Ellis Lankster

Ellis Lankster (born June 3, 1986) is an American professional football cornerback. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft.^[1] He played college football at West Virginia. He was also a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, New York Jets, Atlanta Havoc and Richmond/West Virginia Roughriders. He currently plays for the Iowa Woo.

Ellis Lankster

Lankster in 2015 with the Buffalo Bills
No. 25, 26, 21, 31, 47
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Born:	(1986-06-03) June 3, 1986 (age 38) Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:	210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:	Vigor (Prichard, Alabama)
College:	West Virginia
NFL draft:	2009 / round: 7 / pick: 220
Career history
Buffalo Bills (2009) Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2010) New York Jets (2011–2014) Buffalo Bills (2015)* Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2016) Atlanta Havoc (2018) Richmond Roughriders (2018) West Virginia Roughriders (2019) Iowa Woo (2024–present)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Second-team All-Big East (2008)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 72 Sacks: 1.0 Forced fumbles: 2 Fumble recoveries: 2 Interceptions: 2 Stats at Pro Football Reference

College career

Lankster played his freshman and sophomore years at Jones County Junior College.^[2] He finished his collegiate career at West Virginia University. He also played in the 2009 Senior Bowl.

Professional career

Buffalo Bills (first stint)

Lankster was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft. On August 15, 2009, in a preseason game against the Chicago Bears, Lankster intercepted Bears' backup quarterback Brett Basanez twice within a span of 64 seconds. Both turnovers led to touchdowns for Buffalo, ultimately helping them win the game 27–20.^[3]

Lankster got some playing time in the 2009 season as a cornerback in nickel defense situations, due to injuries to other defensive backs. Head coach Perry Fewell said of Lankster, "we think he's gotten better every week for us."^[4] He finished the 2009 season with five tackles.^[5]

Buffalo released Lankster on the deadline for final roster adjustments in the 2010 preseason, September 4.^[6]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (first stint)

Lankster was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League on October 11, 2010.^[7] He did not play for Hamilton during his time with the club, rather he learned the intricacies of Canadian football.^[8]

New York Jets

Lankster signed a future contract with the New York Jets on January 5, 2011.^[9] He was waived on September 2.^[10] He was re-signed to the active roster on October 11.^[11] His playing time greatly increased in 2012, including significant assignments covering fast receivers, following an injury to Isaiah Trufant.^[12] He was released on September 1, 2014.^[13] He was re-signed on September 12.^[14] He was released on September 23, 2014.^[15]

Buffalo Bills (second stint)

Lankster signed with the Bills on August 17, 2015. The signing marked his return to the team that drafted him. He joined his previous head coach Rex Ryan.^[16] He was released by the team on August 31.^[17]

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (second stint)

On April 15, 2016, Lankster once again signed with the Tiger-Cats.^[18]

Atlanta Havoc

Lankster signed with the Atlanta Havoc of the American Arena League in December 2017.^[19]

Iowa Woo

On February 23, 2024, Lankster signed with the Iowa Woo of The Arena League.

References

1. "2009 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
2. "Bobcat Football Bobcats In NFL". Jones County Junior College. September 8, 2009. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
3. Bronstein, Jonah (August 16, 2009). "BILLS: Ellis Lankster Rookie Card". Niagara Gazette. Archived from the original on September 7, 2012. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
4. Gaughan, Mark (November 21, 2009). "Bills notebook: Defensive injuries continue to mount". The Buffalo News. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
5. "Ellis Lankster Profile ESPN". espn.com. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
6. Jones, Tony. "Tough Decisions Made as Bills set 53-man Roster". Buffalobills.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
7. Edwards, Drew (October 12, 2010). "Ticats can get win and get in". Hamilton Spectator.
8. Edwards, Drew (October 14, 2010). "New Ticat defensive backs learning as they go". Hamilton Spectator.
9. "NFL transactions for January 5, 2011". Pro Football Weekly. January 5, 2011. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
10. Mehta, Manish (September 3, 2011). "Jets trim roster to 53; make two trades". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
11. Jets Media Relations Department (October 11, 2011). "CB Lankster Returns, LB Jones Waived". New York Jets. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
12. Martin, Kimberley A. (November 19, 2012). "Jets' Ellis Lankster draws tough assignment on Pats' Wes Welker". Newsday. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
13. Lange, Randy (September 1, 2014). "A.J. Edds Returns, Ellis Lankster Departs". New York Jets. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
14. Mazzeo, Mike (September 12, 2014). "New York Jets re-sign CB Ellis Lankster". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on September 13, 2014. Retrieved September 13, 2014.
15. "Jets release Ellis Lankster, sign Brandon Smith". Yahoo! Sports. Associated Press. September 23, 2014. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
16. "The Official Website of the Buffalo Bills".
17. "Fred Jackson released by Bills". www.buffalobills.com. Archived from the original on September 2, 2015.
18. "Four more signings for Tiger-Cats | AM900 CHML | Hamilton News". Retrieved April 19, 2016.
19. "Havoc sign former NFL Veteran DB Ellis Lancaster". atlantahavoc.com. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.

External links

• New York Jets bio
• West Virginia bio