Joseph Walter Haden III (born April 14, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, earning unanimous All-American honors and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft and played for them for seven seasons. He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for five seasons.
Haden attended Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, where he played safety and quarterback for the Friendly Patriots high school football team. He led the team to a 14–0 record and a MPSSAA Class 3A State Championship during his senior season in 2006. He set the Maryland state record with 7,371 career passing yards and tied the record for touchdown passes with 80. He was first discovered as an MVP at the National Underclassmen Combine camp in New Jersey alongside current NFL quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Haden was selected to play in the first Offense-Defense All-American Bowl.
In addition to football, Haden was also the point guard on the basketball team that won two state titles.
Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Haden was listed as the No. 3 athlete in the nation in 2007. He chose Florida over offers from Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Tennessee.
Haden accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2007 to 2009.
As a true freshman in 2007, Haden started 12 games at cornerback, missing one game due to an ankle sprain. He became the first true freshman to start a game at cornerback for the Gators on opening day, and finished the season with 63 tackles and an interception. He was recognized as a freshman All-American by the Sporting News and Collegefootballnews.com and was an All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) freshman selection.
As a sophomore in 2008, Haden started all 14 games, recording 87 tackles, and three interceptions—including an 88-yard interception return for a touchdown (the fourth longest in Gators history). In the Gators' 24–14 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners in the BCS Championship Game, he had 10 tackles and three pass break-ups.
During his junior year in 2009, he had 68 tackles, four interceptions and three quarterback sacks. After the season, he was a first-team All-SEC selection, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. He also shared the Gators' most valuable player award with quarterback Tim Tebow, and was named the National Defensive Player of the Year by the Sporting News.
Haden decided to forgo his senior season at Florida and enter the NFL draft.
Coming out of Florida, Haden was projected to be a first-round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all of the required combine and positional drills. Haden disappointed scouts with a 4.52-second time in the 40-yard dash, which is average for an NFL cornerback, but it was later revealed he had a sore back at that time.
On March 17, 2010, he participated at Florida's pro day and opted to rerun the 40, 20, and 10-yard dash as well as the short shuttle. He was able to shorten his time in all, running a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash, a 2.60 in the 20, and a 1.53 in the ten-yard dash. Over 75 representatives from all 32 NFL teams attended including head coaches Eric Mangini (Cleveland Browns), Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers), John Fox (Carolina Panthers), Raheem Morris (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), and Tom Coughlin (New York Giants) He was ranked as the top cornerback prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com and SI.com.
The Browns selected Haden in the first round (seventh overall) of the 2010 NFL draft. On July 31, 2010, the Browns signed Haden to a five-year, $50 million contract that includes $26 million guaranteed.
Haden entered training camp competing with Sheldon Brown and Eric Wright for a starting cornerback position. He was named the third cornerback on the depth chart behind Brown and Wright to begin the regular season.
Haden made his professional regular season debut in the Browns' season-opener against the Buccaneers, finishing with two combined tackles and a pass deflection during a 17–14 loss. He earned his first start during the game as the Browns' kick returner. On October 17, 2010, he made two combined tackles, a pass deflection, and made his first career interception, picking off Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a 28–10 loss. On November 14, 2010, Haden made a season-high seven solo tackles and intercepted New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez during a 26–20 overtime loss. The next game, he recorded three solo tackles, deflected three passes, and intercepted Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard during a 24–20 loss. On November 28, 2010, Haden earned his first start at cornerback and recorded three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted Jimmy Clausen as the Browns defeated the Panthers, 24–23. During a Week 13 victory over the Miami Dolphins, Haden collected six combined tackles, four pass deflections, and intercepted Dolphins' quarterback Chad Henne for his fourth consecutive game with a pick. Haden became the first Browns player since 1968 to intercept a pass in four consecutive games. On December 26, 2010, he recorded five combined tackles and sacked Joe Flacco for the first of his career during a 20–10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He finished his rookie season with 64 combined tackles, 6 interceptions and one forced fumble.
Haden entered 2011 as the starting cornerback, alongside Sheldon Brown. He started the Browns' season-opening 27–17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals and recorded three combined tackles and a season-high five pass deflections. On December 8, 2012, Haden accumulated a season-high eight combined tackles, as the Browns were defeated by the Steelers, 13–9. He finished the season with a total of 65 combined tackles (53 solo), 19 pass deflections, and a sack in 15 games and 15 starts.
During the Browns' season-opening 17–16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Haden recorded six combined tackles and a pass deflection, and intercepted Eagles' quarterback Michael Vick, returning it for 50-yards. On October 17, 2012, Haden collected seven combined tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton, as the Browns defeated the Bengals, 34–24. In Week 8, he had a season-high eight combined tackles during a 7–6 victory over the San Diego Chargers.
On September 10, 2012, the NFL announced that Haden would receive a four-game suspension after testing positive for Adderall. This resulted in him losing four game checks worth ($1.356 million) and missing Weeks 2–5. He completed the season with 51 combined tackles (40 solo), 10 pass deflections, and three interceptions in 11 games and 11 starts.
In Week 3, Haden recorded a season-high eight combined tackles and deflected a pass during a victory over the Minnesota Vikings. During a Week 9 victory over the Ravens, Haden made six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted Joe Flacco for his first interception of the season. On November 17, 2013, he collected two combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted Bengals' quarterback Andy Dalton twice, as the Browns lost, 41–20. It was Haden's first career game with multiple interceptions and he also returned one of them for 44 yards to score his first career touchdown.