Corey Ballentine

Jamaican-born American football player (born 1996)

American football player

Corey Ballentine

Ballentine with the New York Giants in 2020

No. 35 – Green Bay Packers

Position:

Cornerback

Personal information

Born:

(1996-04-13) April 13, 1996 (age 28)
Montego Bay, Jamaica

Height:

5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)

Weight:

196 lb (89 kg)

Career information

High school:

Shawnee Heights (Tecumseh, Kansas)

College:

Washburn (2014–2018)

NFL draft:

2019 / Round: 6 / Pick: 180

Career history

New York Giants (2019–2020)
New York Jets (2020–2021)
Detroit Lions (2021)
Atlanta Falcons (2022)*
Arizona Cardinals (2022)*
Green Bay Packers (2022–present)

* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Roster status:

Active

Career highlights and awards

2018 Cliff Harris Award winner

Career NFL statistics as of 2023

Total tackles:	94
Forced fumbles:	1
Pass deflections:	9
Interceptions:	1
Return yards:	855

Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Corey Ballentine (born April 13, 1996) is a Jamaican professional American football cornerback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washburn, and was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He has also played for the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, and Arizona Cardinals.

College career

After playing at Shawnee Heights High School, Ballentine played college football at Division II Washburn, Ballentine played in 46 games after almost quitting the team in the summer before his freshman year.^[1] He primarily played on defense but also served as the team's kick returner and blocked four field goals.^[2] Ballentine won the Cliff Harris Award after the conclusion of his senior season, which is given annually to the nation's top small college defensive players. He was also named a 2018 second-team AFCA All-American.^[3]

After his senior year, Ballentine was invited to the 2019 Senior Bowl, where he drew attention for his speed.^[4] He also participated in the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine.^[5]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
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
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m)	9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m)	4.47 s	1.52 s	2.62 s	4.14 s	6.82 s	39.5 in (1.00 m)	11 ft 3 in (3.43 m)	15 reps
All values from NFL Combine^[6]^[7]

New York Giants

Ballentine was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round (180th overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft.^[8]^[9]

On November 10, 2020, Ballentine was waived by the Giants.^[10]

New York Jets

Ballentine was claimed off waivers by the New York Jets on November 11, 2020.^[11] He was waived/injured on August 23, 2021, and placed on injured reserve.^[12] He was released on September 15.

Detroit Lions

On September 16, 2021, Ballentine was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions.^[13] He was placed on injured reserve on October 15.^[14] He was activated on November 18, 2021, then waived the next day and re-signed to the practice squad.

Atlanta Falcons

On January 12, 2022, Ballentine signed a reserve/future contract the Atlanta Falcons.^[15] He was waived on August 30.^[16]

Arizona Cardinals

On September 7, 2022, the Arizona Cardinals signed Ballentine to their practice squad.^[17] He was released off the practice squad thirteen days later.^[18]

Green Bay Packers

On September 28, 2022, the Green Bay Packers signed Ballentine to their practice squad.^[19] He was promoted to the active roster on November 12.^[20] On March 20, 2023, Ballentine re-signed with the Packers.^[21] He was released on August 29, 2023.^[22] A day later, he was signed to the Packers' practice squad.^[23] He was elevated to the active roster for Week 3 of the 2023 season.^[24] He was promoted to the active roster on October 25.^[25]

On March 12, 2024, Ballentine re-signed with the Packers.^[26]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions						Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Comb	Total	Ast	Sck	PD	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TDs	FF	FR
2019	NYG	13	2	26	21	5	0.0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2020	NYG	9	2	16	13	3	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2020	NYJ	6	0	4	4	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2022	GB	8	0	5	4	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
2023	GB	14	6	43	28	15	0.0	7	1	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Career		54	10	94	70	24	0.0	9	1	0	0.0	0	0	1	0
Source: pro-football-referencecom

