Jaelon Darden

Last updated

Jaelon Darden
Personal information
Born: (1999-01-14) January 14, 1999 (age 25)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:175 lb (79 kg)
Career information
High school: Eisenhower
(Houston, Texas)
College: North Texas (2017–2020)
Position: Wide receiver
NFL draft: 2021  / round: 4 / pick: 129
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:8
Receiving yards:69
Rushing yards:13
Return yards:994
Player stats at PFR

Jaelon Darden (born January 14, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at North Texas. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Contents

Early life

Darden attended Eisenhower High School in Houston, Texas. He earned all-district honors as a quarterback in 2015. He was considered a 3-star wide receiver coming out of high school. He committed to the University of North Texas to play college football on February 1, 2017. [1]

College career

Darden played at North Texas from 2017 to 2020. [2] During his career he had a school record 230 receptions for 2,782 yards and 38 touchdowns. As a senior in 2020, he was the Conference USA MVP and was named an All-American by ESPN and USA Today after recording 74 receptions for 1,190 yards and 19 touchdowns. [3] [4] [5] He was also a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award. [6]

College statistics

YearTeamGPReceiving
RecYardsTD
2017North Texas13322813
2018North Texas13485754
2019North Texas127673612
2020North Texas9741,19019
Career 472302,78238

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 7+58 in
(1.72 m)
174 lb
(79 kg)
30+58 in
(0.78 m)
8+34 in
(0.22 m)
4.46 s1.54 s2.58 s4.10 s6.67 s35.5 in
(0.90 m)
10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)
11 reps
All values from Pro Day [7] [8]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Darden was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round, 129th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft. [9] He signed his four-year rookie contract with Tampa Bay on May 19, 2021. [10] He was waived on December 6, 2022. [11]

Cleveland Browns

Darden was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns on December 7, 2022. [12]

On August 29, 2023, Darden was waived by the Browns and re-signed to the practice squad. [13] [14] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 15, 2024. [15]

On August 27, 2024, Darden was waived by the Browns and re-signed to the practice squad. [16] [17] He was promoted to the active roster on September 7, but waived a week later. [18] [19]

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References

  1. "Jaelon Darden, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  2. Vito, Brett (September 30, 2020). "Darden followed challenging path to rewarding career at UNT". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  3. Vito, Brett (December 22, 2020). "UNT wide receiver Jaelon Darden named C-USA MVP". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  4. Vito, Brett (December 23, 2020). "UNT's Darden earns another All-American honor as recognition for wide receiver pours in". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  5. Myerberg, Paul (December 23, 2020). "Alabama's Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith lead USA TODAY Sports' 2020 All-America teams". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  6. Hicks, Phil (December 23, 2020). "Fab Five: Finalists named for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award". TylerPaper.com. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  7. "Jaelon Darden Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  8. "Jaelon Darden, North Texas, WR, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  9. Smith, Scott (May 1, 2021). "Buccaneers Trade Up in Round Four to Nab WR Jaelon Darden". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  10. Ortenberg, Andrew (May 19, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/19/21". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  11. Smith, Scott (December 6, 2022). "Bucs Waive Jaelon Darden". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  12. "Browns claim WR Jaelon Darden, place WR Anthony Schwartz on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. December 7, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  13. "Browns reduce roster to 53". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 29, 2023.
  14. "Browns claim CB Kahlef Hailassie and add 15 to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 30, 2023.
  15. "Browns sign nine to reserve/futures contracts". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 15, 2024.
  16. Russo, Kelsey (August 27, 2024). "Browns announce initial 53-man roster heading into 2024 season". ClevelandBrowns.com.
  17. "Browns sign 13 players to the practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 28, 2024.
  18. "Browns sign WR Jaelon Darden to active roster, elevate two". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 7, 2024.
  19. "Browns sign WR James Proche II and LB Winston Reid to active roster". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 14, 2024.