Henry Byrd (American football)

Henry Byrd (born July 1, 1999) is an American football guard for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Princeton Tigers, earning all-Ivy honors in 2019, 2021, and 2022.

Early life and high school
Byrd grew up in Nashville, Tennessee and attended The Ensworth School. He was a three-sport athlete competing in lacrosse, football and basketball. In basketball, he played together with James Wiseman. He also was a tap dancer and competed in Dance for Athletes 1 and Dance for Athletes 2.

College
Byrd played college football from 2018 to 2022 for the Princeton Tigers, earning All-Ivy League First Team honors in 2021 and 2022 and a Second-Team All-Ivy in 2019. In 2018, he received the Donold B. Lourie Award as the top offensive freshman.

Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft, Byrd signed as an undrafted free agent with the Denver Broncos. He was released on August 29, 2023. Two days later he was signed by the Minnesota Vikings to the practice squad, where he stayed until he was cut on November 4, 2023. He was signed to the practice squad by the San Francisco 49ers on November 7, 2023. He was released November 28, 2023.

On December 23, he was signed back to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad where he stayed for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season. On January 8, he signed together with nine other players a future contract with the Vikings.

Personal life
His father William Byrd played college football for Vanderbilt and was a later a tour manager for Bruce Springsteen.