Deon Yelder

Deon Yelder (born March 6, 1995) is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Kentucky.

Deon Yelder
No. 82 – Kansas City Chiefs
Position:Tight end
Personal information
Born: (1995-03-06) March 6, 1995
Louisville, Kentucky
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school:Southern
(Louisville, Kentucky)
College:Western Kentucky
Undrafted:2018
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Receptions:10
Receiving yards:86
Receiving touchdowns:0
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Early life and high school

Yelder was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky and attended Southern High School. He originally only played basketball at Southern and did not play football until his junior year.[1]

College career

Yelder began his career at Western Kentucky as a walk-on and redshirted his freshman season. He saw his first collegiate action during his redshirt sophomore season, playing special teams, and did not catch his first career pass until his redshirt junior season. He earned a scholarship going into his redshirt senior season and finished the season with 52 receptions for 688 yards and eight total touchdowns and was named third team All-Conference USA.[2][3] Yelder's performance earned him an invitation to the 2017 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and a late invitation to the 2017 Senior Bowl, where he scored a touchdown on a one-yard reception from quarterback Kyle Lauletta.[1][4]

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Yelder was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent on May 2, 2018 and received a signing bonus of $90,000.[5][1] He was cut at the end of training camp and subsequently re-signed to the team's practice squad on September 2, 2018.[6] Yelder was released by the Saints on October 3, 2018.[7]

Kansas City Chiefs

Yelder was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad on October 4, 2018.[8] He was promoted by the Chiefs to the active roster on October 23, 2018.[9] Yelder made NFL debut on October 28, 2018 in a 30–23 win against the Denver Broncos, appearing on special teams.[10] He appeared in three games on special teams during his rookie season.[11]

Yelder caught his first career pass, a 24-yard reception from Patrick Mahomes, on September 29, 2019 in a 34–30 win over the Detroit Lions.[12] Yelder played in all three of the Chiefs playoff games, catching a pass for 11 yards in the team's Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans and playing in the Chiefs' victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.[13]

Yelder signed a one-year exclusive-rights free agent tender with the Chiefs on April 20, 2020.[14] On January 16, 2021, Yelder was placed on injured reserve. On February 6, 2021, Yelder was activated off of injured reserve ahead of Super Bowl LV against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[15]

References
  1. Erickson, Joel (May 19, 2018). "Saints might have landed 'an absolute steal' in undrafted tight end Deon Yelder". The Advocate. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  2. Goldman, Charles (October 23, 2018). "Former Western Kentucky walk-on Deon Yelder elevated to Chiefs' active roster". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  3. "White headlines 6 Toppers picked on Phil Steele's All-Conference USA squad". The Daily News. December 13, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  4. Jessie, Alec (January 29, 2018). "Former Hilltoppers participate in Senior Bowl". College Heights Herald. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  5. Sigler, John (May 2, 2018). "New Orleans Saints 2018 Undrafted Free Agency Tracker". Canal Street Chronicles. SB Nation. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  6. Johnson, Luke (September 2, 2018). "New Orleans Saints fill out their practice squad; Williams a late addition". The Times-Picayune. NOLA.com. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  7. Peloquin, Steve (October 3, 2018). "SAINTS MAKE MULTIPLE MOVES ON PRACTICE SQUAD". www.espn1420.com. KPEL. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  8. Connor, Matt (October 5, 2018). "Kansas City Chiefs add new tight end Deon Yelder to practice squad". www.ArrowheadAddict.com. FanSided. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  9. Pryor, Brooke (October 23, 2018). "Injury bug bites Chiefs again, with two more players moved to injured reserve". The Kansas City Star. KansasCity.com. Retrieved October 25, 2018.
  10. Goldman, Charles (October 30, 2018). "Chiefs snap counts, Week 8: Halfway point". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  11. Conner, Matt (May 6, 2019). "Deon Yelder seems more important for the Chiefs than expected". ArrowheadAddict.com. FanSided. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  12. Goldman, Charles (September 29, 2019). "Instant analysis of Chiefs' Week 4 win over Lions". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  13. Weiter, Taylor (February 3, 2020). "Louisville native Deon Yelder wins Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs". WHAS11.com. Retrieved February 6, 2020.
  14. "Chiefs' Deon Yelder: Staying with Chiefs". CBSSports.com. April 20, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
  15. Rosvoglou, Chris (February 6, 2021). "Chiefs Add 2 Players To Active Roster Before Super Bowl". The Spun. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
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