Jaelon Darden

American football player (born 1999)

American football player

Jaelon Darden

No. 16 – Cleveland Browns

Position:

Wide receiver

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)

NFL draft:

2021 / Round: 4 / Pick: 129

Career history

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021–2022)
Cleveland Browns (2022–present)

Roster status:

Active

Career highlights and awards

Conference USA Most Valuable Player (2020)
All-American (2020)
First-team All-Conference USA (2019)

Career NFL statistics as of 2023

Receptions:	8
Receiving yards:	69
Rushing yards:	13
Return yards:	994

Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

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.

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

Year	Team	GP	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
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
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 s	1.54 s	2.58 s	4.10 s	6.67 s	35.5 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]

References

^ "Jaelon Darden, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wide Receiver". 247Sports. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
^ Vito, Brett (September 30, 2020). "Darden followed challenging path to rewarding career at UNT". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
^ Vito, Brett (December 22, 2020). "UNT wide receiver Jaelon Darden named C-USA MVP". Denton Record-Chronicle. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
^ 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.
^ 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.
^ Hicks, Phil (December 23, 2020). "Fab Five: Finalists named for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award". TylerPaper.com. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
^ "Jaelon Darden Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
^ "Jaelon Darden, North Texas, WR, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
^ Smith, Scott (May 1, 2021). "Buccaneers Trade Up in Round Four to Nab WR Jaelon Darden". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
^ Ortenberg, Andrew (May 19, 2021). "NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/19/21". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
^ Smith, Scott (December 6, 2022). "Bucs Waive Jaelon Darden". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
^ "Browns claim WR Jaelon Darden, place WR Anthony Schwartz on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. December 7, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
^ "Browns reduce roster to 53". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 29, 2023.
^ "Browns claim CB Kahlef Hailassie and add 15 to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 30, 2023.
^ "Browns sign nine to reserve/futures contracts". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 15, 2024.