Marcus Gilchrist

Marcus Tyler Gilchrist (born December 8, 1988) is a former American football safety.

He played college football at Clemson.

He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft and also had stints with the New York Jets, Houston Texans, Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Baltimore Ravens.

At Clemson, Gilchrist played with four of his defensive teammates who were selected in the 2011 NFL Draft.

According to the Tigers' coaches though, it was his football IQ that made him stand out, along with an impressive showing at the NFL combine where he posted a 38-inch vertical leap and put up 26 bench-press repetitions at 225 pounds, second-most among all defensive backs.

The San Diego Chargers selected Gilchrist in the second round (50th overall) of the 2011 NFL Draft.

He was the sixth cornerback drafted and was the first of two cornerbacks the Chargers drafted in 2011.

On July 29, 2011, the San Diego Chargers signed Gilchrist to a four-year, $3.95 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $1.37 million.

Throughout training camp, Gilchrist competed to be the third cornerback on the depth chart and the first-team nickelback.

He competed against Dante Hughes and fellow rookie Shareece Wright.

Head coach Norv Turner named Gilchrist the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin the regular season, behind Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason.

He was also given the role as the first-team nickelback.

He made his professional regular season debut in the San Diego Chargers' season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings and recorded one tackle in their 24–17 victory.

Gilchrist made his first career tackle on Michael Jenkins during an 11-yard reception in the second quarter.

On October 2, 2011, Gilchrist earned his first career start after replacing Quentin Jammer who was inactive due to a hamstring injury.

He made six solo tackles, two pass deflections, and made his first career interception during a 26–16 victory against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4.

His interception came off a pass attempt by quarterback Chad Henne that was originally intended for tight end Anthony Fasano in the first quarter.

In Week 8, he replaced Antoine Cason in the starting lineup after Cason was unable to contain New York Jets' wide receiver Plaxico Burress the previous week.

Gilchrist remained the starter in Week 9 and recorded a season-high nine combined tackles during a 45–38 loss against the Green Bay Packers.

He was inactive for two games (Weeks 11–12) after injuring his hamstring in Week 10.

On December 11, 2011, Gilchrist broke up a pass and made an interception during a 37–10 victory against the Buffalo Bills.

He intercepted a pass by Tyler Thigpen in the fourth quarter.

He finished his rookie season with 34 combined tackles (27 solo), four pass deflections, and two interceptions in 14 games and four starts.

Gilchrist competed against Antoine Cason and Shareece Wright during training camp for a job as a starting cornerback.

Defensive coordinator John Pagano officially named Gilchrist the third cornerback on the depth chart to begin 2012, behind starting cornerbacks Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason.

On November 25, 2012, Gilchrist was placed at free safety in the fourth quarter after Eric Weddle exited the game with a concussion.

In Week 13, Gilchrist started at strong safety after Atari Bigby and Darrell Stuckey were inactive due to injuries.

He collected a season-high eight combined tackles (seven solo) in the Chargers' 20–13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.

The following week, Gilchrist earned his second start at safety and recorded five combined tackles and made his first career sack on Ben Roethlisberger during a 34–24 victory at the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.

He completed the 2012 season with 59 combined tackles (48 solo), two pass deflections, and a sack in 16 games and four starts.

On January 1, 2013, the San Diego Chargers fired general manager A.J. Smith and head coach Norv Turner after the team compiled a 7–9 record in 2012.

On May 5, 2013, it was reported that Gilchrist would attempt to move to strong safety during training camp after the Chargers released Atari Bigby.

He competed for the job at strong safety against Darrell Stuckey, Brandon Taylor, Sean Cattouse, and Jahleel Addae.

The San Diego Chargers' new head coach, Mike McCoy, named Gilchrist the starting strong safety to begin the 2013 regular season, alongside free safety Eric Weddle.

On December 8, 2013, Gilchrist collected a season-high eight combined tackles during a 37–14 win against the New York Giants in Week 14.

The following week, he recorded six solo tackles, a pass deflection, and made the second sack of his career on Peyton Manning during the Chargers' 30–27 victory at the Denver Broncos in Week 15.

He started all 16 games and recorded a total of 77 combined tackles (59 solo), five pass deflections, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a sack.

The San Diego Chargers finished third in the AFC West with a 9–7 record and earned a wildcard berth.

On January 5, 2014, Gilchrist started in his first career playoff game and recorded five combined tackles during a 27–10 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wildcard Game.

On January 12, 2014, he collected seven solo tackles as the Chargers lost 24–10 in the AFC Divisional Round at the Denver Broncos.