Quick Facts
Biography
Justin Andrew Bethel (born June 17, 1990) is an American football cornerback and special teamer for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Presbyterian College.
Early life
Bethel was born in Sumter, South Carolina and at age 6 he moved with his family to Columbia. He started playing football at age 11 when he was in sixth grade. He attended Blythewood High School where in 2007 he was named Blythewood's Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Defensive Player. He helped the team win the State Championship in 2006.
College career
Bethel did not receive much interest from college football programs, and he planned to study culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University, until his high school coach, Clemson co-offensive coordinator Jeff Scott, was hired to be a coach for the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. Bethel decided to attend Presbyterian, and majored in Business Administration.
2008 season
Bethel played in 12 games during his freshman season, amassing 54 tackles and 37 solo tackles. He had 2 interceptions and two blocked kicks.
2009 season
2009 was a breakout season for Bethel. He had a team-best 79 tackles during 11 games, 55 of which were solo. He blocked 3 kicks, two in a game against Gardner–Webb University. He also forced one fumble and had 4.5 tackles for a loss. For his efforts, he was named to the Big South Conference All-Conference Second-Team Defensive squad.
Professional career
2012 NFL Draft
Bethel caught the attention of pro scouts with a strong performance at the East-West Shrine Game, and because of a YouTube video showing him making a vertical leap onto boxes five feet high. At the NFL Combine his meaured vertical leap of 39½ inches was the highest of any defensive player. Ultimately he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round, making him the first Presbyterian player chosen in the NFL Draft since 1969.
2012
On May 15, 2012, the Cardinals signed Beth to a four-year, $2.21 million rookie contract with $114,224 signing bonus.
On December 23, 2012 week 16 against the Chicago Bears, Bethel recovered Olindo Mare's blocked field goal and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown, though Chicago won 28-13. He finished his rookie season with 13 tackles.
2013
In 2013, Justin Bethel became Presbyterian College's first ever Pro Bowler. In the 2013 season, he recorded 18 special-teams tackles while blocking two field goals and forcing two more field goal misses. He was considered by Pro Football Focus the best special-teams player in the NFL during 2013.
2014
In 2014, team reporter Darren Urban announced that Bethel gave up his number 31 to Antonio Cromartie and took 28, which was worn the 2013 season by running back Rashard Mendenhall, who retired from the NFL 2013 offseason. Bethel finished his third season with a total of 25 tackles and was voted to his second consecutive Pro-bowl for his special teams work.
2015
On September 27, 2015, Bethel recorded his first career interception and returned it for a 21-yard touchdown during a 47-7 win over the San Francisco 49ers.
In 2015, his high school alma mater, Blythewood (SC) High School, retired his jersey number 31. On November 1, 2015, he started his first career game at cornerback and made 4 solo tackles and 2 pass deflections during a victory over the Cleveland Browns.
On December 5, 2015, Bethel agreed to a three-year, $15 million contract extension with the Cardinals that included, $9.0 million guaranteed and a $3.0 million signing bonus. On December 27, 2015, Bethel recorded a career-high 8 tackles and made an interception during a 38-8 victory over the Green Bay Packers. He finished the season with a 46 total tackles and two interceptions in five starts and 16 games. Bethel was voted to his third consecutive Pro-bowl for his abilities on special teams. During the 2015 season, he suffered a minor fracture in his left foot that worsened during the off-season. The injury required surgery that held Bethel out for the first three weeks of training camp.
2016
Bethel began the season as the third cornerback on the Cardinals depth chart behind Patrick Peterson and Marcus Cooper.