Mekhi Blackmon

Mekhi Blackmon (born March 18, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the San Mateo Bulldogs, the Colorado Buffaloes and the USC Trojans. Blackmon was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts.

Early life Blackmon was born in Hayward, California. He grew up in East Palo Alto, California and attended Menlo-Atherton High School.

College career Blackmon played one year of community college football at College of San Mateo before committing to Colorado in 2018.

Blackmon played four years at Colorado before deciding to transfer to USC. In his collegiate career he totaled 142 tackles, 4 being for a loss, 1 sack, 5 interceptions, 24 pass deflections, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 forced fumbles. His best collegiate year occurred during the 2022 season when he posted 66 tackles, 2 going for a loss, 3 interceptions, 12 pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble. For his performance, he was named First Team All-Pac-12 Conference.

He was projected to be a fifth to sixth round selection in the 2023 NFL draft.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings Blackmon was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the third round, 102nd overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft. In Week 10, Blackmon recorded his first career interception in a 27–19 win against the New Orleans Saints.

On July 24, 2024, it was announced that Blackmon had suffered a torn ACL, ruling him out for the entirety of the ensuing season.

Indianapolis Colts On August 25, 2025, the Vikings traded Blackmon to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for a 2026 NFL draft sixth-round pick.

On August 26, 2026, Blackmon was waived by the Colts.

Cleveland Browns On August 27, 2026, Blackmon was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns.

NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2023 MIN 15 3 41 34 7 0.0 3 1 0 0.0 0 0 8 0 0 1 0 0 2025 IND 17 11 64 50 14 1.0 2 2 41 20.5 32 0 7 0 0 0 0 0Career 32 14 105 84 21 1.0 5 3 41 13.7 32 0 15 0 0 1 0 0