Damien Lewis (American football)

Damien Lewis
refer to caption
Lewis with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020
No. 68 – Carolina Panthers
Position:Guard
Personal information
Born: (1997-03-21) March 21, 1997 (age 27)
Canton, Mississippi, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:327 lb (148 kg)
Career information
High school:Canton
College:
NFL draft:2020 / round: 3 / pick: 69
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 2, 2024
Games played:63
Games started:63
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Damien Stephon Lewis (born March 21, 1997) is an American professional football guard for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft.

Early life

Lewis grew up in Biloxi, Mississippi and Atlanta before moving to Canton, Mississippi, where he attended Canton High School.[1] Projected not to qualify academically to play Division I football, Lewis received no offers from four-year colleges coming out of high school.[2]

College career

Lewis at LSU in 2019

Lewis enrolled at Northwest Mississippi Community College after receiving a scholarship. He was named a second-team Junior College All-American in both of his seasons at Northwest Mississippi.[3] He graduated a semester early and committed to transfer to LSU to continue his collegiate career over offers from Ole Miss, Kentucky, South Carolina, and West Virginia.[4]

Lewis was named the Tigers starting right guard going into his first season at LSU and started all 13 of the team's games.[5] As a senior, Lewis started all 15 of the Tigers' games and was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference as the Tigers won the 2020 National Championship.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m) 		327 lb
(148 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		 5.24 s 1.83 s 3.03 s 30.0 in
(0.76 m)		 9 ft 0 in
(2.74 m)		 27 reps 11
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

Seattle Seahawks

Lewis was selected by Seattle Seahawks in the third round with the 69th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.[9]

Lewis made his NFL debut on September 13, 2020, in the season opener against the Atlanta Falcons, starting at right guard and playing all 62 of the Seahawks' offensive snaps.[10] Though Lewis dealt with a few minor injuries, he was able to start all 16 regular season games as well as the Seahawks' Wild Card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. He logged 967 offensive snaps, including snaps in a game in Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals where he was the emergency center. In pass protection ratings, Lewis did well, allowing just 28 total pressures in 633 pass blocking snaps. However, he did accumulate 12 penalties, which led all NFL guards. In terms of run blocking, however, Lewis was one of the best in the league. He received an 81.5 overall run blocking score from Pro Football Focus, second only to Indianapolis Colts All-Pro and Pro Bowler Quenton Nelson. After a strong rookie year, Lewis was named to the Pro Football Writers Association's NFL All-Rookie Team.[11]

Carolina Panthers

On March 13, 2024, Lewis signed a four-year contract with the Carolina Panthers.[12] On September 25, it was announced that Lewis had suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, but would likely avoid injured reserve as he attempts to play through the injury.[13]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Offense
GP GS Snaps Pct Holding False start Decl/Pen Acpt/Pen
2020 SEA 16 16 967 91% 5 2 2 9
2021 SEA 13 13 697 93% 3 1 0 4
2022 SEA 16 16 1,005 97% 3 0 1 6
2023 SEA 16 16 931 95% 1 1 0 4
Career 61 61 3,600 - 12 4 3 23

References

  1. ^ Delelnger, Ross (April 21, 2018). "Who is LSU football's new guy? Damien Lewis a son to imprisoned father". The Advocate.
  2. ^ "Damien Lewis: 4 facts on 2020 NFL Draft prospect, LSU Guard". The Daily Advertiser. April 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Valentine, Harrison (March 24, 2020). "Road to the Pros: LSU Guard Damien Lewis' Rise From JUCO to NFL Draft Pick a True Testament of Perseverance". SI.com.
  4. ^ Saltzman, Eric (December 20, 2017). "Damien Lewis Signs with LSU". AndTheValleyShoook.com. SB Nation.
  5. ^ Shipp, Sonny (June 24, 2019). "68 days to kickoff: Damien Lewis' return a big boost for LSU". 247Sports.com.
  6. ^ "LSU's Damien Lewis kicks off NFL Combine with 40-yard dash". The Advocate. February 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Damien Lewis Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  8. ^ "2020 Draft Scout Damien Lewis, LSU NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
  9. ^ Auzenne, Josh (April 24, 2020). "2020 NFL DRAFT: LSU G Damien Lewis taken in 3rd round (No. 69 overall) by Seattle Seahawks". Fox 8. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  10. ^ Shipp, Sonny (September 15, 2020). "How LSU Tigers fared in the NFL: Week 1". 247Sports.com. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  11. ^ Smith, Corbin. "Seahawks G Damien Lewis Named to PFWA All-Rookie Squad". Sports Illustrated Seattle Seahawks News, Analysis and More. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  12. ^ Hill, Kassidy (March 13, 2024). "Panthers officially agree to terms with five free agents". Panthers.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "Report: Panthers OL Damien Lewis has a tear in his elbow". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
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