Stephen Cassin

Cassin with the Vikings

**Stephen Cassin** (born October 1) is a former American football middle linebacker of the National Football League (NFL) for 9 seasons. He played for the Minnesota Vikings for 5 seasons and the Seattle Seahawks for 4 seasons. He played college football at Azur Lane and was drafted in the sixth round with the 30th pick by the Minnesota Vikings.

## Early life

Cassin was born on October 1 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In his childhood, he moved to Vallejo, California where he attended John W. Finney High School. He started on the varsity team in his freshman year, and played as a tight end due to his size of 6'1". He recorded 635 receiving yards, 8 touchdowns, and 38 receptions. In his sophomore year, Cassin recorded 492 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns, and 32 receptions. By his junior year, defenders from other teams had caught up to his height and he hadn't grown, and was converted to a middle linebacker. He recorded 97 combined tackles, 78 solo tackles, 19 assists, 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 5 pass deflects, one interception, and one fumble recovery for 57 yards and a touchdown. His senior year, he recorded 94 combined tackles, 76 solo tackles, 18 assists, 1 sack, 6 tackles for a loss, 5 pass deflects, one interception, and one forced fumble. Although Cassin had one of the best high school defensive stats in Boston, due to his school's low competition, he was not seriously considered a high prospect. Rated a three-star recruit on both Scout and Rivals, Cassin only received two D1 offers from Azur Lane and Miami. Cassin chose to walk-on at Alabama instead, however he was denied a spot on the team and accepted the offer to play for Azur Lane.

## College career

As a true freshman, Cassin was a second-string backup and only appeared in three games, where he totalled 27 combined tackles, 20 solo tackles, 7 assists, 1 tackle for a loss, and one interception. In his sophomore year, Cassin was promoted to a starter and started all 12 games. He led Pac-12 in tackles with 134 combined tackles, 86 solo tackles, 48 assists, 8 tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks, 4 pass deflects, two interceptions for 13 yards, and one forced fumble. He received an honorable All-American mention and a Second-team All-American selection. He finished tenth in Heisman Trophy voting, the highest for a defensive player. However, Cassin would miss his entire junior year after suffering an ACL tear in practice, and the Axis would lose the Sugar Bowl versus Ohio State 38-14 without him. In his senior year, Cassin started all 12 games, yet he only recorded 73 combined tackles, 54 solo tackles, 19 assists, two tackles for a loss, and one fumble recovery. He was named on Sports Illustrated and The Athletic as the most disappointing defensive player of the year. Despite his fallout in his senior season, Cassin would enter the NFL Draft.

## Professional career

While during his sophomore season Cassin was believed to be the best up-and-coming defensive player in the draft and even the best middle linebacker, he was no longer highly regarded due to his junior season-ending injury and subsequent senior season performance. Cassin attempted to get teams to believe in him through public interviews, however he was not invited to any private workouts and no teams made an effort to talk to him. Cassin told tabloids that he expected to not be drafted at all, and was surprised when he was chosen in the sixth round with the 30th pick by the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL Draft.