Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

Dominique Reshard Rodgers-Cromartie (born April 7, 1986) is an American football cornerback for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Tennessee State University. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals with the 16th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Rodgers-Cromartie has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles andDenver Broncos.

Rodgers-Cromartie is of Haitian descent born with a non-functioning kidney that was removed when he was 5 years old.^[3]However, this early setback at a young age did not stop Rodgers-Cromartie from playing football as he attended Lakewood Ranch High School where he was an All-Area, All-Class 5A and All-District 11 defensive back and wide receiver. He was named the most underrated prospect in the state of Florida by the High School Recruiting Report and Lakewood Ranch became the fourth high school he attended and the first where he received playing time. While at Lakewood Ranch, he also competed as a jumper and sprinter on the school’s track team. He is also member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.

While attending Tennessee State University, he played for the Tennessee State Tigers football team for 2004 to 2007. He showed exceptional shutdown ability and displayed the natural hands needed to excel as an interceptor. He also excelled as a kickoff returner and saw action as a receiver during his senior campaign.

In 39 starts for the Tigers, opposing quarterbacks completed just 55 of 161 passes (34.16%) thrown in Rodgers-Cromartie's immediate area. He intercepted 11 of those throws, deflected 25 and held the opposition to a minuscule 3.54 yards per pass attempt, the best of any collegiate defensive back over the last three seasons.

In addition to football, Rodgers-Cromartie was also a standout performer for the Tennessee State University track team. Despite juggling football spring drills with the indoor and outdoor track seasons in 2007, he qualified for the NCAA Mid-East Regionals after he captured the Ohio Valley Conference long jump title, with a mark of 7.71 meters. In only his second outdoor event, he was named OVC Male Athlete of the Week after finishing third at the Penn Relays with a conference-best long jump of 7.56 meters

During the OVC Indoor Track Championships, Rodgers-Cromartie was name the top male athlete with a sensational performance. He won the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.89 seconds, long jump with a mark of 7.71 meters and high jump with a mark of 2.07 meters and finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.83 meters. What made those finishes even more impressive was the fact that he performed most of the indoor season while nursing an ankle sprain. He also competed in the100 meters, posting a career-best time of 10.75 seconds while he was at Lakewood Ranch High School.

Early on, Rodgers-Cromartie's draft stock was considerably low, as many questioned the level of competition he faced during his college years and because of his lack of technique. However, Rodgers-Cromartie impressed scouts during Senior Bowl week, performing very well during the arranged practices, and was named Defensive MVP for the game.^[5][6] Also the quickness he displayed with a 4.29 sec 40-yard dash at the NFL combine led to comparisons to Fabian Washington.

Rodgers-Cromartie was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round (16th overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft. On July 25, he signed a 5-year, $15.1 million contract with the team that included $9 million guaranteed. Rodgers-Cromartie was named the starting nickelback for the 2008 season, behind starters Roderick Hood and Eric Green. In Week 11 vs. theSeattle Seahawks, Rodgers-Cromartie recorded 2 interceptions off Matt Hasselbeck, the second interception securing a Cardinals 26-20 victory. In Week 14 vs. the St. Louis Rams, Rodgers-Cromartie returned a late fourth quarter interception 99 yards for a touchdown, ensuring a Cardinals victory and subsequent Division Championship title. In the 2008 Wild Card Playoff Game between the Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons, Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted a pass from Matt Ryan intended for wide receiver Roddy White. This helped secure the first playoff home win for the Arizona Cardinals since 1947. The next week, in the divisional round (Arizona Cardinals Vs. Carolina Panthers), Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted a pass from Jake Delhomme in the red zone during the second quarter.

Rodgers-Cromartie recorded 50 tackles and six interceptions in the 2009 NFL regular season and was selected as a reserve to the 2010 Pro Bowl, however didn't participate due to an injury sustained in the divisional round playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Year	Team	GP	COMB	TOTAL	AST	SACK	FF	FR	FR YDS	INT	IR YDS	AVG IR	LNG	TD	PD
2008	ARI	16	42	38	4	0.0	0	0	0	4	157	39	99	1	19
2009	ARI	16	50	48	2	0.0	3	0	0	6	77	13	49	1	25
2010	ARI	16	44	42	2	0.0	0	0	0	3	86	29	32	2	17
2011	PHI	13	28	26	2	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6
2012	PHI	16	51	43	8	0.0	0	0	0	3	14	5	14	0	17
2013	DEN	15	31	25	6	0.0	0	0	0	3	75	25	75	1	14
Career		92	246	222	24	1.0	3	0	0	19	409	22	99	5	98