Amara Darboh

Amara Darboh (born February 1, 1994) is a Sierra Leonean American football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He played college football at Michigan. A native of Sierra Leone, Darboh was orphaned during the Sierra Leone Civil War and moved to Iowa at age seven. He enrolled at the University of Michigan and was the Wolverines' leading receiver with 58 catches in 2016.

Amara Darboh
No. 81 – Carolina Panthers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1994-02-01) February 1, 1994
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Dowling Catholic
(West Des Moines, Iowa)
College:Michigan
NFL Draft:2017 / Round: 3 / Pick: 106
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Reserve/Future
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Receptions:8
Receiving yards:71
Receiving touchdowns:0
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Darboh was born in Sierra Leone, Africa, in 1994.[1] At the age of two, Darboh's parents were killed, and he left the family's home in Freetown with his siblings to escape the violent Sierra Leone Civil War that left over 50,000 dead.[2][3][4] The family lived for a time in Gambia and Senegal.[5] The family settled in Iowa when Darboh was seven years old.[3][5] Darboh was taken in by the Schaefer family in Des Moines and attended Holy Trinity Catholic School and would go on to play high school football at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, Iowa.[4]

College career

Darboh enrolled at the University of Michigan and has played college football for the Michigan Wolverines starting in 2012. As a true freshman in 2012, he appeared in four games as a backup at wide receiver and 11 games on special teams. He then missed the 2013 season due to a foot injury sustained prior to the start of the season.[6][7][8][9]

Darboh saw his first significant playing time as a redshirt sophomore in 2014. He appeared in 12 games, eight of them as a starter at wide receiver.[6] His best game of the season was against Indiana on November 1, as he had nine receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown.[10] Over the course of the entire 2014 season, Darboh was Michigan's second leading receiver (trailing only Devin Funchess) with 36 receptions for 473 yards and two touchdowns.[11]

As a redshirt junior in 2015, Darboh appeared in 13 games, including nine as a starter at wide receiver.[6] In the season opener against Utah, Darboh had eight receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown. Darboh also became a United States citizen in September 2016.[5][12][13][14] Against Indiana on November 14, he had eight catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Over the course of the season, he led the Wolverines with 58 receptions, and his 727 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns ranked second among the Michigan receivers, trailing only Jehu Chesson.[15]

In August 2016, prior to the start of the 2016 season, head coach Jim Harbaugh said of Darboh, "I would say he's our top receiver right now."[16] On September 10, 2016, Darboh caught five passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns, including a 45-yard touchdown pass from Wilton Speight in the first quarter.[17][18] On October 29, 2016, he had the best game of his college career, catching eight passes for 165 yards.[19][20] Through the first eight games of the 2016 season, Darboh was the leading Michigan receiver with 38 catches for 664 yards and five touchdowns.[21] During the 2016 season, Darboh was the team's leading receiver with 52 receptions for 826 yards and seven touchdowns. Boasting two 100-yard receiving performances, Darboh ranks fourth in reception yards per game in the Big Ten, averaging 68.8 yards.[22] Following the 2016 season, Darboh was named to the All-Big Ten offensive second-team.[23]

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
6 ft 1 5⁄8 in
(1.87 m)		 214 lb
(97 kg)		 32 5⁄8 in
(0.83 m)		 9 7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		 4.45 s 4.30 s 6.81 s 36 in
(0.91 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		 17 reps
Values from NFL Combine and pro day[24][25]

Seattle Seahawks

Darboh was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round, 106th overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft.[26] On May 23, 2017, Darboh signed a four-year deal worth $3.175 million overall with a $706,288 signing bonus.[27] On September 10, 2017, Darboh made his NFL debut in a 17–9 loss to the Green Bay Packers.[28] In Week 2, against the San Francisco 49ers, he had his first career reception, a 16-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson, in the 12–9 victory.[29]

Darboh was waived by the Seahawks on September 1, 2018.[30]

New England Patriots

On September 2, Darboh was claimed off waivers by the New England Patriots, but was waived two days with a failed physical designation.[31][32]

Seattle Seahawks (second stint)

After being waived by the Patriots due to a failed physical, Darboh reverted to the Seattle Seahawks and was placed on injured reserve.[33] He was waived on August 27, 2019.[34]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On September 16, 2019, Darboh was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad.[35] He was promoted to the active roster on October 17, 2019.[36] He was waived on November 5.[37]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On November 18, 2019, Darboh was signed to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.[38] He was promoted to the active roster on December 16, 2019.[39]

Darboh was waived on September 5, 2020, and was signed to the practice squad the next day.[40][41] He was released on October 26, 2020.[42]

Carolina Panthers

On December 11, 2020, Darboh signed with the practice squad of the Carolina Panthers.[43] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on January 4, 2021.[44]

