Dwayne Thomas Welch, Jr. (born June 19, 1987) 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 wi ...

offensive tackle. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Vanderbilt. He was also a member of 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 ...

, Buffalo Bills,

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

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

Welch attended Brentwood High School in Brentwood, Tennessee, where he played quarterback.

College career

Following high school, Welch played football at

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, where he

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after ...

ed as a

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 ...

in 2005. As a freshman in 2006, Welch moved to offensive tackle early in the season after injuries to the team's starting tackles and played in seven games. In 2007, Welch was the team's top offensive tackle reserve and also played on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

, earning the team's Specialist of the Week award against Kentucky Wildcats football, Kentucky. As a junior in 2008, Welch started all 13 games at right tackle, earning the team's Offensive Player of the Week award against South Carolina Gamecocks football, South Carolina. In 2009, his senior season, Welch started 11 games at left tackle and twice earned Offensive Player of the Week Award honors. While at Vanderbilt, Welch played with other NFL players such as D. J. Moore (cornerback), D.J. Moore, Jonathan Goff, Chris Williams (offensive lineman), Chris Williams, and Myron Lewis.

Professional career

First stint with Patriots

Welch was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round (208th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year contract on June 4. He was waived during final cuts on September 4, 2010. Welch was offered a chance to be on the Patriot's Practice Squad, but he politely declined. He later accepted the Vikings Practice squad offer and eventually was activated to the 53 man roster. He was on the 53 man roster for the final four weeks of the season once Steve Hutchinson was placed on IR.

Minnesota Vikings

The

signed Welch to their practice squad on September 6, 2010.

Second stint with Patriots

The New England Patriots signed Welch to their practice squad on September 5, 2011. He was signed to the active roster on September 12, 2011. He was released on September 14, 2011. Welch was added back to the practice squad on September 15.

St. Louis Rams

After being added to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad in November, the

signed him on November 22, 2011. He was waived on May 3, 2012.

Philadelphia Eagles

Welch was claimed off waivers by the

on May 4, 2012.

Personal life

In the off season of 2013, Welch completed an internship at Merrill Lynch in Private Wealth Management. He made an appearance on MONEY with Melissa on the Fox Business Network on May 29, 2013 where he discussed the internship and the NFL's involvement with player development in post football careers. Following this interview, Welch was named to Business Insider's Top 36 Football Players on Wall Street.

References

External links

Philadelphia Eagles bioMinnesota Vikings bioNew England Patriots bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welch, Thomas Living people 1987 births People from Brentwood, Tennessee Players of American football from Tennessee American football offensive tackles Vanderbilt Commodores football players New England Patriots players Minnesota Vikings players Buffalo Bills players St. Louis Rams players Philadelphia Eagles players New Orleans Saints players People from Deltona, Florida