Derrick Kindred

High school and college career

Derrick Dwayne Kindred, Jr. was born December 15, 1993, in San Antonio, Texas, to Derrick Kindred, Sr. and his then-wife, Karen Randle. His father was a truck driver, and his mother was a physical therapist (although later she became a pharmacy technician). His parents divorced, and Kindred was raised by his mother and attended Karen Wagner High School in San Antonio. In high school, Kindred was both an offensive and defensive player. As an offensive running back, Kindred rushed for 1,604 yards (1,467 m) and scored 14 touchdowns in his senior year. On defense that same season, he had 71 tackles, two sacks, and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. He was named the best two-way player among all Class 5A schools by the San Antonio Express-News in 2011.

At 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) and 180 pounds (82 kg) during the college draft, Kindred was only recruited by the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), which was just beginning to put together a football program. Kindred initially committed to UTSA as part of its inaugural recruiting class. Before National Signing day, Baylor University and Texas Christian University (TCU) expressed interest in him. Kindred changed his commitment to TCU just before the commitment deadline.

At TCU, Kindred started one game as a freshman in 2012 and three as a sophomore in 2013. He was a full-time starter in his junior and senior years, starting all 26 games. In his junior season, Kindred had four interceptions and 80 tackles. He had two interceptions and 87 tackles his senior year, and was the second leading tackler on the team. He ended his college career with 50 games, 235 tackles, eight interceptions, and two touchdowns, and was named a First Team All-Conference selection and an Honorable Mention All-Big 12 by Big 12 Conference coaches.

Kindred played his entire senior season with a broken left collarbone. He tripped over a fellow player during practice three days before the season opener against the University of Minnesota. Physicians assessed the injury, and said Kindred could continue to play, albeit with additional padding.

Members of the TCU football team called Kindred "Peanut", a nickname given to him by quarterback Trevone Boykin after the shape of Kindred's head.

Professional career

On April 30, 2016, the Cleveland Browns selected Kindred in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft. On May 26, Kindred signed a four-year contract worth about $2.8 million, which included a signing bonus worth about $500,000. Browns coaches were so impressed with Kindred during the preseason, that they said he was competing for the job of free safety with veteran Jordan Poyer.

Kindred made his NFL debut on September 11, 2016, when the Browns played the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia. He had a total of six tackles (five on defense, one on special teams), including a critical tackle of Darren Sproles during the Eagles' third offensive drive of the game. He also helped break up a play which forced a third-down sack of Eagles QB Carson Wentz. He injured his left ankle and was forced to leave the game early. During the bye week in Week 13, he broke his ankle while training and was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list on December 7, 2016. He appeared in all 12 games with five starts and finished his rookie season with 43 tackles and five passes defensed.