Staten attended Ware County High School in Waycross, Georgia, where he earned all-state honors as a junior and a senior.

He was selected to play in the 2008 GACA North/South All-Star Game and was named one of the top 100 players in the South by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Outside of football, Staten lettered in track and field, reaching the state finals in the shot put.

He received scholarship offers from seven NCAA Division I schools, including Auburn, Clemson, and South Carolina, but ultimately decided to play for Rick Stockstill and the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders.

[6][7] Staten was sitting in his college graduation ceremony at Murphy Center when he received the phone call from Seattle indicating that they were going to draft him.

[11] On September 30, 2015, Staten was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad.

[15] He was promoted to the active roster on November 19, 2016 but was released two days later and re-signed to the practice squad.