Tanner Hawkinson

Tanner Hawkinson (born May 14, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). Hawkinson played college football for the Kansas Jayhawks. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft.

Early life Hawkinson was an all-state defensive lineman and tight end at McPherson High School in McPherson, Kansas, graduating in 2008.

Hawkinson is related to retired basketball player Ava Jones.

College career He was recruited to the University of Kansas to play tight end, but moved to defense, and eventually ended up on the offensive line. He was a freshman All-American in 2009 at tackle for the Jayhawks, protecting Todd Reesing's blind side. Hawkinson was also a second-team All-Big-12 player as a senior in 2012. He had three coaches in his five years at KU in Mark Mangino, Turner Gill, and Charlie Weis.

Professional career He was selected in the fifth round, 156th overall in the 2013 NFL draft. Hawkinson was waived by Cincinnati as part of the final 53-man roster cuts on September 5, 2015.

On September 7, 2015, Hawkinson was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad.

On April 4, 2016 Hawkinson was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars after having spent the 2015 season with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Hawkinson announced his retirement from the NFL at the age of 25 on April 15, 2016.