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Biography
Pierre Desir (dǝ-SEER; born September 8, 1990) is an American football cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Lindenwood.
Early Years
Desir was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He immigrated along with his family to the United States at the age of 4.
Desir attended Francis Howell Central High School in Cottleville, Missouri, where he was an all-state selection at defensive back. He was first-team all-league during his junior and senior seasons, and was named special teams player of the year as a senior. He averaged 37.8 yards per kickoff return and 8.9 yards per punt return. He also was a record breaking track runner while at the school as well.
Desir spent his summers as a youth in Lynn and Salem, MA, and Montreal.
College career
Desir attended Washburn University, and played for the Washburn Ichabods from 2008-2010. He sat out his freshman year as a redshirt. In 2009, he was named first team all-MIAA after leading the conference with seven interceptions and 13 passes defended, and finished the season with 33 total tackles. He also averaged 29.4 yards per kickoff return on 10 attempts. In 2010, he recorded 46 tackles, including 5.5 for loss, nine pass deflections, one forced fumble, and five interceptions, earning himself second team all-MIAA honors.
In 2011, he left Washburn citing a desire to be closer to his young children, and enrolled at Lindenwood University. After not playing his first year, he returned in 2012 and was one of the top defensive players in the MIAA. To go along with 60 tackles, he finished second among all levels of NCAA football with nine interceptions and tied for the NCAA Division II lead with 18 passes defended. He was also named first-team All-MIAA and was a first-team AFCA Div. II All-American. In his final season, he once again was named a first-team All-MIAA selection and an AFCA Div. II All-American. He recorded 33 tackles, 12 pass deflections, and four interceptions. He also won the inaugural Cliff Harris Award, honoring the nation's top small college defensive player.
Desir finished his career ranked first in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics history in passes defended. His 25 career interceptions are the second most in conference history and rank him in the top 10 in Division II history.
Professional career
Pierre Desir was featured along with Jadeveon Clowney, Bishop Sankey, Blake Bortles, and Marqise Lee on ESPN's Draft Academy, which aired before the 2014 NFL Draft. Considered one of the premier cornerback prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft, Desir signed with agent Greg Linton on December 4, 2013.
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1 in | 198 lb | 33 in | 9 5⁄8 in | 4.59 s | 4.30 s | 6.86 s | 35 in | 11 ft 1 in | 11 reps | ||||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||||||
Cleveland Browns
Desir was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 127th overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, making himself the first player from Lindenwood ever drafted. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Browns.
San Diego Chargers
Desir was claimed off waivers by the San Diego Chargers on September 4, 2016. He was released on October 22, 2016. Two days later, the Chargers re-signed Desir. He was released again on October 29, 2016.
Seattle Seahawks
On November 2, 2016, Desir was signed to the Seahawks' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Seahawks on January 16, 2017.