Frank Darby
refer to caption
Darby in 2021
Personal information
Born: (1997-09-08) September 8, 1997 (age 26)
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, New Jersey)
College:Arizona State (2016–2020)
Position:Wide receiver
NFL draft:2021 / Round: 6 / Pick: 187
Career history
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Receptions:2
Receiving yards:29
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

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

Early years

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

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

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+3⁄4 in
(0.81 m) 		9+3⁄8 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]

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.

References

  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. ^ https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/frank-darby-joins-falcons-practice-squad/amp/

External links

Atlanta Falcons 2021 NFL draft selections
Categories