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 one season of college basketball at Northwood before transferring to Central Michigan to play college football. He 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 (2013) Central Michigan (2014–2017) | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2018 / round: 5 / pick: 157 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 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 Division II 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, after the conclusion of the fall 2013 semester, Conklin realized he was unhappy and wanted to pursue a career in football. He transferred to Central Michigan University, where he walked on to the football team in the spring of 2014.[3] The Central Michigan coaching staff initially wanted him to play defensive end, despite Conklin’s strong desire to play tight end. He began the process of transferring again, this time to play tight end with his close friend and former high school quarterback at NAIA Siena Heights University. However, when the Central Michigan coaching staff learned of this, they convinced him to stay, agreeing to let him play tight end and assuring him that he’d have the opportunity to earn a scholarship in the spring of 2015.[4]
Coming in at only 195 pounds, Conklin redshirted for his first season with the Chippewas, playing on the scout team while adding weight. After gaining 25 pounds during the offseason, he earned a scholarship and a role as a backup tight end for the 2015 season, playing in all 13 games and catching six passes for 95 yards. He became a starter as a redshirt sophomore in 2016, playing in 13 games with 11 starts, recording 42 receptions for 560 yards and six touchdowns.[5]
During the first one-on-one drill of CMU’s training camp in August 2017, Conklin broke a bone in his left foot and was diagnosed with a Jones Fracture. After his rehab went better than anticipated,[6] Conklin was cleared to return to the field on October 7, 2017 for CMU’s game against Ohio in which he set career-highs with 10 catches for 136 yards and two scores in a 26–23 victory.[7] After missing five games due to his foot injury, Conklin finished his redshirt junior season with 35 receptions for 504 yards and five touchdowns in 8 games played.[8] He was named Third-team All-MAC for his efforts in the 2017 season.[9]
Conklin finished his career at Central Michigan with 83 catches for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns.[10] 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.[11]
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.[12]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 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[13][14] | ||||||||||||
Minnesota Vikings
editConklin was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (157th overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[15] On May 5, 2018, Conklin signed a four-year contract worth $2.741 million, including a signing bonus of $281,032.[16] In the Vikings' season opener against the San Francisco 49ers, he had one reception for six yards in his NFL debut.[17]
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.[18]
New York Jets
editOn March 18, 2022, Conklin signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the New York Jets.[19]
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.
- ^ Rosenblatt, Zack (September 27, 2024). "How Tyler Conklin went from miserable college hoopster to an indispensable leader on the Jets". The New York Times. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ https://www.nfl.com/prospects/tyler-conklin/3200434f-4e18-5250-1988-fe7b6c249df3
- ^ https://www.seniorbowl.com/central-michigan-te-tyler-conklin-ready-to-go/
- ^ "Junior Trevor Conklin on NFL Draft prospect Tyler Conklin: 'I love my brother'". www.thescore.com.
- ^ https://www.nfl.com/prospects/tyler-conklin/3200434f-4e18-5250-1988-fe7b6c249df3
- ^ https://getsomemaction.com/news/2017/11/28/mac-announces-2017-postseason-football-awards.aspx
- ^ https://www.newyorkjets.com/news/jets-sign-te-tyler-conklin
- ^ "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.