Kenny Lawler


Kenneth James Lawler, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round, 243rd overall, of the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at California.

Early years

Lawler attended Upland High School in Upland, California. He had 53 receptions for 1,267 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior and 42 receptions for 887 yards and nine touchdowns as a junior. Lawler was rated by Rivals.com as four-star recruit and committed to the University of California, Berkeley to play college football.

College career

Lawler redshirted his first year at California in 2012 after he was ineligible the first six weeks while NCAA looked into some independent-study classes he had taken. He considered transferring in the offseason due to the firing of head coach Jeff Tedford, but chose to stay at California after meeting with the newly hired head coach Sonny Dykes.
In 2013, he played in 11 games with five starts and had 37 receptions for 347 yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore, he again played in 11 games with five starts and led the team with 54 receptions for 701 yards and nine touchdowns. As a junior, Lawler had 52 receptions for 658 yards and 13 touchdowns over 13 games. After his junior season, Lawler entered the 2016 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Prior to the 2016 NFL Draft, Lawler had been projected by NFL scouts and analysts to be a middle-round pick. Lawler slid in part due to his leaner frame and his slower 40-yard dash time.

Seattle Seahawks

On April 30, 2016, the Seattle Seahawks selected Lawler with a seventh round pick, 243rd overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. On May 6, 2016, the Seahawks announced that they had signed Lawler to his rookie contract. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Seahawks as part of final roster cuts and was signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Seahawks on January 16, 2017. On September 2, 2017, Lawler was waived by the Seahawks and was later signed to their practice squad. He was released by the team on September 13, 2017.

BC Lions

The BC Lions announced on May 9, 2018 they had signed Lawler to a contract, along with four other wide receivers.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed Lawler to their practice roster on October 22, 2018. Lawler became a regular contributor for the Blue Bombers during the 2019 season, with his breakout game coming in a loss against Hamilton, where he caught 10 passes for 144 yards. As the leading receiver on the team in yards, Lawler helped the Bombers to their first Grey Cup win in 29 years, when they won the 107th Grey Cup at the end of the 2019 season.

Statistics

Personal life

Lawler Jr. recently had a son, Kenneth James Lawler II. Lawler's siblings; Perri, Sydney and Kenzel. Younger brother is a Junior at Roosevelt High School, QB on Varsity. Lawler's mother, Patricia Hicks works in the medical field and his father is Kenneth Lawler Sr.,who played college football as a cornerback at Oregon and later became a coach at Mt. Sac Junior College, went on to coach at Boise State and now at San Bernardino Valley College. With his wife, Mary, combined have six children.