# Nahshon Wright

Nahshon Wright (/nəˈʃɔːn/ nə-SHAWN; born September 23, 1998) is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon State.

## Early life

Wright attended James Logan High School, where he played as a wide receiver and cornerback. He also lettered in basketball and track. He enrolled at Laney College, where he contributed to the team winning the 2018 state championship. He tallied 12 starts, 17 tackles (1.5 for loss), four interceptions, and three passes defensed, while earning All-conference honors.
He transferred to Oregon State University in 2019. As a sophomore, he appeared in all 12 games with 10 starts, posting 34 tackles (half a tackle for loss) and three interceptions.
As a junior in 2020, the football season was reduced to seven games due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He started in six games, registering 30 tackles, two interceptions, four passes defensed, and one sack. He had six tackles and one interception against California. He had seven tackles, one interception, and one pass defensed against Oregon. He had seven tackles and one sack against Stanford. He declared for the NFL Draft after the season.

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| 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 | Bench press |
| 6 ft 4+1⁄4 in (1.94 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) | 9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) | 4.49 s | 1.64 s | 2.65 s | 4.57 s | 7.19 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | 6 reps |
| All values from Pro Day ||||||||||||

### Dallas Cowboys

Wright was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round (99th overall) of the 2021 NFL draft. The selection was criticized in the media as a reach, while the team passed on other defensive backs like Elijah Molden, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Ambry Thomas and Brandon Stephens. Wright signed his four-year rookie contract with Dallas on July 21, worth $4.8 million. In Week 9 against the Denver Broncos, he touched a blocked punt after it passed the line of scrimmage, causing the officiating crew to award the ball back to the Broncos with a new set of downs. In Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons, he recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown. He appeared in 13 games, playing mainly on special teams, finishing the season with 7 defensive tackles and two special teams tackles.
In 2022, he appeared in 7 games with two starts, registering 22 tackles (one for loss), one interception, 4 pass breakups and one special teams tackle. He was declared inactive in the first 5 games of the season. In the fourteenth game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he replaced a struggling Kelvin Joseph at right cornerback. He started in the fifteenth game against the Philadelphia Eagles, compiling 8 tackles (one for loss) and 2 pass breakups. He started in the sixteenth game against the Tennessee Titans, leading the defense with a career-best 9 tackles, 2 pass breakups and his first career interception. He struggled with penalties in his 2 starts. In the season finale against the Washington Commanders, he was replaced in the starting lineup with Trayvon Mullen. He was declared inactive for the 2 playoff games, to allow the team to activate Israel Mukuamu.
On August 30, 2023, Wright was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury. He was activated on October 16. He appeared in 12 games as a backup player, tallying 2 defensive tackles, one pass breakup and 3 special teams tackles.

### Minnesota Vikings

On August 9, 2024, Wright was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Andrew Booth Jr.. He was waived on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 17, 2025.

## Personal life

His younger brother Rejzohn was featured in the 2020 season of the series Last Chance U, and currently plays for the New Orleans Saints. His cousin Mekhi Blackmon plays cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings. Another cousin, Bump Cooper Jr., plays cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens.