Mekhi Blackmon
American football player (born 1999)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mekhi Blackmon (born March 18, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Mateo Bulldogs, the Colorado Buffaloes and the USC Trojans. Blackmon was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Hayward, California, U.S.
| No. 29 – Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born | March 18, 1999 Hayward, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school | Menlo-Atherton (Atherton, California) | ||||||||||||
| College | San Mateo (2017) Colorado (2018–2021) USC (2022) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2023 (3rd round, 102nd overall pick) | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||
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Early life
Blackmon was born in Hayward, California.[1] He grew up in East Palo Alto, California and attended Menlo-Atherton High School.
College career
Blackmon played one year of community college football at College of San Mateo before committing to Colorado in 2018.[2][3]
Blackmon played four years at Colorado before deciding to transfer to USC.[4][5] In his collegiate career he totaled 142 tackles, 4 being for a loss, 1 sack, 5 interceptions, 24 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 forced fumbles.[6] His best collegiate year occurred during the 2022 season when he posted 66 tackles, 2 going for a loss, 3 interceptions, 12 pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. For his performance, he was named First Team All-Pac-12 Conference.[7][8]
He was projected to be a fifth to sixth round selection in the 2023 NFL draft.[9][10]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 178 lb (81 kg) | 31 in (0.79 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 6 ft 2+5⁄8 in (1.90 m) | 4.47 s | 1.54 s | 2.57 s | 36.0 in (0.91 m) | 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) | 11 reps | ||
| All values from the NFL Combine[11][12] | ||||||||||||
Minnesota Vikings
Blackmon was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round, 102nd overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft.[13] In Week 10, Blackmon recorded his first career interception in a 27–19 win against the New Orleans Saints.[14]
On July 24, 2024, it was announced that Blackmon had suffered a torn ACL, ruling him out for the entirety of the ensuing season.[15]
Indianapolis Colts
On August 25, 2025, the Vikings traded Blackmon to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2026 NFL draft sixth-round pick.[16][17]