Kwity Paye (/ˈkwɪti ˈpeɪ/ KWIT-ee PAY; born 19 November 1998) is a Liberian professional American football defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He was born in Guinea as a refugee of the First Liberian Civil War and emigrated to the United States as a baby. Paye played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was selected by the Colts in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
 Paye with Michigan in 2018 | |||||||||||||
| No. 51 – Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Defensive end | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | 19 November 1998 Guinea | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Bishop Hendricken (Warwick, Rhode Island) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Michigan (2017–2020) | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2021 / round: 1 / pick: 21 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024 | |||||||||||||
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Early years
editPaye was born on 19 November 1998, to a Liberian Krahn mother in a refugee camp in Guinea in the aftermath of the First Liberian Civil War.[1][2][3][4] His mother named him Kwity after his maternal grandfather, who was killed during the war, and brought him and his brother Komotay to Providence, Rhode Island in the United States when he was six months old.[5][6]
He and his brother found an affinity for American football growing up there, with Kwity later attending Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island.[5] Playing running back and defensive end, he was named Rhode Island's Gatorade Football Player of the Year as a senior in 2016.[7] Paye originally committed to play college football at Boston College, but later switched to the University of Michigan.[5][8]
College career
editAs a true freshman at Michigan in 2017, Paye played in nine games and had five tackles and one sack. As a sophomore in 2018, he started four games and recorded 29 tackles and two sacks.[9] As a junior he started 11 games and finished with 50 tackles and 6.5 sacks.[10] Paye returned to Michigan for his senior year in 2020 but only played in four games due to the season being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[11]
College statistics
edit| Year | GP | Tackles | Fumbles | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | Ast | Total | Loss | Sack | FR | FF | ||
| 2017 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 10 | 21 | 6 | 27 | 5.5 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | 12 | 26 | 24 | 50 | 12.5 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 4 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 28 | 59 | 38 | 97 | 23.5 | 11.5 | 0 | 1 |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) |
261 lb (118 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.52 s | 1.54 s | 2.61 s | 6.37 s | 35+1⁄2 in (0.90 m) |
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
36 reps | ||
| All values from Michigan's Pro Day[12] | ||||||||||||
Paye was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round (21st overall) of the 2021 NFL draft.[13] He signed his four-year rookie contract on 6 May 2021.[14] In his rookie season, he finished with four sacks, 32 total tackles (16 solo), one pass defended, and one forced fumble.[15] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[16]
In the 2022 season, Paye appeared in 13 games. He finished with six sacks and 45 total tackles (32 solo).[17]
In 2023, Paye started 16 games, recording 52 tackles and finished second on the team with 8.5 sacks.
In 2024, the Colts exercised the fifth-year option on Paye's rookie contract, extending him through the 2025 season.[18]
References
edit- ^ Grossman, Hallie (24 April 2021). "Meet the NFL draft's most extraordinary prospect, Kwity Paye". ESPN.com. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ Wenzel, Matt (20 January 2017). "Born in a refugee camp, Michigan commit Kwity Paye now living his dream". mlive.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Scandura, Mike (18 December 2015). "An incredible journey for Bishop Hendricken's Kwity Paye". ESPN.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Sang, Orion (11 October 2019). "Kwity Paye escaped civil war. Now he stars for Michigan football". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ a b c Kwity Paye has come further than most in his journey to Michigan (Video). College GameDay. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Sang, Orion (11 October 2019). "Kwity Paye escaped civil war. Now he stars for Michigan football". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Kwity Paye named Gatorade R.I. Football player of the year". Providence Journal. 12 December 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Koch, Bill (24 October 2016). "Hendricken football star Kwity Paye commits to Michigan". Providence Journal. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ McMann, Aaron (26 December 2018). "Kwity Paye ready to step up at DE for Michigan". mlive.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Chengelis, Angelique S. (7 August 2020). "'I'm playing': Michigan's Kwity Paye resolute about tackling 2020 season despite COVID risk". The Detroit News. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Sang, Orion (26 December 2019). "Michigan football DE Kwity Paye returning for senior season". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Fox, Austin (26 March 2021). "Kwity Paye Put On A Show At Michigan's Pro Day This Morning". Maize&BlueReview. Rivals.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Stankevitz, JJ (29 April 2021). "Colts Select Defensive End Kwity Paye With 21st Pick In NFL Draft". Colts.com. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
- ^ Stankevitz, JJ (6 May 2021). "Colts Sign 5 2021 NFL Draft Picks". Colts.com. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ "Kwity Paye 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "2021 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Kwity Paye 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ Erickson, Joel A. (2 May 2024). "Colts exercise DE Kwity Paye's fifth-year option for the 2025 season". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2 May 2024.
External links
edit- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports
- Indianapolis Colts bio
- Michigan Wolverines bio