Before his junior season in 2000, he was suspended one game for receiving unadvertised discounts at a shoe store.
After his stint with the Titans ended, he spent time with the Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions, failing to appear in a game for any of the teams.
[2] He attended Ursuline High School in Youngstown, where he was named third-team All-State.
He also played wide receiver for the football team, recording 25 receptions for 558 yards in his career.
[9] He served his one-game suspension during week two of the season, in which Wisconsin won 27–23 against Oregon.
Entering 2001, Echols became the only returning member of Wisconsin's secondary after the other players either graduated or declared for the 2001 NFL draft.
In an interview about the team, secondary coach Todd Bradford said that Echols, "is probably as good a tackling defensive back as there is in the country.
[14] Leading up to the draft, Pete Prisco of CBS Sports wrote that Echols, "isn't that big, but he can sure run."
[2] On the second day of the draft, Echols was selected with the 12th pick of the fourth round by the Tennessee Titans.
[25] Despite starting, he was considered a candidate to be traded at the end of training camp,[26] only to be released on September 14.
[27] On September 20, 2004, Echols was signed to the practice squad of the Indianapolis Colts.
[33] After becoming a restricted free agent at season's end, he re-signed with the Lions on April 14, 2005.
[37] In his debut with Hamilton on July 21, he intercepted a pass from Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.