Tyrone Wheatley Jr. (born February 4, 1997) is an American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Wheatley played college football at Michigan and Stony Brook.
| No. 72 – New England Patriots | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Born: | February 4, 1997 Buffalo, New York, U.S. | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||
| Weight: | 320 lb (145 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Canisius (Buffalo, New York) | ||
| College: |
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| Undrafted: | 2020 | ||
| Career history | |||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||
| Roster status: | Active | ||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||
| |||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||
Early life and high school edit
Wheatley played tight end and defensive end at Canisius High School, where he was also named The Buffalo News' player of the year.[1][2] He was listed as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com, who ranked him as the 13th best tight end prospect in the nation and the top ranked in New York state.[3] ESPN also named him the No. 12 overall prospect in the nation. As a defensive end, Wheatley was ranked as the 25th-best prospect in the country and the top overall prospect in New York state by Scout.com.[4]
Wheatley also held offers from Alabama, Florida, UCLA and USC, but committed to Michigan, his father's alma mater, on February 4, 2015.[5][6]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrone Wheatley Jr. TE/DE |
Buffalo, New York | Canisius High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Feb 4, 2015 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
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| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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College career edit
Michigan edit
Wheatley, playing as a tight end, missed his entire true freshman season with a foot injury. He scored his first touchdown against Illinois on October 22, 2016.[7] He finished the season with three receptions for 35 yards, playing in 12 games. In his sophomore season, Wheatley made his first collegiate start against Florida on September 2, 2017. He made three starts in the season, catching three receptions for 26 yards.
Wheatley fractured his metatarsal in his foot in March 2018, ruling him out for spring ball.[8] On August 2, 2018, a day before Michigan started training camp, Wheatley announced that he would be departing the team.[9]
Stony Brook edit
On August 5, 2018, Stony Brook announced that Wheatley had transferred to the Seawolves.[10] Moving from FBS to FCS, he was eligible immediately.[11] Wheatley made his first start at tight end for Stony Brook on September 22 against Richmond.[12] Wheatley started in eight games for Stony Brook, recording six receptions for 36 yards on the season.[13]
After the season, Wheatley transferred to Morgan State, where his father, Tyrone Wheatley, was in his first year as the head coach, but did not play in a single game or record any statistics due to injury.[14]
Professional career edit
| Height | Weight | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
265 lb (120 kg) | |||||||||||
| Values from Pro Day[15] | ||||||||||||
The Spring League edit
Wheatley played for the Blues in the 2021 Spring League season, converting from tight end to offensive tackle.[16]
Chicago Bears edit
He signed with the Chicago Bears on June 17, 2021.[17] Wheatley was waived during final roster cuts, but re-signed to the team's practice squad.[18] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bears on January 11, 2022.[19] He was waived on May 6, 2022.
Las Vegas Raiders edit
On May 15, 2022, Wheatley signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.[20] On August 16, 2022, Wheatley was waived by the Raiders.[21]
Cleveland Browns edit
On September 20, 2022, Wheatley signed with the practice squad of the Cleveland Browns.[22] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[23]
New England Patriots edit
On August 27, 2023, Wheatley was traded to the New England Patriots in exchange for Pierre Strong Jr.[24][25] Wheatley played in the first two games of the season on special teams.[26][27] He was placed on injured reserve on October 14, 2023 with a knee injury.[28] His 21-day window to return from IR was opened on December 13 but was not activated before the season's end.[29]
Personal life edit
Wheatley is the son of Tyrone Wheatley, former Michigan running back and first-round NFL draft pick. Wheatley Sr. is currently the head coach at Wayne State.[30]
References edit
- ^ Rodriguez, Miguel (December 6, 2014). "Brute force: Canisius' TJ Wheatley is News Player of the Year". The Buffalo News. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ McShea, Keith (August 18, 2013). "Canisius adds to football riches with Wheatley brothers, who are following father's footsteps". The Buffalo News. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "New Michigan Man: DE/TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr | MGoFish". February 4, 2015. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Tyrone Wheatley - Football". University of Michigan Athletics. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Veronica, Nick (February 4, 2015). "Canisius' TJ Wheatley commits to Michigan". It's Always Game Seven. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Jerzykowski, Amanda (August 18, 2015). "Incoming Freshman Profiles: TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr". Maize n Brew. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Tyrone Wheatley Jr. enjoys his first catch, first touchdown at Michigan". mlive. October 23, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Michigan football injury report: TE Tyrone Wheatley out for spring". mlive. March 24, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Chengelis, Angelique S. "Tyrone Wheatley Jr. leaves Michigan on eve of camp". The Detroit News. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Seawolves Add Michigan Transfer Tyrone Wheatley Jr. to the Roster". Stony Brook University Athletics. August 5, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Baumgardner, Nick. "Ex-Michigan TE Tyrone Wheatley Jr. transfers to Stony Brook". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Infantino and the Seawolves Travel to Southeast Missouri for FCS Playoffs". Stony Brook University Athletics. November 22, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Tyrone Wheatley Jr. - Football". Morgan State University Athletics. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Tyrone Wheatley Jr Player Bio". Morgan State Bears Football. Morgan State Athletics. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Tyrone Wheatley Jr. College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
- ^ Serritella, Ric. "The Spring League Top 5 Prospects: Blues (3-3)". Visit NFL Draft on Sports Illustrated, the Latest News Coverage, with Rankings for NFL Draft Prospects, College Football, Dynasty and Devy Fantasy Football. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ "Chicago Bears to sign OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr". Bears Wire. June 17, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Chamberlain, Gene. "Bears Bring Tyrone Wheatley Jr. Back on Practice Squad". Sports Illustrated Chicago Bears News, Analysis and More. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (January 11, 2022). "Roster Moves: Bears sign 11 to reserve/future contracts". ChicagoBears.com.
- ^ "Raiders sign former Bears OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr". Raiders Wire. USA Today. May 15, 2022.
- ^ "Raiders make moves to bring roster to 85-player limit". Raiders.com. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
- ^ "Browns place TE Jesse James and DE Chase Winovich on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "Browns sign 10 players to reserve/futures contracts". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 9, 2023.
- ^ "Patriots Acquire OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr. in a Trade with Cleveland in Exchange for RB Pierre Strong Jr". Patriots.com. August 27, 2023.
- ^ "Browns agree to terms on trade to acquire RB Pierre Strong Jr. from Patriots". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 27, 2023.
- ^ Thomas, Oliver (December 13, 2023). "Patriots open offensive tackle Tyrone Wheatley Jr.'s 21-day window to return from injured reserve". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Stiefel, Keagan (October 14, 2023). "Patriots Trade Acquisition Non-Factor Before Landing On IR". NESN.com. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "Patriots Make a Series of Transactions". Patriots.com. October 14, 2023.
- ^ Buchmasser, Bernd (January 3, 2024). "Patriots will not activate OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr. from injured reserve". Pats Pulpit. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ Wiltfong, Lester A. Jr. (June 17, 2021). "Bears sign try-out player T.J. Wheatley Jr". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved September 10, 2021.