kids encyclopedia robot

Jaelon Darden facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
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
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
  • Conference USA Most Valuable Player (2020)
  • All-American (2020)
  • First-team All-Conference USA (2019, 2020)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2024
Receptions: 9
Receiving yards: 75
Return yards: 1,232
Player stats at PFR

Jaelon Darden (born January 14, 1999) is an American professional 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 life

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 over offers from Liberty, Memphis, Southern Miss, UNLV, and Virginia Tech, among others.

College career

Darden played at North Texas from 2017 to 2020. 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. He was also a finalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

College statistics

Year Team GP Receiving
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 size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 7+58 in
(1.72 m)
174 lb
(79 kg)
30+58 in
(0.78 m)
8+34 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

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Darden was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round, 129th overall, of the 2021 NFL draft. He signed his four-year rookie contract with Tampa Bay on May 19, 2021. He was waived on December 6, 2022.

Cleveland Browns

Darden was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns on December 7, 2022.

On August 29, 2023, Darden was waived by the Browns and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 15, 2024.

On August 27, 2024, Darden was waived by the Browns and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 7, but waived a week later. Darden was re-signed to the practice squad on September 17. He was promoted to the active roster on October 29.

kids search engine
Jaelon Darden Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.