A.J. Derby Finally Breaking Through at TE With Arkansas

Sep 27, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks receiver A.J. Derby (11) scores a third quarter touchdown against the Texas A&M Aggies at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

To say the road to the NFL is narrow would be an understatement, especially for guys like Arkansas tight end A.J. Derby. Derby is a converted quarterback who was the hometown kid in Iowa City that figured to lead the Hawkeyes into BCS relevance and bring his dual-threat ability into Kinnick every week in the same city he became a four-star athlete in high school.

It all seemed to be going according to plan, as Derby was recruited and signed by Iowa, where his brother also was enrolled. The former Little Hawk high school phenom came to Iowa City as a quarterback, but with an open mind to get on the field any way he could in order to see time for the team he dreamed of playing for.

Derby played some special teams, linebacker, and quarterback for the Hawkeyes, but it didn’t amount to anything. He got into some trouble off the field and one thing led to another before Derby finally decided to transfer from Iowa because they wanted him to play linebacker, and he wanted to play quarterback.

He did just that and transferred to Coffeyville (Kansas) junior college as a quarterback for a year, throwing for just under 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns. He decided after one year there that he would walk on at Arkansas, a program that was taken over by former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema. Bielema has Hawkeye ties as well as a former defensive lineman in Iowa City.

He came to Arkansas as a quarterback, but secured a job as a starting tight end this fall and hasn’t looked back. Derby, checking in at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds is an impressive athlete who is making the most of his final year of eligibility in college. He has caught just 16 passes, but three of those have gone for touchdowns and he’s improving weekly.

NFL scouts are also starting to take notice.

Despite his strange path to the league, Derby has a good chance of getting picked up by an NFL team with his intriguing blend of size and athleticism. Iowa is known for producing tight ends and sending them to the NFL, and while Derby didn’t get the chance to do it as a Hawkeye, he might just do it as a Razorback.

Derby has not only secured a top spot as a tight end at Arkansas, he’s also gone from walk-on to receiving a full scholarship for football. Perhaps the transfer was exactly what he needed to keep focused and become the player everyone thought he could be coming out of high school.