Patrick Ryan Devlin (born April 12, 1988) is a former

NFL 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 major ...

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

. He was signed by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2011. He started at

for the

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens are the college athletics, athletic teams of the University of Delaware of Newark, Delaware, Newark, Delaware, in the United States. The Blue Hens compete in the Division I-AA#Football Championship Subdivision, Foo ...

of the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

. He was recruited to play for the

Penn State Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interco ...

out of

Downingtown East High School Downingtown High School is a secondary school located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania and Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania. Population growth in the burgeoning Downingtown Area School District forced the original Downingtown High School to split int ...

. Having set the Pennsylvania high school career passing yards record with 8,162 career yards, Devlin was a highly touted recruit. Devlin played two seasons at Penn State before deciding to transfer to Delaware.

College career

Penn State

2007

After redshirting the 2006 season, Devlin was listed as the third-string quarterback behind

Anthony Morelli Anthony Michael Morelli (born June 21, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Penn State. Morelli was a member of the San Jose Sabe ...

and

Daryll Clark Daryll Lawrence Clark (born February 5, 1986) is a former American football quarterback. He was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League as a free agent in 2010. He played collegiately for the Penn State Nittany Lions. Fro ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. Devlin saw action in games against Florida International,

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, and

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, but accumulated few statistics.

2008

In the weeks leading up to the start of the 2008 season, controversy swirled around the Nittany Lions' starting quarterback position.

, the more experienced and agile quarterback was being weighed against the younger, more prolific passing threat in Devlin. In the end, Penn State coach

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions football, Penn ...

chose to start

while having him split as much time with Devlin as would be possible. Lopsided victories in the first four games of the 2008 season provided Devlin with much playing time. In games against

Coastal Carolina Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

Syracuse Syracuse may refer to: Places Italy *Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa'' *Province of Syracuse United States *Syracuse, New York **East Syracuse, New York **North Syracuse, New York *Syracuse, Indiana * Syracuse, Kansas *Syracuse, Miss ...

, and Temple, Devlin threw for 260 yards and was 18 of 35. When Clark was forced out in the fourth quarter of the Nittany Lions' crucial game versus

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

due to a

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

, Devlin led the team on a go-ahead drive that was culminated by his own 1-yard touchdown run. He also had some playing time against Wisconsin,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, and Michigan State. Devlin appeared in ten games for the Nittany Lions, passing for 459 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. Devlin decided to transfer from Penn State prior to the

2009 Rose Bowl The 2009 Rose Bowl, the 95th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Thursday, January 1, 2009 at the same-named stadium in Pasadena, California. Because of sponsorship by Citi, the first game in the 2009 editio ...

Delaware

2009

Devlin signed with the

on February 4, 2009 to play for the

Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football The Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football team represents the University of Delaware in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) college football. The team is currently led by head coach ...

team. Devlin led the 2009 squad to a 6–5 record. Devlin started all eleven games for the Blue Hens, passing for 2,664 yards, sixteen touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In the final game of the season against

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine, Augustinians in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Sa ...

, Devlin passed for Delaware school records in completions (42) and attempts (58) and threw for 407 yards. Devlin was named the

Colonial Athletic Association The Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I whose full members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Most of its members are public universi ...

Football Offensive Player of the Week twice during the season, and led the league in passing average per game (242.2 yards) and total offense per game (253.7 yards). He also was honored as the

Eastern College Athletic Conference The Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) is a college athletic conference comprising schools that compete in 15 sports (13 men's and 13 women's). It has 220 member institutions in NCAA Divisions I, II, and III, ranging in location fro ...

Division I – Championship Subdivision Offensive Player of the Week. The Sports Network wrote that "Devlin has put some teeth back into the Blue Hen passing attack with his accurate throws and on-field leadership", and included him as a finalist in the voting for the 2009

Walter Payton Award The Walter Payton Award is awarded annually to the most outstanding offensive player in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) of college football as chosen by a nationwide panel of media and college sports ...

, given to the most outstanding offensive player in the

Division I Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was kn ...

