Jaelon Darden

Jaelon Darden (born January 14, 1999) is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Texas. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Jaelon Darden
No. 16 – Cleveland Browns
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1999-01-14) January 14, 1999
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)
NFL Draft:2021 / Round: 4 / Pick: 129
Career history
Roster status:Practice squad
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 3, 2022
Receptions:8
Receiving yards:69
Receiving touchdowns:0
Return yards:672
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

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
Jaelon Darden Receiving
Year Team GP Rec Yards TD
2017 North Texas 13 32 281 3
2018 North Texas 13 48 575 4
2019 North Texas 12 76 736 12
2020 North Texas 9 74 1,190 19
Career 47 230 2,782 38

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 ft 7+5⁄8 in
(1.72 m)		 174 lb
(79 kg)		 30+5⁄8 in
(0.78 m)		 8+3⁄4 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]

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.
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