References
  1. "Learn the amazing story of Michigan WR Amara Darboh". Big Ten Network. October 2, 2015.
  2. Byron Drahold (May 1, 2017). "New Seahawks wide receiver Amara Darboh's amazing journey". SeahawksWire.USAToday.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  3. Bob Hamar (August 19, 2016). "Darboh is an American success story". The Grand Island Independent.
  4. Kyle Meinke (January 29, 2012). "War-time orphan to big-time football: Michigan recruit Amara Darboh survives to become Freetown's Finest". The Ann Arbor News.
  5. Larry Lage (September 26, 2015). "Michigan's Darboh Becomes US Citizen and Makes Amazing Catch". Associated Press.
  6. "Amara Darboh Bio". Mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  7. Nick Baumgardner (March 26, 2015). "Michigan WR Amara Darboh senses big opportunity, but still focused on helping others". Mlive.com.
  8. Brendan F. Quinn (August 13, 2014). "Amara Darboh hopes to bring a little extra to the Michigan offense, in more ways than one". Mlive.com.
  9. Kyle Austin (March 27, 2014). "Michigan WR Amara Darboh feels 100 percent after foot injury but still limited in spring practice". Mlive.com.
  10. Alexa Dettelbach (November 4, 2014). "Amara Darboh: Michigan football's best-kept secret". The Michigan Daily.
  11. "Michigan Football Statistics (12-game Totals)". Mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. November 29, 2014. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  12. Ricky Lindsay (September 25, 2016). "Darboh's Wild, American Week". The Michigan Journal.
  13. Mark Snyder (September 27, 2015). "U-M's Darboh finishes long journey to U.S. citizenship". Detroit Free Press.
  14. "Michigan WR Amara Darboh grateful to become U.S. citizen". Sports Illustrated. September 24, 2015.
  15. "2015 Michigan Football Statistics (13-game Totals)". Mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. January 1, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  16. Mark Snyder (August 4, 2016). "Everything finally lined up for U-M receiver Amara Darboh". Detroit Free Press.
  17. Evan Petzold (September 10, 2016). "Amara Darboh talks chemistry with Wilton Speight". Maize N Brew.
  18. "Michigan airs it out early in blowout win over UCF". ESPN.com. September 10, 2016.
  19. George Sipple (October 29, 2016). "Michigan WR Amara Darboh rips apart MSU in last chance to beat rival". Detroit Free Press.
  20. "Amara Darboh dialed in as Michigan's top receiver, enjoys career day vs. MSU". Mlive.com. October 30, 2016.
  21. "2016 Michigan Football Statistics (8-game Totals)". Mgoblue.com. University of Michigan. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  22. "Peppers, Lewis Lead All 11 Defenders Honored by B1G". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on June 22, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  23. "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. November 30, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  24. "WR - Amara Darboh - Michigan, Big Ten", NFL.com, retrieved May 26, 2017
  25. Brandt, Gil (March 24, 2017). "Pro day results: Michigan, Cal, BYU, Akron, Utah State". NFL.com. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  26. Yohannes, Aron (April 28, 2017). "Seattle Seahawks Select Michigan Wide Receiver Amara Darboh With No. 106 Overall Pick In 2017 NFL Draft". Seahawks.com.
  27. Alexander, Mookie (May 26, 2017). "Seahawks sign top draft choice Malik McDowell, as well as third-round pick Amara Darboh". FieldGulls.com. SBNation. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
  28. "Seattle Seahawks at Green Bay Packers - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  29. "San Francisco 49ers at Seattle Seahawks - September 17th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  30. "Seahawks Set 53-Man Roster". Seahawks.com. September 1, 2018.
  31. "Patriots claim two players". Patriots.com. September 2, 2018.
  32. "Patriots Make Roster Moves". Patriots.com. September 4, 2018.
  33. "Amara Darboh reverts back to Seahawks Injured Reserve". 247sports.com. September 14, 2018.
  34. Boyle, John (August 27, 2019). "Seahawks Make Roster Moves, Adding Two Receivers". Seahawks.com.
  35. Smith, Scott (September 16, 2019). "Bucs Sign WR Amara Darboh to Practice Squad". Buccaneers.com.
  36. Smith, Scott (October 17, 2019). "Bucs Promote WR Amara Darboh, Bring OLB Kahzin Daniels Back". Buccaneers.com.
  37. Williams, Charean (November 5, 2019). "Bucs waive Amara Darboh". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  38. Popejoy, Curt (November 18, 2019). "Steelers continue to shuffle practice squad players". Steelers Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  39. Varley, Teresa (December 16, 2019). "Darboh promoted to active roster". Steelers.com.
  40. Varley, Teresa (September 6, 2020). "Steelers make moves to get to 53-man roster". Steelers.com.
  41. Varley, Teresa (September 6, 2020). "Steelers add 14 to practice squad". Steelers.com.
  42. Bryan, Dave (October 26, 2020). "Steelers Shuffle Practice Squad Wide Receivers On Monday". SteelersDepot.com.
  43. Bryan, Will (December 11, 2020). "Three players activated from reserve/COVID-19 list". Panthers.com. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  44. Bryan, Will (January 4, 2021). "Panthers sign 14 players to reserve future contracts for 2021". Panthers.com.
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