Tyler Conklin (born July 30, 1995) is an

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 wi ...

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. Lik ...

for the New York Jets of 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 at Northwood and

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said to resemble a mitten, and Mid Michigan cor ...

and was drafted by 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 expansi ...

in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

High school career

Conklin attended

L'Anse Creuse High School - North L'Anse Creuse High School - North, colloquially known as simply "L'Anse Creuse North", is a public, magnet high school in Macomb Township, Michigan, and serves grades 9-12. It is one of two high schools in the L'Anse Creuse Public Schools district ...

Macomb Township, Michigan Macomb Township is a civil township of Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 91,663 at the 2020 Census, which makes it the most-populated civil township in the state. It is the third most-populated township overall af ...

, where he was a standout two-sport athlete, playing as a wide receiver in football and

combo guard A combo guard is a basketball player who combines the attributes of a point guard (1) and shooting guard (2), but does not necessarily fit the standard description of either position. In men's basketball, such guards are usually within the 6' 3" ...

in basketball. As a junior, Conklin led his basketball team to the Class A Final Four, scoring 22 points in a 59-46 semifinal loss to eventual state champion Saginaw High.

College career

After graduating from high school, Conklin was awarded a full-ride basketball scholarship to

Northwood University Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood University opened as Nort ...

. He stayed for one semester and played in seven games, averaging 2.6 rebounds, 1.9 points and 1.4 assists per game. However, midway through his freshman year, he transferred to Central Michigan University, where he walked on to the football team. Coming in weighing less than ideal for the tight end position, Conklin sat out his first season with the Chippewas in order to gain weight. After gaining 25 pounds during the offseason, he earned a backup role in 2015, catching six passes for 95 yards. During the first one-on-one drill of training camp in August 2017, Conklin broke a bone in his left foot. He was cleared to return to the field on October 7 for the game against

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

in which he set career-highs with 10 catches for 136 yards and two scores in a 26-23 victory. Soon after graduating with a major in

communications Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inquir ...

, Conklin received an invitation to the

2018 Senior Bowl The 2018 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2018 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game was the last ...

in Mobile, Alabama, where he caught two passes including a 16-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown pass from

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

quarterback

Josh Allen Josh or Joshua Allen may refer to: * Josh Allen (offensive lineman) (born 1991), former American football player * Josh Allen (quarterback) (born 1996), American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills since 2018 * Josh Allen (defensi ...

, whom the Buffalo Bills drafted at No. 7 overall.

Professional career

Conklin performed well at the 2018 NFL Combine and ranked second among all tight ends in the vertical, fourth in the broad jump, fifth in the three-cone drill, and ninth in the 40-yard dash.

Minnesota Vikings

Conklin was drafted by the

in the fifth round (157th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. On May 5, 2018, Conklin signed a four-year contract worth $2.741 million, including a signing bonus of $281,032. In the Vikings' season opener against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, he had one reception for six yards in his NFL debut. In Week 15 of the 2020 season against the Chicago Bears, Conklin recorded 3 catches for 57 yards and his first career receiving touchdown during the 33–27 loss.

New York Jets

On March 18, 2022, Conklin signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the New York Jets.

References

External links

New York Jets bio

Central Michigan Chippewas bio

Northwood Timberwolves bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conklin, Tyler 1995 births Living people American football tight ends Central Michigan Chippewas football players Minnesota Vikings players People from Chesterfield, Missouri Players of American football from St. Louis County, Missouri New York Jets players