Percy Butler (American football)

American football player (born 2000)

American football player

Percy Butler

Butler in 2022

No. 35 – Washington Commanders

Position:

Safety

Personal information

Born:

(2000-05-29) May 29, 2000 (age 24)
Plaquemine, Louisiana, U.S.

Height:

6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)

Weight:

191 lb (87 kg)

Career information

High school:

Plaquemine (Plaquemine)

College:

Louisiana (2018–2021)

NFL draft:

2022 / round: 4 / pick: 113

Career history

Washington Commanders (2022–present)

Roster status:

Active

Career highlights and awards

Second-team All-Sun Belt (2021)
Sun Belt Conference champion (2021)

Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2024

Tackles:	77
Forced fumbles:	1
Fumble recoveries:	1
Pass deflections:	9

Player stats at PFR

Percy Butler III (born May 29, 2000) is an American professional football safety for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns and was selected by the Commanders in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Early life

Butler was born on May 29, 2000, in Plaquemine, Louisiana, later attending Plaquemine High School. A 2-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

College career

Butler played in six games as a freshman before suffering an injury.^[1]^[2]^[3] He played in all 14 of Louisiana's games with 12 starts in his sophomore season and had 54 tackles with two passes broken up and three forced fumbles.^[4]

As a junior, Butler made 44 tackles with two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, six passes broken up, and two interceptions. He was given second-team All-Sun Belt honors as a senior after recording 61 tackles, three fumble recoveries, and an interception.^[5] He also participated in the 2022 NFL Combine.^[6]

Professional career

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 0+1⁄8 in (1.83 m)	194 lb (88 kg)	31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m)	9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m)	4.36 s	1.52 s	2.51 s	4.32 s	6.90 s	35.0 in (0.89 m)	10 ft 3 in (3.12 m)	13 reps
Sources:^[7]^[8]

Butler was selected by the Washington Commanders in the fourth round (113th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft.^[9] He signed his four-year rookie contract on June 21, 2022.^[10]

Starting in Week 6 of the 2023 season, Butler took over as the starting free safety in place for Darrick Forrest, who was placed on injured reserve.^[11]

References

^ Foote, Kevin (September 8, 2020). "UL's Percy Butler extending strong Plaquemine tradition with the Cajuns". The Advocate. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^ Buckley, Tim (January 16, 2018). "Plaquemine pair: Butler recommits to UL, joining Riley". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^ Foote, Kevin (September 5, 2019). "With injury behind him, UL sophomore safety Percy Butler wasting no time making a huge impression". The Advocate. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^ Partsch III, Raymond (October 14, 2020). "Butler's aggressive play making an impact for Cajuns". Daily Iberian. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^ Foote, Kevin (April 26, 2022). "UL's safety, special teams phenom Percy Butler hoping to hear his named called in NFL draft". The Advocate. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^ Buckley, Tim (March 7, 2022). "Watch Louisiana football safety Percy Butler NFL Combine 40-yard dash". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
^ "Percy Butler Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
^ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Percy Butler College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
^ Manning, Bryan (April 30, 2022). "Commanders select Louisiana safety Percy Butler No. 113 overall in 2022 NFL draft". Commanders Wire. USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
^ Alper, Josh (June 21, 2022). "Commanders sign Phidarian Mathis, Percy Butler". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
^ Marrero, Nathaniel (November 15, 2023). "Washington Commanders Safety Percy Butler 'Has A Bright Future'". SI.com. Retrieved November 21, 2023.