Zacch Pickens
American football player (born 2000)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Zaccheaus L. Pickens (born March 6, 2000) is an American professional football defensive end for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Pickens has also played for the Chicago Bears and Kansas City Chiefs.
Anderson, South Carolina, U.S.
Pickens with the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2019 | |||||||||||
| No. 96 – New York Giants | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end | ||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | March 6, 2000 Anderson, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 300 lb (136 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | T. L. Hanna (Anderson) | ||||||||||
| College | South Carolina (2019–2022) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2023: 3rd round, 64th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||
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Early life
Pickens was born on March 6, 2000, in Anderson, South Carolina. He attended T. L. Hanna High School, where he was named South Carolina's Gatorade Football Player of the Year as a senior in 2018 after recording 87 tackles, six sacks, and an interception which he returned for a touchdown.[1][2] A five-star recruit, Pickens was selected to play in the 2019 Under Armour All-American Game.[3] He committed to the University of South Carolina to play college football.[4][5]
College career
As a true freshman at South Carolina in 2019, Pickens played in all 12 games and had 16 tackles. As a sophomore in 2020, he started seven of 10 games, recording 35 tackles and one sack. As a junior in 2021, he started all 13 games, finishing with 38 tackles and four sacks.[6] Pickens returned to South Carolina for his senior season in 2022.[7][8]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Wingspan | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+7⁄8 in (1.93 m) | 291 lb (132 kg) | 34+3⁄8 in (0.87 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 6 ft 9+5⁄8 in (2.07 m) | 4.89 s | 1.74 s | 2.83 s | 4.62 s | 7.45 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) | 9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) | 22 reps |
| All values from NFL Combine[9][10] | ||||||||||||
Chicago Bears
Pickens was selected by the Chicago Bears in the third round (64th overall) in the 2023 NFL draft.[11]
On August 26, 2025, Pickens was waived by the Bears as part of final roster cuts.[12]
Kansas City Chiefs
On August 29, 2025, Pickens was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad.[13] He was promoted to the active roster on December 17.[14]
On May 4, 2026, Pickens was waived by the Chiefs.[15]
New York Giants
On May 5, 2026, Pickens was claimed off of waivers by the New York Giants.[16]