(formerly Division I-AA). In November 2009, Devlin was honored as the local College Player of the Year by the Eagles Fly for Leukemia program, an organization supporting pediatric cancer and

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

research in the

Delaware Valley The Delaware Valley is a metropolitan region on the East Coast of the United States that comprises and surrounds Philadelphia, the sixth most populous city in the nation and 68th largest city in the world as of 2020. The toponym Delaware Val ...

2010

In June, Devlin was selected to the Consensus Draft Services Pre-Season NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision pre-season honorable mention All-American. The team is made up of players at the FCS level who the CDS staff predicts will be among the top players in the nation and have a chance to be selected in the National Football League Draft in April 2011. In July, Devlin was placed on the watchlists for the

and the

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award is given annually in the United States to the nation's top upperclassmen quarterback in college football. Candidates are judged on accomplishments on the field as well as on their character, scholastic achievemen ...

. In the season's first game against West Chester, Devlin completed 14 of 23 passes for 163 yards with three touchdown passes to lead the team to a 31–0 shutout. Although Devlin fractured a bone in his non-throwing wrist in the first quarter of the game against

South Dakota State South Dakota State University is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually ...

, he played through the middle of the fourth quarter. Although cleared to play the following week against Duquesne, Devlin stood on the sidelines. Devlin came back the following week with a big second-half win against

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

, but was knocked out of the following week's game against

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

with a concussion. Back at home against

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

, Devlin completed 20 of 36 passes for 286 yards, leading the Blue Hens to their sixth win of the season. After a close win against

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

and a one-point loss against William & Mary, he dominated against

Towson Towson () is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltim ...

, completing 29 of 38 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown while running for another score. Devlin became the ninth Delaware player to pass for over 4,000 yards in a career.

College statistics

Professional career

NFL Draft

Devlin entered the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

and was regarded as one of the top ten quarterbacks entering the draft by

NFL Network NFL Network (occasionally abbreviated on-air as NFLN) is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Football League (NFL) and is part of NFL Media, which also includes NFL.com, NFL Films, NFL Mobile, NFL Now and NFL ...

analyst

Mike Mayock Michael Francis Mayock (born August 14, 1958) is a former American football executive and former player who served as the general manager of the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) from 2019 to 2021. Mayock was a safety with ...

, but was not drafted. He was targeted as the first overall pick in the

2011 UFL Draft The 2011 UFL Draft was the third and final draft of the United Football League. The draft took place on Monday, May 2, 2011. The draft was held over a period of 10 rounds during which each of the five UFL teams was allowed one pick per round, in re ...

, but declined to sign a mandatory contract.

Miami Dolphins

He was signed by the

as an

on July 26, 2011. He was

waived A waiver is the voluntary relinquishment or surrender of some known right or privilege. Regulatory agencies of state departments or the federal government may issue waivers to exempt companies from certain regulations. For example, a United St ...

after the preseason, but signed with the team's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

. He was promoted to the team's active roster on December 20.

Minnesota Vikings

Devlin was signed to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

practice squad on November 3, 2014. On April 2, 2015, Devlin was waived by the Vikings.

Chicago Bears

Devlin was signed to the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

on May 11, 2015. On June 18, 2015, he was waived by Chicago.

Cleveland Browns

Devlin was signed to the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

on August 27, 2015. He was released by the Browns on September 5, 2015. On December 31, 2015, Devlin was re-signed by the Cleveland Browns to be back-up to Austin Davis after it was determined

Johnny Manziel Johnathan Paul Manziel ( ; born December 6, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the FCF Zappers of Fan Controlled Football (FCF). He played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) and was also a mem ...

would not play due to his status in the NFL concussion protocol.

Personal life

Devlin is a nephew of former

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. ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

Joe Devlin Joseph or Joe Devlin may refer to: * Joseph Devlin (1871–1934), Irish journalist and nationalist politician * Joe Devlin (American football) (born 1954), American football offensive tackle * Joe Devlin (footballer) (born 1927), retired Scottish ...

. Pat is married to Tristin Jones Devlin.

References

External links

Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Devlin, Pat 1988 births Living people People from Downingtown, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania American football quarterbacks Penn State Nittany Lions football players Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens football players Miami Dolphins players Minnesota Vikings players Chicago Bears players Cleveland Browns players Sportspeople from Chester County, Pennsylvania