Johnathan Hankins
American football player (born 1992)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Johnathan Hankins (born March 30, 1992)[1] is a former American professional football defensive tackle. He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, where he received All-American honors, and was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft. He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts, Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys.
Dearborn Heights, Michigan, U.S.
Hankins with the Oakland Raiders in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | March 30, 1992 Dearborn Heights, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 335 lb (152 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Southeastern (Detroit, Michigan) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Ohio State (2010–2012) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2013: 2nd round, 49th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||||||||
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Early life
Hankins was born in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. He began his high school football career as a 255 pound guard in his freshman year.
For his sophomore year he transferred to Southeastern High School, where he started on the defensive line. Five-star prospect William Gholston transferred to Southeastern in 2008, creating the "best defense in Detroit",[2] with Hankins shutting down the inside and Gholston patrolling on the edge.
Hankins was regarded as a three star recruit by Rivals.com, and was listed as the No. 20 prospect from Michigan in the class of 2010.[3] He intended to accompany Gholston to Michigan State, but did not get any offer from the Spartans. Hankins eventually picked Ohio State over offers from Alabama, Florida, Michigan, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin.
College career
Hankins enrolled in Ohio State University, where he played for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 2010 to 2012. As a true freshman, Hankins made the Buckeyes rotation and recorded 16 tackles (3 solo) plus a quarterback sack for the season. He weighed in as a freshman "at about 350, 355," and was regarded as only a two-down player by defensive coordinator Jim Heacock.
By his sophomore year, Hankins managed to get his weight down to 330 and became a starter, registering 67 tackles (32 solo) and three sacks.[4]
Following his 2012 junior season, he was a first-team All-Big Ten Conference selection, and received first-team All-American honors from Scout.com.
Professional career
Pre-draft
Even though Hankins only entered his junior season in 2012, he was projected to leave Ohio State early. In preseason mock drafts from May 2012, Hankins was listed as a mid first-rounder for the 2013 NFL draft.[5][6] By mid-season, he had moved up to a top-10 spot.[7] In December 2012, Hankins announced that he would forgo his final year of eligibility, entering the 2013 NFL Draft.[8]
| 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 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+7⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 320 lb (145 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) | 5.31 s | 1.85 s | 3.10 s | 4.61 s | 7.59 s | 26 in (0.66 m) | 8 ft 8 in (2.64 m) | ||
| All values from NFL Combine[9][10] | ||||||||||||
New York Giants
Hankins was selected by the New York Giants in the second round (49th overall) of the 2013 NFL draft.[11]
After Linval Joseph left the Giants for the Minnesota Vikings, Hankins was expected to step into his role in 2014. Known as a run stuffer, Hankins surprisingly showed flashes as a pass rusher recording 7 sacks, 6 quarterback hits and 21 hurries. Hankins exceeded expectations as he recorded 51 tackles, 7 sacks and a forced fumble and was named to Pro Football Focus' All-Pro Team at defensive tackle.
On November 8, 2015, Hankins tore his pectoral muscle during the second quarter of the week 9 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[12] He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on November 10, 2015.[13]
In the 2016 season, Hankins returned from his injury, registering 43 tackles and 3 sacks. He also made the playoffs for the first time in his career.
Indianapolis Colts
On April 13, 2017, Hankins signed a three-year, $30 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.[14] He started 15 games, recording 44 tackles (fifth on the team), 4 tackles for loss, two sacks and 3 passes defensed. He had 4 tackles and one sack against the Seattle Seahawks. He made 8 tackles against the Buffalo Bills. He had 5 tackles and one sack against the Denver Broncos.
On March 17, 2018, Hankins was released by the Colts, because he wasn't seen as a fit for the 4-3 defense thas was implemented by new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.[15]
Oakland / Las Vegas Raiders
On September 13, 2018, Hankins signed with the Oakland Raiders to replace an injured Justin Ellis.[16] He played in 15 games with 14 starts, recording 36 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries. He had 2 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries against the Cleveland Browns.
On March 10, 2019, Hankins signed a two-year contract extension with the Raiders.[17] He started all 16 games, collecting 50 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one pass defensed. He had 8 tackles against the Minnesota Vikings. He made 4 tackles and one sack against the Houston Texans.
In 2020, he started all 16 games, compiling 48 tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Raiders on November 18, 2020,[18] and activated three days later.[19]
On March 20, 2021, the Raiders re-signed Hankins to a one-year, $3.5 million contract.[20][21] He started 14 games, registering 38 tackles and one pass defensed. He missed 3 games with an injury.
Hankins re-signed with the Raiders on April 4, 2022.[22] He was passed on the depth chart by Andrew Billings. He was declared inactive in the Week 5 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. He appeared in 5 games with one start, tallying 9 tackles with one quarterback pressure and one pass defensed.
Dallas Cowboys
On October 25, 2022, Hankins along with a 2024 seventh-round pick, was traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round draft choice (#204-Jarrick Bernard-Converse).[23] He was acquired to improve the team's run defense. He was placed on injured reserve with a sprained pectoral muscle on December 14. He was activated on January 16, 2023.
Hankins re-signed with the Cowboys on March 29, 2023.[24] He started 14 games, recording 27 tackles, three sacks and two passes defensed. He missed 3 games with a high-ankle sprain injury.
Seattle Seahawks
On March 20, 2024, Hankins signed with the Seattle Seahawks.[25] He reunited with defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who was his defensive line coach with the Dallas Cowboys.
On May 7, 2025, Hankins re-signed with the Seahawks.[26] On November 19, Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald announced that Hankins would not play during the season due to a back injury suffered in the offseason.[27] On December 3, he was released by the Seahawks.[28]
Retirement
On April 29, 2026, Hankins announced in an interview that he will be retiring from professional football.[29]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2013 | NYG | 11 | 0 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2014 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 51 | 30 | 21 | 7.0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | NYG | 9 | 9 | 30 | 21 | 9 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | NYG | 16 | 16 | 43 | 29 | 14 | 3.0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | IND | 15 | 15 | 44 | 24 | 20 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | OAK | 15 | 14 | 36 | 21 | 15 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | OAK | 16 | 16 | 50 | 28 | 22 | 1.5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | LVR | 16 | 16 | 48 | 27 | 21 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | LVR | 14 | 14 | 38 | 15 | 23 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | LVR | 5 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DAL | 5 | 3 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2023 | DAL | 14 | 14 | 27 | 13 | 14 | 3.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | SEA | 17 | 8 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 1.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 169 | 142 | 433 | 239 | 194 | 18.5 | 39 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | ||
