Randall Cobb

Randall Ladonald Cobb II (born August 22, 1990) is a former American professional football wide receiver who spent 13 seasons in the NFL. He played college football at Kentucky, where he was named an All-American in 2010, and was picked by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2011 draft. He later played one season each for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans, and New York Jets.

Cobb grew up in Maryville, Tennessee, the son of Randall Cobb Sr. and Tina Cobb. His father worked at a Denso car parts factory and took on side jobs like installing tile, mowing lawns, and plowing snow, often with young Randall helping. Tina, a high school track star, also worked at Denso, where she met her husband. Cobb attended Alcoa High School in Alcoa, Tennessee, where he lettered in football, basketball, and track.

His football team won four straight Class AA state championships, and he earned a "Mr. Football" award from the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. He played offense, defense, and special teams, but made his biggest impact as the team’s quarterback. As a junior, he was an All-District basketball player. On the track, he was a four-year team member, competing in sprints and relays.

He placed third in the state 100-meter dash as a senior with a personal-best 10.75 seconds, and ran 21.89 seconds in the 200-meter dash at age 16. His 4 × 100 meter relay team finished second in the state meet during his junior year.

At the University of Kentucky, Cobb played under head coach Rich Brooks as a freshman, making the SEC All-Freshman team at quarterback. He appeared in 11 games, starting four, and accounted for 11 touchdowns: two passing, two receiving, and seven rushing. As a sophomore, he played mostly wide receiver but also returned kicks, held for place kicks, and took snaps in the "Wildcat" formation. He scored 15 touchdowns that season—four receiving, one on a return, and ten rushing—and had an eight-game scoring streak.

As a junior under new head coach Joker Phillips, who called him "one of the best leaders I've ever been around," Cobb scored a punt return touchdown against Western Kentucky. On October 9, 2010, he scored four touchdowns against undefeated Auburn, tying Kentucky’s career touchdown record at 32. He also became the first Kentucky player since 2003 to score a rushing, passing, and receiving touchdown in the same game. That season, he had 84 catches for 1,017 yards and seven touchdowns, plus 55 carries for 424 yards and five touchdowns, and threw for 58 yards and three touchdowns.

He declared for the NFL draft after his junior year. Cobb majored in community communications and leadership development at Kentucky.

The Green Bay Packers selected Cobb in the second round (64th overall) of the 2011 NFL draft, making him the seventh wide receiver taken. He signed a four-year, $3.20 million contract with $1 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $834,124. In his NFL debut on September 8, 2011, against the New Orleans Saints, Cobb became the first player born in the 1990s to appear in an NFL game. He caught a 32-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and later returned a kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown, tying the NFL record for longest kickoff return.

That return was named Play of the Year at the NFL Honors. On November 14, in a Monday night game against the Minnesota Vikings, he returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown, becoming the first Packers rookie to return both a kick and a punt for a touchdown in the same season. For the year, he caught 25 passes for 375 yards and one touchdown, and on special teams he returned 34 kicks for 941 yards and one touchdown, plus 26 punts for 295 yards and one touchdown. In the playoffs, he had three catches for 38 yards in a divisional-round loss to the New York Giants.

In 2012, Cobb had his first 100-yard receiving game in Week 6 against the Houston Texans, finishing with seven catches for 102 yards in a 42–24 win. He played 15 games, starting eight, and led the team with 80 receptions and 954 receiving yards, with eight touchdowns. His 2,342 combined net yards (954 receiving, 132 rushing, 964 on kickoff returns, and 292 on punt returns) set a single-season franchise record and led the NFL. He was named a Pro Bowl first alternate as a kick returner. In 2013, a broken fibula in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens limited him to six games. He returned for the regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears, catching a 48-yard game-winning touchdown from Aaron Rodgers in the fourth quarter to clinch the NFC North title.