Kemal Ishmael

Kemal Ishmael (born May 6, 1991) is an American football linebacker and safety[1] who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the Falcons in the seventh round (243th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.[2] He played college football at Central Florida.

Kemal Ishmael
Ishmael with the Falcons in 2013
Free agent
Position:Linebacker
Safety
Personal information
Born: (1991-05-06) May 6, 1991
Miami, Florida
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:North Miami Beach
(North Miami Beach, Florida)
College:Central Florida
NFL Draft:2013 / Round: 7 / Pick: 243
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • C-USA Defensive Player of the Year (2012)
  • First-team All–C-USA (2012)
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Total tackles:290
Pass deflections:13
Interceptions:5
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:3
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

College career

Ishmael played college football at University of Central Florida.

Professional career

2013 season

In the 2013 NFL Draft, Ishmael was selected in the seventh round with the 243rd overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons. In his rookie year, he got very little playing time. Head coach Mike Smith was worried he lacked the size and speed needed to start professionally and Ishmael was set to play behind veteran Thomas DeCoud and fellow rookie Zeke Motta. When both Motta and DeCoud were injured, Ishmael was active but only played three defensive snaps in all of 2013.

2014 season

On September 18, 2014, Ishmael got his first career interception off Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown on Thursday Night Football. From week 9 to 11, Ishmael had an interception in all three games.

2015 season

Ishmael played in all 16 games with five starts in 2015, totalling 52 tackles with one interception against Blake Bortles and three passes defensed.

2016 season

Ishmael played in 13 games with four starts in 2016, totaling 49 tackles playing at safety and linebacker throughout the season before being placed on injured reserve on December 16, 2016 with a shoulder injury.[3] In the 2016 season, the Falcons would reach Super Bowl LI. Ishmael would not get to participate due to his injury.[4]

2017 season

On March 14, 2017, Ishmael signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract extension with the Falcons.[5]

2018 season

On April 4, 2018, Ishmael re-signed with the Falcons on a one-year contract.[6]

2019 season

On April 3, 2019, Ishmael re-signed with the Falcons on another one-year contract.[7] On Wednesday July 24, 2019, it was announced that with strong safety J.J. Wilcox out for the season with a torn right ACL, Ishmael would return to his original position as SS and now see 75 percent of his practice time at safety and 25 percent at linebacker. [8] On September 23, 2019, Ishmael took over the starting strong safety role he had earlier in his career after another season ending injury to Pro Bowl safety Keanu Neal after he tore his Achilles.

After becoming a free agent in March 2020, Ishmael had a tryout with the San Francisco 49ers on August 18, 2020.[9]

References
  1. "Falcons depth chart".
  2. "Falcons select Central Florida's Kemal Ishmael, becomes 3rd defensive back drafted by Atlanta". washingtonpost.com. August 21, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  3. Jackson, Curtis (December 16, 2016). "Ishmael Placed on IR, McKissic Promoted". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on October 19, 2017.
  4. "Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons - February 5th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  5. Jackson, Curtis (March 14, 2017). "Falcons Agree to Terms with Kemal Ishmael". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017.
  6. McFadden, Will (April 4, 2018). "Falcons agree to terms on a one-year deal with safety Kemal Ishmael". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018.
  7. McFadden, Will (April 3, 2019). "Falcons sign Kemal Ishmael to one-year deal". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  8. Ledbetter, D. Orlando (July 24, 2019). "Ishmael moved back to strong safety". AJC.com.
  9. @AlbertBreer (August 18, 2020). "Today's tryout/visit list" (Tweet). Retrieved August 21, 2020 – via Twitter.
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