BIOGRAPHY
Devon Kennard was born on was born on June 24, 1991, in Tempe, Arizona. He is a linebacker in the NFL.
He attended Desert Vista for High School, where he was he was rated the No. 1 defensive prospect by a CSTV analyst, and the top defensive end by ESPN.com in the 2009 class. As a sophomore in 2006, Kennard recorded 81 tackles and seven quarterback sacks. During his junior year, he had 111 tackles and 24 ½ sacks, and as a senior, he had 16 carries for 132 yards with five touchdowns. Defensively, he had 18 tackles and 1½ sacks while facing double and triple teams. During his senior year, he suffered a torn ACL in his knee but was able to return and play in the 2009 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.
Kennard chose to attend USC, and as a true freshman he key action primarily in pass rushing situations. He then was moved to strongside linebacker. Appearing in 12 games and starting in five, he had 34 tackles, including 2 for losses, plus 3 deflections, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 forced fumble. He earned a spot on the 2009 Pac-10 All-Freshman first teams by ESPN and Sporting News and won USC's John McKay Award. In 2010, he was moved to middle linebacker and he had 72 tackles, including 7 for losses with 2 sacks. Kennard had a torn chest muscle, which caused him to miss the 2012 season. Returning from injury, in 2013, Kennard started all thirteen games at outside linebacker, recording 60 tackles and team-highs of 13.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and ten quarterbacks hits. He made the All-Pac-12 Defensive Team and was named a Lott Trophy Finalist. Kennard made the 2011 Pac-12 All-Academic second team and 2010 Pac-10 All-Academic second team and was selected to be one of USC's representatives at the 2011 APPLE (Athletic Prevention Programming and Leadership Education) Conference in Austin, Tex., designed to promote student-athlete health and wellness. Kennard received his bachelor's degree in communication at USC in the spring of 2012.
The New York Giants selected Kennard in the fifth round (174th overall) of the 2014 NFL Draft. Kennard was the 24th linebacker drafted in 2014 and one of three players from USC. He made his professional regular season debut in the New York Giants' season-opening 35–14 loss at the Detroit Lions. On November 30, 2014, Kennard recorded three combined tackles and a season-high two sacks during a 25–24 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 13. Kennard made his first career sack on Jaguars' quarterback Blake Bortles for a nine-yard loss in the third quarter. He finished his rookie season in 2014 with 43 combined tackles (35 solo), 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and a pass deflection in 12 games and six starts.
In 2015, with a new defensive coordinator, Kennard earned the starting job at strongside linebacker. Kennard finished the season with 58 combined tackles (37 solo), four pass deflections, and one interception in nine games and nine starts. The New York Giants finished second in the NFC East with an 11–5 record and earned a wildcard berth in 2016. On January 8, 2017, Kennard appeared in his first career playoff game and made two combined tackles as the Giants lost 38–13 at the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wildcard Game.
On March 15, 2018, the Detroit Lions signed Kennard to a three-year contract. On September 9, 2018, Kennard was voted team captain by his teammates and was also named the teams starting outside linebacker. On March 17, 2020, Kennard was released by the Lions.
On March 21, 2020, Kennard signed a three–year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.