K.J. Wright

BIOGRAPHY

Kenneth Bernard Wright Jr. was born on July 23, 1989 in Memphis, Tennessee. He is an outside linebacker in the NFL.

Wright attended Olive Branch High School in Olive Branch, Mississippi, where he was a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and track. He was named first-team, all-state on the defensive line by The Clarion-Ledger. He recorded 91 total tackles during his senior season in which 48 of them were solo tackles. He was listed as the number 19 prospect in Mississippi following his senior season according to Rivals.com. He was awarded with his performance with top scholarship offers from Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. He committed to Mississippi State during his senior year of high school. Wright finished his college career with 47 games played, 258 tackles, 14 sacks, 14 passes deflected, and 3 forced fumbles. On January 13, 2011, it was announced Wright had accepted his invitation to play in the 2011 Senior Bowl and was one of four Mississippi State players attending.

The Seattle Seahawks selected Wright in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft. He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Seahawks' season-opener at the San Francisco 49ers and recorded five combined tackles. On December 1, 2011, he collected five solo tackles and made his first career sack on Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback Vince Young. He finished his rookie season with 65 combined tackles (50 solo), three pass deflections, and two sacks in 16 games and 12 starts. He finished the 2012 season with 98 combined tackles (68 solo), five pass deflections, a sack, an interception, and a fumble recovery in 15 games and 15 starts. He played in 92% of the Seahawks' defensive snaps. Wright finished the 2013 season with 80 combined tackles (46 solo), four pass deflections, and 1.5 sacks in 13 games and 13 starts. Wright played in 86% of Seattle's defensive snaps in 2013. On February 2, 2014, Wright started in Super Bowl XLVIII and made seven combined tackles as they routed the Denver Broncos 43–8. Wright finished the 2014 season with 107 combined tackles (73 solo), four pass deflections, two sacks, and two forced fumbles in 16 games and 16 starts. It marked his first season with over 100 tackles and his first season starting all 16 games. He finished the 2015 season with 115 combined tackles (71 solo), three pass deflections, and a sack in 16 games and 16 starts. He started all 16 games and had over 100 tackles for the second consecutive season. Pro Football Focus ranked Wright 53rd among all players in 2015. He finished the 2016 season with a career-high 126 combined tackles (72 solo), five pass deflections, and a career-high four sacks in 16 games and 16 starts. For 2017, he finished the season with 108 combined tackles (71 solo), six pass deflections, and an interception in 15 games and 15 starts. In 2018, Wright suffered a knee injury in the final preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings and underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. As a result of the procedure, he missed the first six games of the season. Wright finished the 2019 season 11th in total tackles with 132. In 2020, Wright started 16 games with 86 combined tackles, 60 solo tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and one interception for seven yards.

In 2021, he signed a one year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders.