Willie Snead IV belongs on the growing list of footballers who were overlooked in their draft year, eventually proving their mettle when they were picked up as undrafted free agents. Throughout his amateur and professional footballing career, Snead has proven to be a utility player, turning out as a quarterback and linebacker, but mostly as a wide receiver.
The footballer was snapped up by the Cleveland Browns after the 2014 NFL Draft. As of 2018, he has played for four NFL franchises, most recently, the Baltimore Ravens.
Who is Willie Snead? Bio
Willie Lee Snead IV was born on October 17, 1992, in Winterpark Florida. His earliest football inspiration is his father, Willie Snead III who was also a wide receiver in his playing days for the New York Jets.
Due to his family having to relocate when his father got a head coaching job at a high school in Michigan, Willie played high school football with three different schools. His freshman year came with Glade Central High School in Belle Glade, Florida. His junior and senior years came at Holland Christian High School in Holland, Michigan, where his father was also his coach. Snead’s sophomore year was at Holland Christian High School, in Holland Michigan where his father was also his coach. His junior and senior years happened with Muskegon Heights High School. Willie was rewarded by the Associated Press with the Michigan Division 5-6 Player of the Year honors.
His time at Ball State University saw Willie record 327 receiving yards and 2 touchdown catches in 2011, his freshman year. With a significantly increased playing time, the wide receiver recorded touchdowns, 89 receptions, and 1,148 receiving yards. In his junior year, he ended the season having registered a school-record 100 or more receiving yards in nine of his games. He also ended the campaign with 15 touchdowns.
Career Stats
Snead opted out of his senior year to pursue his professional career by entering the 2014 NFL Draft. The annual exercise proved to be a disaster for the wide receiver as he was not selected by any team. After the draft, he was picked up by the Cleveland Browns and put in impressive performances in their training camp and preseason games. However, he was released shortly after scaling through the final round of cuts.
Willie Snead then had an unsuccessful tryout with the New York Giants and a short stint with the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers. He rounded up 2014 with the New Orleans Saints and without having registered any regular-season appearance.
His opportunity finally came in the 2015 season and he seized it with both hands. Snead ended the campaign with a record of 69 catches, 984 receiving years, and a trio of touchdowns. This made him an NFL record holder for highest receptions and touchdowns by an undrafted rookie.
Snead’s 2016 built on the success of the previous campaign and saw him record a career-best 172 yards in a game against the Oakland Raiders that ended in defeat. He also threw what became the longest touchdown pass in the NFL by a wide receiver since Mohamed Sanu in 2012.
Why Was He Suspended?
2017 was not a very good season for Willie Snead. First of all, he found himself on the NFL’s wrong side NFL when he violated the league’s substance-abuse policy. Willie had driven straight into a parked car and was arrested for a DWI offense after he failed the breathalyzer test. He was consequently punished with a three-game period on the sidelines.
Injury
He sustained a hamstring injury in Week 3 of the season that kept him out of action for a further two weeks. His performance after his return was nowhere near the levels he had set for himself.
On April 20, 2018, the Baltimore Ravens came with an off-sheet two-year contract of about $10.4 million for Snead who had been tendered by the Saints. They officially concluded the contract three days later after the Saints officially refused to match the contract on offer from the Ravens, thus making Snead a Ravens player.
Willie Snead Girlfriend, Children
The versatile footballer is in a long-term relationship with his bae Chanelle Nicole Arnold. The two have been dating since their days together at Ball State University. The Florida-born bombshell and her NFL partner are blessed with two children. Their first, daughter named Nilah was born in Indianapolis, on August 8, 2014. The name of their second child is not known.
