Former NFL Raiders defensive back Derek Sherrard Hayden died Saturday at the age of 33 in a car accident in Houston, Texas.
Joining Hayden was his former teammate from the University of Houston, Zach McMillan, who was 32 years old.
Hayden was known for surviving a heart injury. In 2012, during a practice with his college team, the Houston Cougars, a life-threatening incident occurred in which he accidentally struck a teammate’s knee with his chest.
The cornerback underwent surgery that allowed him to recover from the injury and end an eight-year professional football career.
The excellent performance the Houston, Texas native showed with the Cougars allowed him to jump into the NFL draft. Twelfth overall pick in the first round of the 2013 draft by the Raiders, a team he stayed with until the 2016 season.
He was with Detroit in 2017; From there, he emigrated to Jacksonville, where he remained until the 2020 season.
In 2021, he signed with Washington, a team he left before making his debut.
In eight years in the league, Derek Hayden played 92 games; He racked up 328 tackles, 4.5 quarterback sacks, 46 passes defended, four interceptions, four forced fumbles and three recoveries. He also received a grade.
Zach McMillan, Hayden’s teammate, played for the Cougars from 2010-2013.
(With information from EFE)
Source: La Neta Neta
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