Postseason

Year	Team	Games		Tackles				Interceptions						Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Comb	Total	Ast	Sck	PD	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TDs	FF	FR
2023	GB	2	0	5	4	1	0.0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Career		2	0	5	4	1	0.0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0
Source: pro-football-referencecom

Personal life

Ballentine was born in Montego Bay, Jamaica and moved to the United States at six years of age.^[9] While at Shawnee Heights and Washburn, Ballentine ran track while playing football,^[27] setting Ichabod records for various indoor and outdoor sprinting events.^[28]

In the early morning hours of April 28, 2019, the Sunday following the 2019 NFL Draft, Ballentine was injured in a shooting in Topeka while he was attending an off-campus party. Ballentine's college roommate and defensive backfield teammate Dwane Simmons was killed in the shooting.^[28]

References

^ Peterson, Rick. "Cliff Harris national honor continues awards harvest for Washburn's Corey Ballentine". hdnews.net. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ Heath, Jon (February 8, 2019). "Broncos met with Washburn CB Corey Ballentine at Senior Bowl". Broncos Wire. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ "Washburn University's Corey Ballentine wins Cliff Harris Award". National Collegiate Athletics Association. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ Wilson, Ryan. "Senior Bowl 2019: Under-the-radar players who are improving draft stock with strong week in Mobile". CBS Sports. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ "Corey Ballentine, Washburn, Cornerback". 247Sports.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ "Corey Ballentine Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
^ "2019 NFL Draft Scout Corey Ballentine College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
^ Salomone, Dan (April 27, 2019). "Washburn CB Corey Ballentine drafted by Giants at No. 180". Giants.com.
^ ^a ^b Leonard, Pat. "Corey Ballentine goes from Jamaica to Division II to Giants draft pick". Daily News. New York. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
^ Eisen, Michael (November 10, 2020). "Giants waive CB Corey Ballentine; Will Hernandez, Dante Pettis activated". Giants.com. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 11, 2020). "Jets Claim CB Corey Ballentine". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
^ Greenberg, Ethan (August 23, 2021). "Jets Place DE Carl Lawson on IR, Sign DE Aaron Adeoye and OL Isaiah Williams". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on August 26, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
^ "Detroit Lions claim CB/KR Corey Ballentine off waivers". Pride of Detroit. SB Nation. September 16, 2021.
^ Reisman, Jeremy (October 15, 2021). "Lions place Corey Ballentine on IR, sign CB Shakur Brown to practice squad". Pride Of Detroit. SB Nation. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
^ "Falcons sign CB/KR Corey Ballentine to futures contract, active two off reserve/COVID-19 list". The Falcoholic. SB Nation. January 12, 2022.
^ Bair, Scott (August 30, 2022). "Falcons announce initial 53-man roster heading into 2022 regular season". AtlantaFalcons.com.
^ Urban, Darren (September 7, 2022). "Colt McCoy Placed On IR; Cardinals Promote Trace McSorley". azcardinals.com.
^ "Cardinals sign Devon Kennard to active roster, release Andre Baccellia". ArizonaSports.com. September 20, 2022.
^ "Packers announce roster move". packers.com. September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
^ "Packers sign CB Corey Ballentine to active roster". packers.com. November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
^ "Packers re-sign CB Corey Ballentine and S Rudy Ford". packers.com. March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
^ "Packers announce roster moves". packers.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
^ "Packers sign 16 players to practice squad". packers.com. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
^ "Packers elevate CB Corey Ballentine, RB Patrick Taylor for gameday". packers.com. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
^ "Packers place S Darnell Savage, CB Eric Stokes on injured reserve". Packers.com. October 25, 2023.
^ "Packers re-sign CB Corey Ballentine and TE Tyler Davis". Packers.com. March 12, 2024.
^ Petersen, Rick. "Ballentine time: Former Shawnee Heights, Washburn star projected to be NFL draft pick". Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Epstein, Jory. "New York Giants draft choice Corey Ballentine shot and injured, college teammate killed". USA Today. Retrieved April 28, 2019.