30 Not-So-Known Facts About Trae Waynes You Might Have Missed Before

Trae Waynes, one of the highest drafted cornerback at MSU in the modern NFL Draft era since the year 1967, is known for his incredible moves. After five solid years with Minnesota Vikings, he signed a lucrative contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. The team, as well as his fans around the world, has big expectations for the veteran corner. Here are some really interesting facts about the football cornerback that will make fans go crazy for him:

Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
1.  At the 2015 NFL Draft, he was the first cornerback drafted, selected as the 11th overall in the first round. He signed with Vikings to a fully guaranteed four-year - $12.94 million contract with $7.67 million as signing bonus on May 7, 2015.
2.  With this, he became the Minnesota Vikings’ highest drafted cornerback in franchise history, surpassing 1994 first round pick (18th overall) – Dewayne Washington.
3.  During the 2014 Rose Bowl game against No. 5 Stanford, Waynes registered his third interception of the season and tallied three tackles, helping Michigan State win their first Rose Bowl since 1988.
4.  He signed a three-year $42 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals, on March 27, 2020, but was placed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury on September 7, 2020.
5.  On November 6, 2020, he was moved to the reserve/COVID-19 list, and was activated from the list back to injured reserve on November 18, 2020.
6.  Trae Waynes was born on July 25, 1992 to Ron Waynes and Erin Waynes in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He has a brother named Mason Waynes.
7.  He attended Harborside Academy but played for Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, because Harborside Academy doesn’t have sports.
8.  At Mary D. Bradford High School, he met and become best friends with running back Melvin Gordon, who was selected four spots after Waynes in the 2015 NFL Draft.
9.  During his time playing for the Mary D. Bradford High School, he was a multi-sport athlete, playing football, baseball and track.
10.  He was named first-team All Southeast Conference in his junior year, in 2010, but following an injury – broke his fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle, in his senior year, and registered 38 tackles, two interceptions and four pass break-ups.
11.  His performance earned him first-team All-State and All-region selections by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.
12.  In baseball, he earned first-team All county honors, as an outfielder as a junior in 2010. He scored eight doubles, three triples while being caught stealing only once in 26 attempts.
13.  In track, he won the county indoor track championship in the 60-yard and 220-yard dashes and recorded the fastest 40-yard dash time (4.37 s) at the Midwest Ultimate 100 Camp, in the year 2010.
14.  The next year, he recorded a career-best time of 10.75 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the SEC Outdoor Conference Meet, placing first, while he finished third in the 100m (10.85 s) at the Division I State T&F Championships.
15.  He was considered as a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, being listed as the No. 94 safety in the nation. He was also rated as No. 72 cornerback by Scouts Inc..
16.  He was one among the Midwest’s top prospects by SuperPrep, ranking him at No. 67, while he was ranked at No. 14, among Wisconsin’s top high school seniors, by Rivals.com.
17.  From 2011 to 2014, he attended Michigan State University, where he was a three-year letterwinner and a two-year starter at cornerback.
18.  As a freshman, he was redshirted, due to his high school season ending injury. Still, in his 36 career games with the Spartans, he collected 101 tackles, six interceptions and 13 pass deflections.
19.  In the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl game against TCU, he played a majority of the snaps at cornerback and tallied a season-high three tackles.
20.  As a redshirted sophomore, he started all 14 games at field cornerback for the Spartans, recording a career-high 50 tackles, five pass deflections and three interceptions, in the year 2013.
21.  He received MSU’s Tommy Love Award in his sophomore season, and was named to the CollegeFootballNews.com All-Sophomore Team. He was also an honorable mention All-Big Ten pick by coaches.
22.  On November 22, 2014, Waynes was selected as the Spartan Defensive Player of the Week following his limiting of Rutgers' wide receiver Leonte Carroo to just one catch for 6 yards while recording three tackles.
23.  In his senior season, he was one of the 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, and was also the defensive recipient of MSU’s Jim Adams Award.
24.  When he entered the 2015 NFL Draft, he was considered one of the top cornerbacks, and was projected to be a top 10 pick.
25.  At the 2015 NFL Combine, he posted the top 40-yard dash time among defensive backs and the second fastest overall, while tying for the seventh-fastest among cornerbacks since 2003.
26.  On December 11, 2016, Waynes scored one tackle and broke up a pass, but had to quit in the third quarter of the Vikings’ 25–16 win at the Jacksonville Jaguars due to a concussion.
27.  The Minnesota Vikings exercised the fifth-year, $9.06 million option on Waynes' rookie contract on April 30, 2018.
28.  He sprained his ankle on the Week 5 game of the 2018 season, and was inactive for the Week 5 victory at the Philadelphia Eagles.
29.  But he was back in action in Week 7 game, and registered three combined tackles, making a career-high four pass deflections, intercepting a pass by Jets’ quarterback Sam Darnold during a 37–17 win at the New York Jets.
30.  Waynes started in all 16 games in the 2017 season and recorded 65 combined tackles (of which 57 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, and one sack.
31.  Trae Waynes Net Worth: $1 Million