Gaulden missed the 2015 season due to a foot injury suffered during training camp in August and took a medical redshirt.[7]
Gaulden returned in 2016 as a redshirt sophomore and played in all 13 of Tennessee's games, recording 68 tackles (six for loss), four pass breakups and one forced fumble.[8]
As a redshirt junior in 2017, Gaulden played in all 12 games of the season, tallying 65 tackles, one interception, five pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.[9] His interception was the first of his collegiate career and came against the Florida Gators in a 26–20 loss.[10] After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL draft.[11]
Professional career
Pre-draft
On January 3, 2018, Gaulden released a statement through his Twitter account, announcing his decision to forgo his senior season and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.[12] He attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed all of the combine and positional drills. His 40-yard dash time was described as "not great" by NFL analyst Daniel Jeremiah, but Gaulden managed to perform well and show his agility in positional drills.[13]
On March 19, 2018, Gaulden participated at Tennessee's pro day and weighed in at 191 lbs, which was six pounds lighter than his weight at the NFL Combine. He ran the 40-yard dash (4.69s), 20-yard dash (2.78s), 10-yard dash (1.64s), and short shuttle (4.26s).[14] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Gaulden was projected to be a second round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the second best free safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com, was ranked the 10th best cornerback by Sports Illustrated, and was ranked the 13th best cornerback in the draft by Scouts Inc.[15][16]
“Gaulden, the defensive back, he's kind of interesting. I don't know what he is. I watch him on tape. He plays nickel. He's tough. He hustles to the football. He's got some range. I want to see what he runs. I mean, he's 6-foot-1. He might even play corner, I don't know. If he runs 4.48 or something, he might be interesting as a long corner. He also might be interesting as a free safety, but I know he can play special teams. I kind of feel like right now he's probably an early third-day pick, but I think he could help himself.”[17]
The Carolina Panthers selected Gaulden in the third round (85th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft, through a pick traded from the Buffalo Bills for Kelvin Benjamin. He was the seventh safety drafted in 2018.[19][20] On May 12, 2018, the Panthers signed Gaulden to a four-year, $3.44 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $847,656.[21] On November 25, 2019, Gaulden was waived by the Panthers.[22]
On December 4, 2019, Gaulden was signed to the practice squad of the New York Giants.[23] He was promoted to the active roster on December 18, 2019.[24] He was waived on August 2, 2020.[25]
On November 9, 2020, the Las Vegas Raiders signed Gaulden to their practice squad.[28] He was elevated to the active roster on December 17 and 26 for the team's weeks 15 and 16 games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Miami Dolphins, and reverted to the practice squad after each game.[29][30] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 5, 2021.[31] He was waived on June 4, 2021.[32]
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