Eric Weddle

Eric Steven Weddle (born January 4, 1985) is an American former football safety who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons.

He led Alta Loma High to the 2000 Mt. Baldy League championship.

Weddle enrolled in the University of Utah, where he played for the Utes from 2003 to 2006.

He was immediately put into action in 2003, starting his last nine games at right cornerback.

He earned Freshman All-American first-team and All-Mountain West Conference honorable mention.

He posted 60 tackles (29 solos) with four sacks, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

He deflected four passes and intercepted another while also carrying the ball once (minus 6 yards).

Weddle was a 2-time Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year.

In 2004, Weddle shifted to strong safety, starting eleven games.

Despite sitting out the Arizona clash with a right knee sprain, he ranked third on the team with 75 tackles (47 solos).

He added one sack, 4.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage and a forced fumble.

He advanced a fumble recovery 31 yards, batted away five passes and intercepted four others.

He also averaged 10.5 yards on 20 punt returns.

Weddle earned Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, first-team All-MWC, second-team All-American and Emerald Bowl Defensive MVP honors in 2005.

He started all twelve games, lining up at strong safety in five contests, at left cornerback in four and as a nickel back in three others.

He ranked third on the team with 78 tackles (49 solos) and second with eleven stops for losses.

He had four sacks, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

He led the conference with sixteen passes defensed (12 break-ups, 4 interceptions).

He punted twice for 46 yards, attempted two passes and averaged 6.4 yards on 24 punt returns.

He also rushed seven times for 35 yards and one touchdown.

He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning consensus All-American honors in 2006.

In 2006, Weddle was a consensus All-American and unanimous All-MWC first-team choice.

He was again named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year.

He started the team's first two games at strong safety before shifting to left cornerback and closed out the season as the nickel back.

He made 64 tackles (40 solos) with a sack, a forced fumble and 2.5 stops for losses.

He returned one of three fumble recoveries for a touchdown, deflected two passes and ranked eighth in the nation with seven interceptions.

He averaged 5.5 yards on eight punt returns and completed 2-of-4 passes for 43 yards and a touchdown.

He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

During his nine seasons with the Chargers, Weddle received three Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections.

He spent his next three seasons as a member of the Baltimore Ravens, earning Pro Bowl honors in each and extending his total selections to six.

He retired after playing for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019, but returned two years later to join the Rams on their playoff run, which culminated with a start and a victory in Super Bowl LVI.

Following the championship, he retired a second time.

Weddle was born in Fontana, California.

He grew up in Alta Loma, California, and attended local Alta Loma High School.

At Alta Loma High, he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball.

In football, he was a three-time all-league selection and a two-time All-CIF selection.

Weddle added first-team all-area accolades from the Los Angeles Times and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin.

A second-team All-Southern Section honoree, he also received all-region honors from Rivals.com and Student Sport Magazine.

He was named the team's best receiver and most valuable player as a senior.

The team captain had 129 tackles, five interceptions, four forced fumbles and five recovered fumbles on defense, adding 587 yards rushing, 22 touchdowns, 965 yards passing and five scoring tosses as a senior.