Trae Waynes (born July 25, 1992) is an American footballcornerback for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Michigan State. He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round, 11th overall of the 2015 NFL Draft.
. . . Trae Waynes . . .
Waynes attended Harborside Academy but played for Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, because Harborside Academy doesn’t have sports[1] where he was teammate and best friend of running back Melvin Gordon, who would eventually be selected four spots after Waynes in the 2015 NFL Draft. At Bradford, Waynes was a multi-sport athlete in football, baseball and track.[2] In football, Waynes was named first-team All-Southeast Conference as a junior in 2010. As a senior, he broke his fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle, but still managed to record 38 tackles, two interceptions and four pass break-ups, earning first-team All-state and All-region selections by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association. In baseball, Waynes earned first-team All-county honors as an outfielder as a junior in 2010 after leading the Red Devils in home runs (3) and finishing second in batting average (.452, 28-of-62). In addition, he also produced eight doubles and three triples while being caught stealing only once in 26 attempts.[3]
Waynes was also a standout track & field athlete. In 2010, he won the county indoor track championship in the 60-yard and 220-yard dashes and recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.37 s) at the Midwest Ultimate 100 Camp. In 2011, he finished third in the 100m (10.85 s) at the Division I State T&F Championships,[4] and recorded a career-best time of 10.75 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the SEC Outdoor Conference Meet, where he placed first.[5] He also contributed as a member of the 4 × 100m and 4 × 200-meter relay squads, with bests of 42.26 seconds and 1:28.98 minutes.[6]
Considered a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, Waynes was listed as the No. 94 safety in the nation in 2011.[7] He was rated the No. 72 cornerback and No. 94 safety in the nation by Scouts Inc.. He was listed among the Midwest’s top prospects by SuperPrep at No. 67. He was also rated among Wisconsin‘s top high school seniors by Rivals.com as the No. 14. Waynes chose Michigan State over scholarship offers from Illinois, Iowa State and Wisconsin, among others.[8]
. . . Trae Waynes . . .