# Eric Pinkins

Eric Pinkins (born August 7, 1991) is a former American football linebacker and safety. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at San Diego State.

## Early life

Pinkins attended Inderkum High School in Sacramento, California. He was selected to the 2008 all-Metro football defense second-team in high school. Pinkins was named as an all-San Joaquin honorable mention by the National Football Foundation. He recorded 52 tackles, three interceptions, nine pass deflections, four blocked punts, and a fumble recovery in his Junior season of high school. He registered 63 tackles, two interceptions, and 12 pass deflections in his senior season of high school. He was a member of his high school track and field team.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Eric Pinkins Safety | Sacramento, California | Inderkum High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.57 | Feb 2, 2009 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 132 (Safety) Rivals: -- National, 57 (Safety), 92 (Cal) |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "San Diego State Football Commitments". Rivals.com. "2009 San Diego State Football Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. |||||||

## College career

He finished his college football career with a total of 172 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and 10 pass deflections.

## Professional career
### Seattle Seahawks

On May 10, 2014, Pinkins was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft. On September 5, 2015, he was waived. On September 6, 2015, he was signed to the Seahawks' practice squad. On September 22, 2015, Pinkins was released from the practice squad. On October 14, 2015, he was signed to the practice squad. On November 21, 2015, he was promoted to the active roster. On September 3, 2016, he was waived/injured by the Seahawks and placed on injured reserve. On September 10, he was released from the Seahawks' injured reserve.

### New York Giants

On October 12, 2016, Pinkins was signed to the New York Giants practice squad. On November 29, 2016, he was promoted to the active roster.
On September 1, 2017, Pinkins was waived by the Giants.

### Dallas Cowboys

After spending the entire 2017 NFL season as a free agent, On May 29, 2018, Pinkins signed with Dallas Cowboys. He was released on September 1, 2018.

### San Diego Fleet

In 2019, Pinkins joined the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football. He was one of seven San Diego State alumni to make the team's final 52-man roster. The league ceased operations in April 2019.

### Los Angeles Wildcats

In October 2019, Pinkins was selected by the Los Angeles Wildcats in the 2020 XFL Draft. He was waived during final roster cuts on January 22, 2020. He signed to the XFL's Team 9 practice squad during the regular season. He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.