With the 24th pick in the 6th round of the 2024 NFL Draft (200th overall), the Carolina Panthers selected Mississippi State defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy.
Standing at 6’5″ and 300 pounds, one could assume Crumedy has always been big for his age, but what one couldn’t assume is what started his now NFL career.
One day the Hattiesburg, Mississippi native was riding with his mother when she was pulled over by the cops. During the stop the officer, who happened to also be a football coach, looked over at Jaden, who was in the 5th grade at the time, and assumed he was in high school. What happened next would be the birth of his now professional football career.
“The officer that pulled her over was a coach and he just said if you bring your son out there then I won’t give you a ticket,” Crumedy said recalling the memory. “That’s how my football career started. I’ve been loving it ever since.”
“When I got to college, it started to harp on me that I was in the room with a good bit of guys. Jeffrey Simmons, Montez Sweat and a couple of other guys made sure that I knew different things and they would teach me different things. The next year, I just put it all in perspective that I could be like them one day or even better, so that’s how my story went.”
From a routine traffic stop, to Mississippi State and now the Carolina Panthers.
As a graduate student, Jaden Crumedy played in 53 career games while making 47 starts. He ended his career having made 39 consecutive starts in games he played – recording 119 total tackles, 39 solo and 80 assisted. Crumedy earned 8.5 career sacks to go along with 16 tackles for loss, had five pass deflections, one fumble recovery and one blocked field goal He finished 2023 with a career-high 35 tackles.