Derrick Harvey (born November 9, 1986) is a former

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defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

. He played college football for the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He was drafted by the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

in the first round (eighth overall) of the 2008 NFL Draft, and also played for the

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Early years

Harvey was born in

Greenbelt, Maryland Greenbelt is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, and a suburb of Washington, D.C. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,921. Greenbelt is the first and the largest of the three experimental and controversial New D ...

in 1986.Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Derrick Harvey
Retrieved April 15, 2011. He attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School in

,databaseFootball.com, Players
Derrick Harvey
. Retrieved April 15, 2011. only starting his high school football career as a junior for the Roosevelt Raiders.Gatorzone.com, Football History, 2007 Roster
Derrick Harvey
. Retrieved April 15, 2011. As a senior, he recorded over 150 tackles and 31 sacks, a Maryland state record, as well as five forced fumbles, two recovered fumbles and five batted down passes. He led his team to a 12-1 record and the Maryland Class 4A state semi-finals, where they lost their only game of the season. He received first-team all-state honors by the Associated Press, and was the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year. Harvey was a high school first-team

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

selection by '' Parade'' magazine, Tom Lemming, EA Sports, Riddell and SuperPrep, and a second-team All-America selection by ''

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''. A five-star recruit, he eventually committed to Florida, after also considering Ohio State, Maryland and Tennessee.

College career

Harvey accepted an athletic scholarship to enroll at the

in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach

Urban Meyer Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...

Florida Gators football The Florida Gators football program represents the University of Florida (UF) in American college football. Florida competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division o ...

team from 2005 to 2007.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 97, 125, 153–154, 173, 182 (2011). Retrieved August 29, 2011. As a true freshman in 2004, he was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

by the coaching staff and bulked up to 230 pounds. He saw limited action in nine games in 2005, playing behind starters

Ray McDonald Raymondo Antoine McDonald (born September 2, 1984) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida, where he was a member o ...

and Jarvis Moss at both defensive end positions, and compiled six tackles (four solo) with a six-yard quarterback sack and a pass deflection. As a sophomore in 2006, Harvey shared left defensive end duties with senior Ray McDonald, and started five games when McDonald was sidelined with an injury. He recorded thirty-five tackles (twenty-four solo) and led the team with 11 sacks (fifth-best season total in Gators' history), and recovered three fumbles and caused another. He was recognized as a second-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection, in addition to receiving most valuable player accolades for his performance in the Gators' 41–14 victory over the

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tre ...

in the

2007 BCS National Championship Game The 2007 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was an American football game played at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on January 8, 2007, and featured the top-ranked Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes against the 2nd-r ...

. As a junior team captain in 2007, Harvey earned second-team All-SEC. He started all thirteen games at left end, posting forty-nine tackles (thirty-one solo), including 8.5 sacks and seventeen tackles for a loss (tenth best on the Gators' single-season records list). After the Gators played in the

Capital One Bowl The Citrus Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The bowl is operated by Florida Citrus Sports, a non-profit group that also organizes the Cheez-It Bowl and Florida Classic. The gam ...

, Harvey announced he would enter the NFL Draft. In his three seasons as a Gator, Harvey played in thirty-six games and started eighteen. He closed his college career with 20.5 quarterback sacks (ninth on the Gators' career record list), and 51.5 tackles for a loss (third on the Gators' career record list). He also compiled ninety tackles (fifty-nine solo), caused two fumbles and recovered three, and deflected six passes.

Professional career

2008 NFL Draft

Prior to the

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foo ...

, Harvey had run the 40-yard dash in times from 4.67-4.78 at a weight of 252 pounds. He drew comparisons to Bryan Thomas.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Harvey was drafted eighth overall in the first round by the

in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was the first defensive end chosen by the Jaguars in the first round in franchise history, and was the third of four defensive ends chosen in the first round of 2008 draft. Harvey was the last 2008 first-round draft pick to sign a contract. On August 27, 2008, he signed a 5-year, $23.8 million contract with the Jaguars. The contract contained $17.175 million in guaranteed money and could have reached $33.4 million, had all the incentives and escalators been met. Harvey set the Jaguars' record for longest rookie holdout, totaling 38 days. It was formerly held by

Byron Leftwich Byron Antron Leftwich (born January 14, 1980) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He previously played in the NFL for ten seas ...

, whose holdout lasted 19 days. He was waived on July 29, 2011.

Denver Broncos

On August 1, 2011, Harvey signed with the

. He had no sacks and two tackles during the 2011 season, and the Broncos did not re-sign him.

Cincinnati Bengals

On March 23, 2012, Harvey Signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. On August 5, 2012, Harvey was released by the Bengals.

NFL statistics

References

External links

*
Derrick Harvey
– Cincinnati Bengals player profile
Derrick Harvey
– Florida Gators player profile {{DEFAULTSORT:Harvey, Derrick 1986 births Living people American football defensive ends Denver Broncos players Florida Gators football players Jacksonville Jaguars players People from Greenbelt, Maryland Players of American football from Prince George's County, Maryland