Malik Shabazz Heath (born March 3, 2000) is an American football wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Copiah–Lincoln, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss.
| No. 18 – Green Bay Packers | |||||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | March 3, 2000 Canton, Mississippi, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 213 lb (97 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Callaway (Jackson, Mississippi) | ||||||||
| College: | Copiah–Lincoln (2018–2019) Mississippi State (2020–2021) Ole Miss (2022) | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2023 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 14, 2023 | |||||||||
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Early life and high school
Heath grew up in Jackson, Mississippi and attended Callaway High School.[1][2] He caught 78 passes for 1,837 yards and 13 touchdowns over the course of his high school career.[3]
College career
Heath began his college career at Copiah–Lincoln Community College.[4] He caught 61 passes, 835 yards, and seven touchdowns in 17 games over two seasons.[5] Heath transferred to Mississippi State following his sophomore year.[6]
On August 12, 2020, before playing for Mississippi State, Heath was charged with speeding, driving under the influence, and driving without a license, equipment, or insurance.[7] Heath caught 37 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns in his first season at Mississippi State.[8] During the 2020 Armed Forces Bowl, he was involved in a brawl which included him kicking Tulsa defensive back TieNeal Martin who was on the ground. Following the game, Heath had bragged about it on social media and received backlash for the incident.[9] He had 34 receptions for 442 yards and five touchdowns in 2021.[10] On December 2, 2021, Heath was involved in a car crash in Mississippi, suffering a double lung collapse, a ruptured liver, and breaking his entire rib cage. Heath was airlifted to Memphis, Tennessee, and underwent emergency surgery to save his life.[11] This ended his season, being unavailable to play in the 2021 Liberty Bowl. After the end of the season, Heath entered the NCAA transfer portal.[12]
Heath ultimately transferred to Ole Miss.[13] In his only season with the Rebels, he led the team with 60 receptions, 971 receiving yards, and five touchdown receptions.[14]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 2+3⁄8 in (1.89 m) |
213 lb (97 kg) |
32+1⁄2 in (0.83 m) |
9+1⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
4.64 s | 1.53 s | 2.64 s | 4.46 s | 6.96 s | 34.0 in (0.86 m) |
10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) |
12 reps | |
| Sources:[15][16] | ||||||||||||
After going undrafted at the 2023 NFL Draft, Heath was signed by the Green Bay Packers on May 1, 2023.[17] On August 29, 2023, the Packers announced that Heath had made the initial 53-man roster.[18] He made his NFL debut on September 10, 2023 during a 38-20 win against the Chicago Bears, but recorded no statistics until November 19, when he made his first catch (a 7-yard pass from Jordan Love) during a 23-20 win against the Los Angeles Chargers.[19] On December 11, Heath scored his first NFL touchdown on a 6-yard pass from Love during a 24-22 loss to the New York Giants.[20]
References
- ^ "Callaway's Malik Heath accomplishes one of his dreams by making Dandy Dozen". The Clarion-Ledger. July 10, 2017. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ Cook, Joe (October 5, 2022). "Local football products producing at Ole Miss and MSU". WAPT.com. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
- ^ "7 Mississippi & 4 Louisiana players were among 15 who signed with Mississippi State". WLOX.com. December 20, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ Johnson, Russell (September 13, 2018). "Maturation is key for former UA All-American WR Malik Heath while at Co-Lin". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Malik Heath, Wide Receiver, Ole Miss Rebel". Sports Illustrated. November 16, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ White, Jack (July 28, 2019). "Recruit commits to Mississippi State, says everything is 'still open'". USA Today. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
- ^ Horka, Tyler (August 13, 2020). "Mississippi State wide receiver Malik Heath arrested for speeding, DUI". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Mississippi State's Malik Heath, De'Monte Russell will play N.C. State". The Clarion-Ledger. September 6, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ Kasabian, Paul (December 31, 2020). "Mississippi State's Malik Heath Brags on IG About Kicking Tulsa Player in Brawl". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Malik Heath car accident: Details emerge on Mississippi State receiver". The Clarion-Ledger. December 3, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ Schneidman, Matt (December 11, 2023). "Packers WR Malik Heath savors emergence after college turmoil, brush with death". The Athletic. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
- ^ "Mississippi State wide receiver Malik Heath enters transfer portal". The Commercial Dispatch. January 18, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ "Malik Heath on Ole Miss transfer: Mississippi State cowbells too loud". The Clarion-Ledger. August 6, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ King, Ben (December 30, 2022). "Ole Miss Receiver Malik Heath Posts Goodbye to Coaches". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved February 9, 2023.
- ^ "Malik Heath Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Malik Heath College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ "Packers agree to terms with 12 rookie free agents". packers.com. May 1, 2023. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "Packers keep 6 receivers, 11 offensive linemen: Here's the initial 2023 roster". Packers.com. August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Packers' Malik Heath: Makes first career catch". CBS Sports. November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ^ "Packers' Malik Heath: Hauls in first touchdown pass". CBS Sports. December 12, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.