Justin Andrew Bethel (born June 17, 1990) is an American football cornerback and special teamer for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the sixth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Presbyterian.
Early life
Bethel was born in Sumter, South Carolina, and at age 6 he moved with his family to Columbia. He started playing football at age 11 when he was in sixth grade. He attended Blythewood High School where in 2007 he was named Blythewood's Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Defensive Player. He helped the team win the State Championship in 2006.
College career
Bethel did not receive much interest from college football programs, and he planned to study culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University, until his high school coach, former Clemson co-offensive coordinator and USF head coach Jeff Scott, was hired to be a coach for the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. Bethel decided to attend Presbyterian, and majored in Business Administration.
Bethel played in 12 games during his freshman season in 2008, amassing 54 tackles and 37 solo tackles. He had two interceptions and two blocked kicks. 2009 was a breakout season for Bethel. He had a team-best 79 tackles during 11 games, 55 of which were solo. He blocked 3 kicks, two in a game against Gardner–Webb University. He also forced one fumble and had 4.5 tackles for a loss. For his efforts, he was named to the Big South Conference All-Conference Second-team Defensive squad.
Professional career
Bethel caught the attention of pro scouts with a strong performance in the East-West Shrine Game. He had a YouTube video showing him making a vertical leap onto boxes five feet high. Coming out of Presbyterian, he was projected to be a fifth or sixth round pick. He received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all of the required combine drills. His vertical leap of was the highest of any defensive player who attended the combine. On March 9, 2012, Bethel participated at Presbyterian's pro day and opted to run the 40, 20, and 10-yard dash while also performing positional drills. He was ranked as the seventh best free safety prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals selected Bethel in the sixth round (177th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft. He was the first Presbyterian player selected in the NFL Draft since 1969.
2012
On May 15, 2012, the Arizona Cardinals signed Bethel to a four-year rookie contract.
Bethel entered his first training camp with the Cardinals as a free safety, but was moved to cornerback by defensive coordinator Ray Horton a few weeks into camp. He competed with Greg Toler, Michael Adams, Crezdon Butler, A. J. Jefferson, and Jamell Fleming for a backup cornerback position. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt named him the sixth cornerback on the Arizona Cardinals' depth chart to begin his rookie season, behind Patrick Peterson, William Gay, Greg Toler, Jamell Fleming, and Michael Adams.
Bethel made his professional regular season debut in the Arizona Cardinals' season-opening 20–16 win over the Seattle Seahawks. On December 23, 2012, Bethel recovered Olindo Mare's blocked field goal and returned it 82-yards for a touchdown in a 28–13 loss to the Chicago Bears. The Cardinals finished with a 5–11 record and did not qualify for the playoffs. He finished his rookie season with 13 total tackles.
2013
Bethel entered Arizona Cardinals' training camp in competing with Antoine Cason, Jerraud Powers, Jamell Fleming, Javier Arenas, and Bryan McCann for the vacant starting cornerback position left by the departure of William Gay. New Cardinals' head coach Bruce Arians named him the sixth cornerback on the depth chart to begin the season, behind Patrick Peterson, Jerraud Powers, Antoine Cason, Javier Arenas, and Jamell Fleming.
On September 15, 2013, Bethel blocked a field goal for the first time in his career against the Detroit Lions. On November 10, he blocked another field goal, this time against the Houston Texans. Bethel was selected to be in the 2014 Pro Bowl as a special teams player, joining teammates Patrick Peterson, Antonio Cromartie, and Calais Campbell. He became the first player from Presbyterian to become a Pro bowler. The Cardinals finished with a 10–6 record and did not qualify for the playoffs. He finished his second season with 21 tackles and two field goal blocks.
