Tyler Conklin (born July 30, 1995) is an American professional football tight end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northwood and Central Michigan and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft.
| No. 83 – New York Jets | |||||||||
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| Position: | Tight end | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | July 30, 1995 Chesterfield, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 248 lb (112 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | L'Anse Creuse North (Macomb Township, Michigan) | ||||||||
| College: | Northwood (2014) Central Michigan (2014–2017) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2018 / round: 5 / pick: 157 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024 | |||||||||
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Early life
editConklin attended L'Anse Creuse High School - North in Macomb Township, Michigan, where he was a standout two-sport athlete, playing as a wide receiver in football and combo guard in basketball.[1] As a junior, Conklin led his basketball team to the Class A Final Four, scoring 22 points in a 59–46 semifinal loss to eventual state champion Saginaw High.[2]
College career
editAfter graduating from high school, Conklin was awarded a full-ride basketball scholarship to Northwood University. He stayed for one semester and played in seven games, averaging 2.6 rebounds, 1.9 points and 1.4 assists per game. However, midway through his freshman year, he transferred to Central Michigan University, where he walked on to the football team.[3] Coming in weighing less than ideal for the tight end position, Conklin sat out his first season with the Chippewas in order to gain weight. After gaining 25 pounds during the offseason, he earned a backup role in 2015, catching six passes for 95 yards.[4]
During the first one-on-one drill of training camp in August 2017, Conklin broke a bone in his left foot. He was cleared to return to the field on October 7 for the game against Ohio in which he set career-highs with 10 catches for 136 yards and two scores in a 26–23 victory.[5]
Soon after graduating with a major in communications, Conklin received an invitation to the 2018 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, where he caught two passes including a 16-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown pass from Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, whom the Buffalo Bills drafted at No. 7 overall.[6]
Professional career
editConklin performed well at the 2018 NFL Combine and ranked second among all tight ends in the vertical, fourth in the broad jump, fifth in the three-cone drill, and ninth in the 40-yard dash.[7]
| External videos | |
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 Conklin gets drafted by Minnesota |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
254 lb (115 kg) |
33 in (0.84 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
4.80 s | 1.60 s | 2.78 s | 4.23 s | 7.13 s | 38 in (0.97 m) |
10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) |
18 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[8][9] | ||||||||||||
Minnesota Vikings
editConklin was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (157th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[10] On May 5, 2018, Conklin signed a four-year contract worth $2.741 million, including a signing bonus of $281,032.[11] In the Vikings' season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, he had one reception for six yards in his NFL debut.[12]
In Week 15 of the 2020 season against the Chicago Bears, Conklin recorded 3 catches for 57 yards and his first career receiving touchdown during the 33–27 loss.[13]
New York Jets
editOn March 18, 2022, Conklin signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the New York Jets.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Tyler Conklin's High School Timeline".
- ^ "L'Anse Creuse North falls to Saginaw, 59-46, in Class A state semifinals". highschoolsports.mlive.com. March 23, 2012.
- ^ "Tyler Conklin passes on hoop dreams, earns shot with Vikings". Twin Cities. April 28, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Tyler Conklin 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Junior Trevor Conklin on NFL Draft prospect Tyler Conklin: 'I love my brother'". www.thescore.com.
- ^ "Josh Allen stole the show at the Senior Bowl". www.cm-life.com.
- ^ "5 things to know about new Vikings TE Tyler Conklin". www.vikings.com.
- ^ "Tyler Conklin Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ "2018 NFL Draft Scout Tyler Conklin College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ "Vikings Select Central Michigan TE Tyler Conklin in Round 5". Vikings.com. April 28, 2018. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018.
- ^ "Vikings sign draft picks Jalyn Holmes, Tyler Conklin". TwinCities.com. May 5, 2018.
- ^ "San Francisco 49ers at Minnesota Vikings - September 9th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2018.
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings - December 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ Greenberg, Ethan (March 18, 2022). "Jets Sign TE Tyler Conklin". NewYorkJets.com.