No. 82 | |||||||
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Position: | Tight end | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Naples, Florida, U.S. | November 24, 1992||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Barron G. Collier (Naples, Florida) | ||||||
College: | Ohio State (2011–2014) | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2015 / Round: 3 / Pick: 92 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Jeff Heuerman (born November 24, 1992) [1] is a former American football tight end. He played college football for Ohio State, and in 2015 won the CFP National Championship. He was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos, where he played until 2019.
Heuerman was an avid hockey player growing up, playing the sport for eight years. He spent one year living in Detroit with his grandfather, to play hockey for the Detroit Compuware team. [2] He played football at Barron Collier High School in Naples, Florida, where he also excelled in track and basketball. [3]
Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com , Heuerman was rated as the 18th-best tight end prospect of his class. [4]
Heuerman enrolled early at Ohio State University, joining the Ohio State Buckeyes football team in January 2011. As a freshman, he played in 10 games, making his lone catch on the season against Florida in the 2012 Gator Bowl. [5] As a sophomore, he played in all 12 games, including nine starts. He had eight receptions on the year for 94 yards, including his first collegiate touchdown, an 18-yard score against Nebraska. [6] As a junior, Heuerman led all Buckeyes receivers by averaging 17.9 yards per reception with 26 receptions for 466 yards and four touchdowns, and earned himself conference honorable mention honors. [7] As a senior, he had 17 receptions for 207 yards and two touchdowns. [8]
On December 14, 2014, it was announced that Heuerman accepted his invitation to play in the 2015 Senior Bowl, along with teammates Doran Grant and Michael Bennett. [9] Unfortunately, Heuerman was unable to play in the Senior Bowl after suffering an ankle injury late in his senior season. [10] He was one of 19 collegiate tight ends to attend the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was limited to performing the bench press and tied Penn State's Jesse James for second among all tight ends, behind Louisville's Gerald Christian. [11] On March 13, 2015, Heuerman attended Ohio States pro day and performed the majority of combine drills. He attended a private visit with representatives from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was projected to be a third- or fourth-round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. [12] Heuerman was ranked as the third best tight end prospect in the draft by Sports Illustrated and NFLDraftScout.com and was ranked the fifth best tight end by NFL analysts Charles Davis and Mike Mayock. [13] [14] [15] [16]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 5+1⁄8 in (1.96 m) | 254 lb (115 kg) | 33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) | 10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.81 s | 1.63 s | 2.75 s | 34+1⁄2 in (0.88 m) | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) | 26 reps | |||
All values from NFL Combine/Ohio State's Pro Day [17] |
The Denver Broncos selected Heuerman in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2015 NFL draft. He was the fourth tight end selected in 2015. [18] On May 9, 2015, he tore his ACL in rookie camps and was ruled out for the 2015 season. [19] On June 4, 2015, the Broncos signed Heuerman to a four-year, $2.81 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $620,806. [20]
On February 7, 2016, Heuerman was part of the Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50. In the game, the Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers by a score of 24–10. [21] Heuerman did not play in the game due to injury. [22]
Throughout training camp, Heuerman competed against Virgil Green, Garrett Graham, Manasseh Garner, and Henry Krieger-Coble for the vacant starting tight end position after the departures of Owen Daniels and Vernon Davis in free agency. On August 17, 2016, Heuerman suffered a hamstring injury during practice and missed the entire preseason. Head coach Gary Kubiak named Heuerman the backup tight end behind Green to start the season. [23]
He missed the first two games of the season due to his hamstring injury. [24] On September 25, 2016, he made his professional regular season debut in a Week 3 matchup at the Cincinnati Bengals and caught one pass for 29 yards in their 29–17 victory. [25] In Week 6, Heuerman was a healthy scratch after Green returned from an injury that caused him to miss three consecutive games. [26] On December 25, 2016, Heuerman earned his first career start after Green and A. J. Derby were both declared inactive with injuries. [27] He caught a season-high three passes for 32 yards during a 33–10 loss at the Kansas City Chiefs. [28] He finished his first active season with nine receptions for 141 receiving yards in 12 games and two starts. [29]
Under new head coach Vance Joseph, Heuerman competed against Green, Derby, and Kreiger-Coble for the starting tight end position. He was named the second tight end behind Green to begin the 2017 season. [30]
On October 15, 2017, Heuerman caught his first career touchdown on a 13-yard pass from Trevor Siemian in the fourth quarter during a 23–10 loss at the New York Giants. [31] On December 14, 2017, he caught a career-long 54-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Osweiler in the Broncos' 25–13 victory at the Indianapolis Colts. [32] He finished the 2017 season with nine receptions for 142 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 14 games and six starts. [33]
Heuerman entered the 2018 season slated as the Broncos starting tight end. He played in 11 games with 10 starts, recording a career-high 31 catches for 281 yards and two touchdowns. [34] In Week 12, he suffered three broken ribs and a bruised lung and was ruled out for the rest of the season. [35] He was placed on injured reserve on November 27, 2018. [36]
On March 15, 2019, Heuerman signed a two-year, $9 million contract extension with the Broncos. [37] In the 2019 season, Heuerman finished with 14 receptions for 114 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in 14 games and 11 starts. [38]
On July 31, 2020, Heuerman was released by the Broncos. [39]
Heuerman was born to Melissa and Paul Heuerman and has two younger brothers, Mike and Matt. His younger brother, Mike, played tight end at the University of Notre Dame. [40]
Vernon Leonard Davis is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, earning first-team All-American honors in 2005. Davis was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the sixth overall pick of the 2006 NFL draft. In 2009, he co-led the NFL in touchdown receptions and consequently earned his first of two career Pro Bowl selections.
Owen Gerald Daniels is a former football player. He played as a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers, and was selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He is a two-time Pro Bowl selection. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens and Denver Broncos. As a member of the Broncos, he helped the team win Super Bowl 50 over the Carolina Panthers.
Jacob Francis Tamme is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Kentucky and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Gregory Walter Olsen is an American football sportscaster and former tight end who played for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft. Olsen also played for the Carolina Panthers, with whom he made three Pro Bowls, and became the first tight end in NFL history to record three consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Olsen played his final season with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020. Following his retirement Olsen joined Fox as a sportscaster and is currently the lead color commentator for the NFL on Fox.
Eric Thomas Decker is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football and college baseball for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. After four seasons with the Broncos, Decker played for the New York Jets for three years, then the Tennessee Titans for one season.
Virgil Leo Green is an American football coach and former tight end who is currently the tight ends coach at the University of Nevada, Reno. He played college football at Nevada and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
Julius Dewayne Thomas is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football and basketball at Portland State, and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL draft. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins.
Jeffrey Matthew Driskel is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators and Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL draft. Driskel has played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns.
Kyle Patrick Juszczyk is an American football fullback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Harvard Crimson, and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Mychal Rashawn Rivera is a former American football tight end. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Tyler Kroft is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at Rutgers. He was drafted in the third round, 85th overall, in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He has also played for the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
Darren Charles Waller is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 9 seasons. He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL draft. He is the great-grandson of composer and jazz pianist Fats Waller.
Alexander John Derby is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Iowa (2010–11), Coffeyville Community College (2012), and Arkansas (2013–14).
Jonathan Duane "Jake" Butt is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Michigan. He was selected as a two-time All-American and was a two-time Big Ten Tight End of the Year. Also winning the Ozzie Newsome Award, John Mackey Award and the Senior CLASS Award. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL draft.
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Colby John Parkinson is an American football tight end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Stanford and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.