Trae Waynes

Trae Waynes (born July 25, 1992) is a former American football cornerback.

He played college football at Michigan State.

In football, Waynes was named first-team All-Southeast Conference as a junior in 2010.

As a senior, he broke his fibula and tore ligaments in his ankle, but still managed to record 38 tackles, two interceptions and four pass break-ups, earning first-team All-state and All-region selections by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association.

In baseball, Waynes earned first-team All-county honors as an outfielder as a junior in 2010 after leading the Red Devils in home runs (3) and finishing second in batting average (.452, 28-of-62).

In addition, he also produced eight doubles and three triples while being caught stealing only once in 26 attempts.

Waynes was also a standout track & field athlete.

In 2010, 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 2011, he finished third in the 100m (10.85 s) at the Division I State T&F Championships, and recorded a career-best time of 10.75 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the SEC Outdoor Conference Meet, where he placed first.

He also contributed as a member of the 4 × 100m and 4 × 200-meter relay squads, with bests of 42.26 seconds and 1:28.98 minutes.

Considered a three-star recruit by ESPN.com, Waynes was listed as the No. 94 safety in the nation in 2011.

He was rated the No. 72 cornerback and No. 94 safety in the nation by Scouts Inc. He was listed among the Midwest's top prospects by SuperPrep at No. 67.

He was also rated among Wisconsin's top high school seniors by Rivals.com as the No. 14.

Waynes chose Michigan State over scholarship offers from Illinois, Iowa State, and Wisconsin, among others.

Waynes attended Michigan State University from 2011 to 2014, where he was a three-year letterwinner and a two-year starter at cornerback.

He was redshirted as a true freshman in 2011 after suffering a season-ending injury when he broke his fibula and tore ligaments in his knee as a senior in high school.

As a redshirt freshman in 2012, Waynes earned his first letter as he appeared in nine games, primarily on special teams and as a backup.

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; he was also credited with a half sack for a loss of 1 yard against the Horned Frogs.

Waynes finished his freshman season with 5 tackles, including two solo.

As a redshirt sophomore in 2013, Waynes started all 14 games at field cornerback for the Spartans, recording a career-high 50 tackles (1.5 for loss), five pass deflections and three interceptions.

For his season efforts, Waynes was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference pick by the coaches and media, was named to the CollegeFootballNews.com All-Sophomore Team (second team) and received MSU's Tommy Love Award (most improved player on defense).

In the Spartans 2013 Big Ten Football Championship Game win against No. 2 Ohio State, he was credited with four stops.

In the 2014 Rose Bowl game against No. 5 Stanford, he recorded his third interception of the season and tallied three tackles, helping Michigan State win their first Rose Bowl since 1988.

Waynes returned for his junior season in 2014, starting all 13 games at boundary corner.

He ranked sixth on the team with 46 tackles, including two tackles-for-loss and one sack for a loss of 4 yards.

His career-high eight pass break-ups ranked him second on the team, while his three interceptions were good for a tie at second.

In Week 5, he led the secondary in a victory over No. 19 Nebraska as he posted career-highs in interceptions (2), tackles (7) and pass break-ups (2).

On September 6, he had a solid game against No. 3 Oregon with four tackles and a pass break-up.

He was credited with a career-high two tackles for loss (9 yards), including a 4-yard sack, and a broken-up a pass at Indiana in Week 7.

On November 22, he was selected Spartan Defensive Player of the Week after limiting Rutgers' wide receiver Leonte Carroo to just one catch for 6 yards while recording three tackles; Carroo entered the game ranked second in the Big Ten, averaging 93.3 receiving yards per game.

In Waynes's final game as a Spartan, he registered three tackles and a pass break-up in the Cotton Bowl Classic win over #4 Baylor.

His junior season honors included being named second-team All-American by Walter Camp Football Foundation, Sporting News and Athlon Sports, third-team All-American from the Associated Press (AP), Phil Steele and SI.com (honorable mention).

He was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and the media, becoming MSU's third first-team All-Big Ten cornerback under head coach Mark Dantonio.

Waynes was one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award (nation's top defensive back) and was the defensive recipient of MSU's Jim Adams Award (unsung hero).

Waynes collected 101 tackles, six interceptions and 13 pass deflections in 36 career games with the Spartans, including 27 consecutive starts.

He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round, 11th overall of the 2015 NFL Draft.

He also spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Waynes attended Harborside Academy but played for Mary D. Bradford High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin, because Harborside Academy doesn't have sports where he was teammate and best friend of running back Melvin Gordon, who would eventually be selected four spots after Waynes in the 2015 NFL Draft.

At Bradford, Waynes was a multi-sport athlete in football, baseball and track.

Following his junior season, Waynes entered the 2015 NFL Draft.