Ellis Lankster (born June 3, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft.[1] He played college football at West Virginia. He was also a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, New York Jets, Atlanta Havoc and West Virginia Roughriders. He currently plays for the Iowa Woo.
 Lankster in 2015 with the Buffalo Bills | |||||||||||
| No. 25, 26, 21, 31, 47 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Cornerback | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | June 3, 1986 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Vigor (Prichard, Alabama) | ||||||||||
| College: | West Virginia | ||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2009 / Round: 7 / Pick: 220 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||||||
College career edit
Lankster played his freshman and sophomore years at Jones County Junior College.[2] He finished his collegiate career at West Virginia University. He also played in the 2009 Senior Bowl.
Professional career edit
Buffalo Bills edit
Lankster was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft. On August 15, 2009, in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears, Lankster intercepted Bears' backup quarterback Brett Basanez twice within a span of 64 seconds. Both turnovers led to touchdowns for Buffalo, ultimately helping them win the game 27–20.[3]
Lankster got some playing time in the 2009 season as a cornerback in nickel defense situations, due to injuries to other defensive backs. Head coach Perry Fewell said of Lankster, "we think he's gotten better every week for us."[4] He finished the 2009 season with five tackles.[5]
Buffalo released Lankster on the deadline for final roster adjustments in the 2010 preseason, September 4.[6]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats edit
Lankster was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League on October 11, 2010.[7] He did not play for Hamilton during his time with the club, rather he learned the intricacies of Canadian football.[8]
New York Jets edit
Lankster signed a future contract with the New York Jets on January 5, 2011.[9] He was waived on September 2.[10] He was re-signed to the active roster on October 11.[11] His playing time greatly increased in 2012, including significant assignments covering fast receivers, following an injury to Isaiah Trufant.[12] He was released on September 1, 2014.[13] He was re-signed on September 12.[14] He was released on September 23, 2014.[15]
Buffalo Bills (II) edit
Lankster signed with the Bills on August 17, 2015. The signing marked his return to the team that drafted him. He joined his previous head coach Rex Ryan.[16] He was released by the team on August 31.[17]
Hamilton Tiger-Cats (II) edit
On April 15, 2016, Lankster once again signed with the Tiger-Cats.[18]
Atlanta Havoc edit
Lankster signed with the Atlanta Havoc of the American Arena League in December 2017.[19]
Iowa Woo edit
On February 23, 2024 Lankster signed with the Iowa Woo of The Arena League.
References edit
- ^ "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "Bobcat Football Bobcats In NFL". Jones County Junior College. September 8, 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-07-22. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ^ Bronstein, Jonah (August 16, 2009). "BILLS: Ellis Lankster Rookie Card". Niagara Gazette. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved 2009-09-05.
- ^ Gaughan, Mark (November 21, 2009). "Bills notebook: Defensive injuries continue to mount". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
- ^ "Ellis Lankster Profile ESPN". espn.com. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ Jones, Tony. "Tough Decisions Made as Bills set 53-man Roster". Buffalobills.com. Archived from the original on 8 September 2010. Retrieved 5 September 2010.
- ^ Edwards, Drew (October 12, 2010). "Ticats can get win and get in". Hamilton Spectator.
- ^ Edwards, Drew (October 14, 2010). "New Ticat defensive backs learning as they go". Hamilton Spectator.
- ^ "NFL transactions for January 5, 2011". Pro Football Weekly. January 5, 2011. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
- ^ Mehta, Manish (September 3, 2011). "Jets trim roster to 53; make two trades". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
- ^ Jets Media Relations Department (October 11, 2011). "CB Lankster Returns, LB Jones Waived". New York Jets. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- ^ Martin, Kimberley A. (November 19, 2012). "Jets' Ellis Lankster draws tough assignment on Pats' Wes Welker". Newsday. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
- ^ Lange, Randy (September 1, 2014). "A.J. Edds Returns, Ellis Lankster Departs". New York Jets. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
- ^ Mazzeo, Mike (September 12, 2014). "New York Jets re-sign CB Ellis Lankster". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
- ^ "Jets release Ellis Lankster, sign Brandon Smith". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. September 23, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ "The Official Website of the Buffalo Bills".
- ^ "Fred Jackson released by Bills". www.buffalobills.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-02.
- ^ "Four more signings for Tiger-Cats | AM900 CHML | Hamilton News". Retrieved 2016-04-19.
- ^ "Havoc sign former NFL Veteran DB Ellis Lancaster". atlantahavoc.com. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.