Frank Darby (born September 8, 1997) is an American professional football wide receiver. He played college football at Arizona State.

Frank Darby
refer to caption
Darby in 2021
Personal information
Born: (1997-09-08) September 8, 1997 (age 27)
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Lincoln (Jersey City)
College:Arizona State (2016–2020)
Position:Wide receiver
NFL draft:2021 / round: 6 / pick: 187
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:2
Receiving yards:29
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Darby grew up in Jersey City, New Jersey and attended Lincoln High School. Darby was named first-team All-State in 2016 as a senior after 35 receptions for 957 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense and 27 tackles, one interception and three forced fumbles on defense.[1] Darby was rated a three star recruit and initially committed to play college football at Iowa.[2] After initially not qualifying to sign with Iowa due to a low SAT score, he chose Arizona State over offers from Rutgers and Boston College.[3]

College career

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Darby redshirted his true freshman season.[4] He finished his redshirt sophomore season with 21 catches for 421 yards and two touchdowns.[5] As a redshirt junior, he caught 31 passes for 616 yards and eight touchdowns.[6] Darby was limited by injury as a senior and appeared in two of the Sun Devils' four games in the COVID-19 shortened Pac-12 Conference season, catching six passes for 46 yards and one touchdown.[7][8] Darby finished his collegiate career with 1,317 receiving yards on 67 receptions with 13 touchdowns.[9]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m)
201 lb
(91 kg)
31+34 in
(0.81 m)
9+38 in
(0.24 m)
4.59 s 1.59 s 2.61 s 4.23 s 7.15 s 34.5 in
(0.88 m)
9 ft 9 in
(2.97 m)
19 reps
All values from Pro Day[10][11][12]

Atlanta Falcons

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Darby was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round with the 187th pick in the 2021 NFL draft.[13] He signed his four-year rookie contract with Atlanta on June 15, 2021.[14] Darby made his NFL debut in Week 5 against the New York Jets, playing on special teams.[15] He caught a 14-yard pass from Josh Rosen for his first career reception on November 14, 2021, in a 43–3 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10.[16]

On August 30, 2022, Darby was waived by the Falcons and re-signed to the practice squad.[17][18] He was promoted to the active roster on November 23, 2022.[19]

On August 14, 2023, Darby was waived by the Falcons.[20] On October 3, 2023, he was signed to the Falcons practice squad.[21] His contract expired when the teams season ended January 7, 2024.

San Francisco 49ers

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On July 27, 2024, Darby signed a one-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers.[22] He was waived with an injury designation on August 12.[23]

References

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  1. ^ Hunt, Todderick (May 18, 2016). "Lincoln coach explains why Frank Darby picked Arizona State over Rutgers, BC". NJ.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Perez, Braulio (February 3, 2016). "WR Frank Darby does not sign with Iowa, waiting on SAT score per Lincoln coach". NJ.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  3. ^ "2016 3-star WR Frank Darby commits to ASU". The Arizona Republic. May 18, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Haller, Doug (December 5, 2019). "The pride of Lincoln High: How Frank Darby danced his way from Jersey City to Arizona State". The Athletic. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  5. ^ Haller, Doug (August 29, 2020). "For now, receiver Frank Darby remains set on reaching his goals at Arizona State". The Athletic. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "ASU football: Frank Darby looking to step into role as Sun Devils lead receiver". The Arizona Republic. October 22, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  7. ^ Haller, Doug (January 5, 2021). "Frank Darby on Arizona State's future and his decision to leave: Exit interview". The Athletic. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Villanova, Patrick (December 22, 2020). "From Jersey City to Arizona State, Frank Darby declares for NFL Draft". The Jersey Journal. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  9. ^ Gossen, Rachel (January 30, 2021). "Frank Darby shows why scouts are eyeing him with catch in Senior Bowl". ArizonaSports.com. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  10. ^ "Frank Darby Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  11. ^ "Frank Darby, Arizona State, WR, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  12. ^ "Frank Darby 2021 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  13. ^ "Falcons draft bio: Frank Darby, WR, Arizona State". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  14. ^ "Falcons Sign Five Draft Picks". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  15. ^ "Frank Darby 2021 Game Logs". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  16. ^ "Falcons' Frank Darby: First NFL catch Sunday". CBSSports.com. RotoWire. November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
  17. ^ Bair, Scott (August 30, 2022). "Falcons announce initial 53-man roster heading into 2022 regular season". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  18. ^ McElhaney, Tori; Bair, Scott (August 31, 2022). "Falcons add eight more players to practice squad". AtlantaFalcons.com.
  19. ^ Brener, Jeremy (November 23, 2022). "Falcons Sign WR Frank Darby to Active Roster; What's His Role?". SI.com.
  20. ^ Flick, Daniel (August 14, 2023). "BREAKING: Falcons Cut WR Frank Darby with Injury Designation". SI.com.
  21. ^ "Frank Darby: Joins Falcons' practice squad".
  22. ^ "49ers Sign Wide Receiver; Waive CB Kemon Hall". 49ers.com. July 27, 2024. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "49ers Sign Wide Receiver, Waive/Injured Wide Receiver Frank Darby". 49ers.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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