| Tayler Hawkins | |
| Current Team: | DC Defenders |
| Position: | Safety |
| Birth Date: | 27 December 1997 |
| Birth Place: | Palm Springs, California, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 1 |
| Weight Lb: | 205 |
| High School: | Palm Springs (CA) |
| College: | San Diego State (2016–2021) |
| Undraftedyear: | 2022 |
| Pastteams: | |
| Statseason: | 2023 |
| Pfr: | HawkTa01 |
Tayler Colby Hawkins (born December 27, 1997) is an American professional football safety who is a free agent. He played college football for the San Diego State Aztecs.
Hawkins was born on December 27, 1997, in Palm Springs, California.[1] His mother died when he was 18 months old and he and his twin brother lived with their grandmother growing up.[2] He and his twin, Tyler, both became top football players at Palm Springs High School, with Tayler being a three-time first-team all-league choice while playing wide receiver, defensive back and punter.[2] [3]
Also a two-time first-team All-CIF selection, Hawkins had 94 receptions for 1,915 yards and 25 touchdowns in his last two years along with 133 tackles, 14 pass deflections and nine interceptions in three years.[3] He helped his team win 24-of-27 games in his last two seasons while they won the CIF championship in 2015.[3] He committed to play college football for the San Diego State Aztecs along with Palm Springs teammate Trenton Thompson, while his brother committed to the Sacramento State Hornets.[4]
Hawkins redshirted as a true freshman at San Diego State in 2016.[5] He appeared in 10 games during the 2017 season and recorded five tackles.[3] He had 13 games played, five as a starter, in the 2018 season, totaling 35 tackles and five pass breakups.[3] He then started five of 13 games in 2019 and had 30 tackles and three tackles-for-loss.[3] He was named honorable mention All-Mountain West Conference (MWC) as a senior in 2020.[6] He opted to return for a final season in 2021, after having been granted extra eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] Hawkins was named second-team all-conference in 2021 and had 62 tackles, 13 pass breakups and two interceptions while being ranked the second-best coverage defensive back nationally by Pro Football Focus (PFF); he was also chosen to PFF's Mountain West Team of the Year.[8]
After going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, Hawkins was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent.[9] He was released at the final roster cuts and subsequently re-signed to the practice squad.[10] He signed a reserve/future contract after the season on January 31, 2023.[11] He was placed on injured reserve on August 29, 2023, which was to end his season.[12] On September 6, he was waived from injured reserve.[13] He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 24.[14] He was elevated to the active roster for the team's season finale against the Los Angeles Rams, making his NFL debut in the game while recording an interception.[15] [16] He signed a reserve/future contract on February 13, 2024.[17]
Hawkins was waived by the 49ers with an injury settlement on August 22, 2024.[18]