Wikipedia

Paul Worrilow

Paul Eric Worrilow (/ˈwɔːrloʊ/; born May 1, 1990) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for the University of Delaware where he was recognized as an All-American, and became one of the program's most decorated athletes. The Atlanta Falcons signed him as an undrafted free agent following the 2013 NFL draft.

Paul Worrilow
refer to caption
Worrilow with the Atlanta Falcons in 2014
No. 55, 58, 40
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1990-05-01) May 1, 1990 (age 34)
Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Concord
(Wilmington, Delaware)
College:Delaware
Undrafted:2013
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:415
Sacks:4.0
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:2
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Worrilow is the second youngest of four boys. His mother was born in Wallingford, Connecticut and his father was born in Chester, Pennsylvania.

College career

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Worrilow was not highly recruited after graduation and was only able to solidify offers from Division II schools. Instead of taking any offers, Worrilow moved to Coffeyville, Kansas, where he attended Coffeyville Community College, a junior college known for funneling athletes into Division I football programs. Worrilow was redshirted his first year due to a defensive scheme change, and ultimately turned down interest from the Arkansas Razorbacks[1] to return to Delaware in the spring of 2008 and walk on the Blue Hens football squad.

Worrilow immediately drew attention during his first spring at Delaware, earning a starting spot the following fall as a redshirt freshman along with a team scholarship as a walk-on. Starting every game he played, Worrilow would eventually become team co-captain as a junior, and remain as captain through his senior year, racking up a University of Delaware fifth all-time high 377 career tackles[2] and earning a spot on both the Phil Steele[3] and Sports Network[4] All-American teams. Additionally, Worrilow earned the MVP award for the 2012 season and the prestigious 2013 Edgar Johnson award for exhibiting qualities of hard work, dedication, leadership, fairness, and striving for excellence.[5]

Notable performances include two-time consecutive fumble recoveries for touchdowns (a current Delaware record), a career-record 18 tackles in the Route 1 Rivalry game against Delaware State, which earned him the College Sports Madness CAA Defensive Player of the Week, Beyond Sports Network Defensive All-Star and the Nate Beasley Game MVP Award,[6] and a 38-stop run through the four-game 2010 FCS playoffs, leading the Blue Hens to the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Championship in Frisco, Texas, where they lost 20–19 in a match to Eastern Washington.

College awards and honors

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Worrilow at Delaware in 2012
  • 2013 Edgar Johnson Award Winner[5]
  • 2012 University of Delaware Football Season MVP[5]
  • 3rd team The Sports Network All-American[6]
  • 1st team All-Colonial Athletic Association [6]
  • Honorable Mention, College Sports Journal All-American[6]
  • 1st team All-ECAC (All-East)[6]
  • Colonial Athletic Association Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 9; Sept. 23) [6]
  • Beyond Sports Network Defensive All-Star (Delaware State)[6]
  • Colonial Athletic Association Chuck Boone Leadership Award Nominee[6]
  • Nate Beasley Game MVP Award (Delaware State)[6]
  • Blue Hen Touchdown Club Outstanding Senior on Defense Award[6]
  • Blue Hen Touchdown Club Captain's Award[6]
  • Blue Hen Touchdown Club Baker Taylor Award[6]
  • College Sports Madness CAA Defensive Player of the Week (Delaware State)[6]
  • Texas vs The Nation All-Star Game Participant[6]

Professional career

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Worrilow with the Falcons in 2013
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 2 in
(1.88 m) 		238 lb
(108 kg) 		30+1⁄8 in
(0.77 m) 		9+1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.59 s 1.57 s 2.59 s 3.97 s 6.50 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		 30 reps
All values from Pro Day[7]

Atlanta Falcons

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Worrilow was signed as a free agent after the 2013 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons eventually making the final 53-man roster for the 2013 season. After spending a few weeks as the team's backup middle linebacker, Worrilow moved into the starting strongside linebacker position. On a November 3, 2013, loss against the Carolina Panthers, Worrilow recorded a career-high 19 tackles, tying his previous week's performance and a franchise record for most tackles in a game since 1994.[8]

