Daniel Graham
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Daniel Lawrence Graham (born November 16, 1978) is a former
American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...
in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He played
college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...
for the
University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in the first round of the
2002 NFL Draft The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually sinc ...
, and also played professionally for the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
,
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
and
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
.


Early years

Graham was born in
Torrance, California Torrance is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the m ...
. Growing up in Denver, Colorado, he attended Thomas Jefferson High School. Graham won the Randy Brewer award, which was given to the school's most inspirational player. During his time there, he played the positions of tight end, outside
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
, long snapper, and placekicker. As a senior, he caught 33 passes for 741 yards (22.45 yards per reception) and six
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
s, and recorded twelve
quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...
s and 29 total
tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position), a position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...
in just seven games. He also lettered three times in
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
. At Thomas Jefferson High school and later at the University of Colorado, Graham wore jersey No. 89, the number that former
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
tight end
Mark Bavaro Mark Anthony Bavaro (born April 28, 1963) is a former American football tight end who played for the New York Giants (1985–1990), Cleveland Browns (1992), and Philadelphia Eagles (1993–1994) in the National Football League (NFL). Bavaro was ...
wore during his pro career. As a child Graham idolized Bavaro, who has since followed Graham's career and has come to befriend him in his adult life.


College career

While attending the
University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
, Graham played for the Colorado Buffaloes football team from 1998 to 2001. Nicknamed Grahambo, he was a prolific receiver for the Buffaloes, where he also started two games playing fullback during his freshman season before switching to tight end. After his senior season in 2001, he won the
John Mackey Award The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, ac ...
as the nation's best tight end, was a first-team All-Big 12 selection, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. He finished his college career with 106 receptions for 1,543 yards and 11 touchdowns. *1998: 3 catches for 83 yards. *1999: 19 catches for 264 yards with 4 TD. *2000: 33 catches for 433 yards with 1 TD. *2001: 51 catches for 753 yards with 6 TD.


Professional career


New England Patriots

In the first round of the
2002 NFL Draft The 2002 NFL draft was the 67th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually sinc ...
, the Patriots selected Graham with the 21st overall choice. Early in his career he was known for dropping too many passes and suffering apparent lapses of concentration. He improved greatly in this aspect of his playing and also made himself known as an excellent blocking tight end. In his rookie season, Graham recorded 15 receptions for 150 yards, and one
touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...
. He added four tackles on special teams. In 2003, he started nine games and recorded 38 catches for 409 yards and four touchdowns. By 2004, Graham was fully integrated into the Patriots' system. He had 30 receptions for 364 yards and seven touchdowns. The Patriots won the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
at the end of each of these seasons. Graham was named a Patriots team captain on December 6, 2006.


Denver Broncos

Graham was signed by the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
on March 6, 2007. The Broncos awarded Graham a five-year, $30 million contract. The deal included $15 million in guaranteed money that was distributed as a $10 million signing bonus along with a first-year roster bonus of $5 million. He was voted offensive captain along with quarterback
Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
for the
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
season. Daniel Graham was featured on the cover of the October 12, 2009 issue of
Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...
magazine. The cover photo shows Graham cradling the football in his left arm and hurdling an unnamed
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
player during the October 4, 2009 contest where the Broncos defeated the Cowboys by the score of 17-10. On March 2, 2011, the Broncos released Graham.


Tennessee Titans

On July 31, 2011, Graham signed a three-year deal with the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
. Graham scored his only touchdown with the Titans and his final career touchdown on September 25, 2011 with a 4-yard touchdown reception from
Matt Hasselbeck Matthew Michael Hasselbeck (born September 25, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College and was drafted in the sixth ro ...
in the fourth quarter of a 17-14 victory over the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
. He was released on June 12, 2012 with two years remaining on an $8.25 million contract. Graham was losing reps to
Jared Cook Jared Alan Cook (born April 7, 1987) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of South Carolina and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He has ...
, Craig Stevens and rookie Taylor Thompson.


New Orleans Saints

On August 11, 2012, Graham signed with the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. On November 2, 2012, Graham was released by the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
. He retired in August 2013.


NFL career statistics


Personal

His father, Tom Graham,
Tom Graham (American football) Thomas Lawrence Graham (April 15, 1950 – May 30, 2017) was an American football linebacker in the National Football League. From 1972 until 1978, he played for the Denver Broncos, the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Diego Chargers, and the Buffal ...
starred at the University of Oregon from 1969-1971 where he became the all-time leading tackler in Duck football history and a 2001 inductee into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame. Tom played professionally for the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
, the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...
, the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
, and the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
during the course of an eight-year career as a
linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
.


References


External links


New Orleans Saints bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Daniel 1978 births Living people Players of American football from Torrance, California African-American players of American football All-American college football players American football tight ends Colorado Buffaloes football players Denver Broncos players New England Patriots players Tennessee Titans players New Orleans Saints players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople