 26, 1999) is an American professional football center for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers.
Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
Mays at the Senior Bowl in 2022 | |||||||
| Detroit Lions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Center | ||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | April 26, 1999 Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S. | ||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Listed weight | 325 lb (147 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Knoxville Catholic | ||||||
| College | Georgia (2018–2019) Tennessee (2020–2021) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2022: 6th round, 199th overall pick | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||
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College career
Mays started his college career at Georgia. As a freshman in 2018, he earned Freshman All-American honors as well as being selected to the SEC All-Freshman Team. During his two years with the Bulldogs, he had at least one start for each position across the offensive line.[1] After the 2019 season, he transferred to Tennessee.[2] He then played two years for the Volunteers, primarily at the right tackle position.[3] He earned a Second-team All-SEC selection at the end of the 2021 season by the AP and league coaches.
Professional career
Pre-draft statistics
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 4+3⁄4 in (1.95 m) | 311 lb (141 kg) | 34+1⁄8 in (0.87 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 5.24 s | 1.81 s | 3.02 s | 4.63 s | 7.57 s | 26.0 in (0.66 m) | 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) | 21 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[4][5] | ||||||||||||
Carolina Panthers (first stint)
2022
Mays was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 6th round of the 2022 NFL Draft, being selected 199th overall. He made his NFL debut in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He made his first start in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos.[6] He appeared in 11 games and made two starts in his rookie season.[7]
2023
In the 2023 season, Mays appeared in 16 games and started five.[8]
2024
On August 28, 2024, Mays was released by the Panthers.[9]
New York Giants
On September 10, 2024, Mays was signed to the New York Giants practice squad.[10]
Carolina Panthers (second stint)
On October 8, 2024, Mays was re-signed by the Carolina Panthers off the Giants practice squad.[11]
On March 12, 2025, the Panthers placed an original-round tender on Mays.[12] He was named the starting center in Week 3 following an injury to Austin Corbett, and started 12 games on the season.
Detroit Lions
On March 9, 2026, Mays signed with the Detroit Lions on a three-year contract worth $25 million.[13]