Worrilow ended the 2013 NFL season as the Falcons' leading tackler, landing him a spot on Mel Kiper, Jr.'s All-Rookie Team alongside teammate and fellow rookie Desmond Trufant.[9]

Worrilow ended the 2014 NFL season again leading the Falcons in tackles at 143 tackles (84 solo), two sacks, two forced fumbles, three passes deflected.[10]

In February 2014, Worrilow received the John J. Brady Delaware Athlete of the Year Award from the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association.[11]

Worrilow ended the 2015 NFL season again leading the Falcons in tackles at 95 tackles (67 solo), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, four passes deflected.[12]

In the 2016 season, Worrilow and the Falcons reached Super Bowl LI, where they faced the New England Patriots on February 5, 2017. In the Super Bowl, the Falcons fell in a 34–28 overtime defeat.[13]

Detroit Lions

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On March 10, 2017, Worrilow signed with the Detroit Lions.[14] Worrilow recovered a muffed punt in a Week 17 matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Philadelphia Eagles

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On April 3, 2018, Worrilow signed with the Philadelphia Eagles.[15] On May 22, 2018, Worrilow tore his ACL on the first day of OTAs, ending his season.[16] He was officially placed on injured reserve on June 13, 2018.[17]

On January 30, 2019, Worrilow signed a one-year contract extension with the Eagles.[18] He was released by the Eagles on August 18, 2019.[19]

Baltimore Ravens

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Worrilow signed with the Baltimore Ravens on August 23, 2019.[20] He requested his release from the team the next day to decide his future in the NFL.[21] He worked out for the Eagles on September 10 and October 8, 2019,[22][23] and for the New York Jets on November 1, 2019.[24]

New York Jets

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On November 5, 2019, Worrilow was signed by the New York Jets.[25]

On September 16, 2020, Worrilow was signed to the New York Jets practice squad,[26] but was released on September 22, he then retired from his professional playing career.[27]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2013 ATL 16 12 127 79 48 2.0 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0
2014 ATL 16 16 142 84 58 2.0 4 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 0 0
2015 ATL 15 15 95 67 28 0.0 5 2 22 0 11 4 1 1 0 0
2016 ATL 12 1 21 14 7 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0
2017 DET 13 8 30 20 10 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0
2019 NYJ 4 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
76 52 415 264 151 4.0 15 2 22 0 11 11 3 4 0 0

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2016 ATL 3 0 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 0 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Other

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He was inducted into the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.[28]

Personal life

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His oldest brother Edward, a marketing professional and accomplished pianist, also graduated from the University of Delaware.[29] His older brother Mark played in the Aztec Bowl in 2009 and was captain of the Division III Ursinus Bears football team, where his younger brother James also competed as a defensive lineman.[30] Worrilow trained throughout his childhood at the Stay Real Football Camp in Wilmington, Delaware. Worrilow attended Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware where he led the Concord Raiders to the 2006 state Division II title and a berth in the state semifinals in 2005 and 2007. Worrilow made the 2006 First Team All-State on both offense and defense, the 2007 second team All-State as Fullback and first team All-State, and was named Delaware's "2007 Defensive Player of the Year". Despite Worrilow's great success in high school, he was not offered a single scholarship to play NCAA Division I football.[31]

In the spring of 2011, Worrilow discovered he had been matched to a 23-year-old female leukemia patient in need of a life-saving peripheral blood stem cell donation.[32] Worrilow had two-years-prior signed up for the National Marrow Donor Program, through which the chances of becoming a donor are 2/10ths of 1 percent.[33] In the five days leading up to the procedure, Worrilow underwent a series of injections of a drug called filgrastim to increase the number of blood-forming cells in his bloodstream. On May 25, 2011, over the course of 6 hours, Worrilow's blood was then removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells, returning it back through a vein in his other arm.[34] Worrilow has yet to meet the woman who received his donation.

