Cleveland Merrill

Cleveland Merrill (born June 17, 1991) is an American football Linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Ole Miss. The Vikings selected him with the third overall pick in the 2015 NFLHC Draft.
==College Career==
Cleveland Merrill attended Ole Miss for 3 years, declaring early for the NFL Draft his junior year. Merrill had a breakout year in 2014 when he lead the country in sacks, forced and recovered 2 fumbles, scored a touchdown, and recorded a safety. Merrill was seen as a "can't miss" player who was a lock for a top-5 pick. 
===College statistics===
Year 	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive
Year 	GP 	GS 	Tackles 	Sacks 	FF 	FR 	INT 	TD 	
2013 	12 	12 	37 	0.0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	
2014 	12 	12 	120 	12.0 	2 	2 	0 	1 	
Totals	24 	24 	157 	12.0 	2 	2 	0 	1 	
==Professional Career==
===Pre-draft===
Merrill ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds at the Scouting Combine. Notably, Merrill scored a 31 on the Wonderlic, ranking fourth in the entire 2015 NFLHC Draft. He was considered one of the best linebackers in the 2014 NFLHC Draft along with Tyrone Jones, and was the consensus top inside linebacker available.
====Measurables====
===Draft===
In the 2015 NFLHC Draft, the Minnesota Vikings selected Merrill with the 3rd overall pick.The day after the draft, Merrill signed a five-year contract with the Vikings worth approximately $50 million.
===Minnesota Vikings===
Cleveland Merrill became a starting inside linebacker for the Vikings before the 2015 NFLHC preseason.
====Regular season====
:
Year 	Team 	Games	Starts	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive	Defensive
Year 	Team 	Games	Starts	Tackles 	Sacks 	FF 	FR 	INT 	TD 	Safeties
2015 	MIN 	14 	14 	97 	0.0 	1 	0 	2 	1 	0
2016 	MIN 	12 	12 	66 	0.0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
2017 	MIN 	16 	16 	82 	0.0 	0 	1 	0 	0 	0
2018 	MIN 	7 	7 	16 	0.0 	0 	0 	0 	0 	0
Career	Career	49 	49 	261 	0.0 	1 	1 	2 	1 	0
===External Links===