On July 5, 2014, Worrilow married his longtime girlfriend. They had their first child together in May 2015.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "THE RECRUITING GUY : Junior college linebacker impressed with Arkansas - Northwest Arkansas". Zimbio. October 28, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  2. ^ The News Journal April 27, 2013 [dead link‍]
  3. ^ "2012 Postseason FCS All-American Team". Phil Steele. Archived from the original on March 9, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  4. ^ "2012 The Sports Network FCS All-America Team". The Sports Network. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "Craig, Delle Donne, Worrilow, Yezzo Earn Top Honors at Annual University of Delaware Athletics Awards Banquet". University of Delaware. May 14, 2013. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "2012 University of Delaware Football Individual Honors". University of Delaware. Archived from the original on September 9, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  7. ^ "2013 NFL Draft Scout Paul Worrilow College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  8. ^ McClure, Vaughn (November 4, 2013). "Falcons' Paul Worrilow just trying to grow". ESPN. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  9. ^ "Worrilow, Trufant Make Kiper's All-Rookie Team". Atlanta Falcons. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  10. ^ "Paul Worrilow Stats for 2014 - ESPN". Atlanta Falcons, ESPN. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  11. ^ "Former University of Delaware All-American, Current NFL Starter Paul Worrilow Honored as DSBA Athlete of the Year" (Press release). University of Delaware. February 17, 2014.
  12. ^ "Paul Worrilow Stats for 2015 - ESPN". Atlanta Falcons, ESPN. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  13. ^ "Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons - February 5th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  14. ^ "Lions sign unrestricted free agent LB Paul Worrilow". DetroitLions.com. March 10, 2017. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  15. ^ "Eagles to sign linebacker Paul Worrilow". ESPN.com. April 3, 2018.
  16. ^ Wesseling, Chris (May 22, 2018). "Eagles LB Paul Worrilow suffers torn ACL during OTAs". NFL.com.
  17. ^ "Eagles place Paul Worrilow on injured reserve". 247sports.com. June 13, 2018.
  18. ^ "Eagles Bring Back LB Paul Worrilow For 2019 Season". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. January 30, 2019.
  19. ^ Schaller, Olivia (August 18, 2019). "Eagles release linebacker Paul Worrilow". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved August 18, 2019.
  20. ^ "Ravens Sign Veteran Inside Linebacker With Loads of Starting Experience". BaltimoreRavens.com. August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
  21. ^ Kaye, Mike (August 24, 2019). "Former Eagles linebacker requests release from Ravens shortly after signing contract". NJ.com. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  22. ^ Erby, Glenn (September 10, 2019). "Eagles work out LB Paul Worrilow". USAToday.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  23. ^ Erby, Glenn (October 8, 2019). "Eagles work out LB Paul Worrilow, WR Penny Hart". USAToday.com. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  24. ^ @mike_e_kaye (November 1, 2019). "Former #Eagles LB Paul Worrilow is working out for the #Jets today, per league source" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 5, 2019). "Jets Sign RB Josh Adams, LB Paul Worrilow to Active Roster". NewYorkJets.com.
  26. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (September 16, 2020). "Jets Sign LB Paul Worrilow to Practice Squad". NewYorkJets.com.
  27. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (September 22, 2020). "Jets Sign WR Josh Malone to Active Roster, Place CB Arthur Maulet on IR". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  28. ^ Tresolini, Kevin (March 22, 2023). "Two ex-NFL players among Delaware Sports Hall of Fame 2023 inductees. Meet the new members". The News Journal.
  29. ^ "Edward Worrilow". Higher One, Inc. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 13, 2014.
  30. ^ "James Worrilow". Ursinus College. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  31. ^ "Official All-State football team". Depreps.rivals.com. December 10, 2007. Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  32. ^ Cunningham, Michael (April 14, 2013). "Atlanta rookie Worrilow has Delaware in his heart". The Atlanta Constitution-Journal.
  33. ^ "FAQs about Joining the Registry". National Marrow Donor Program. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  34. ^ "Steps of Bone Marrow Donation or PBSC Donation". National Marrow Donor Program. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
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