Position: Tight end Weight: 241 lb (109 kg) Height 1.91 m | Nationality American | |
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Date of birth: (1995-03-30) March 30, 1995 (age 22) Parents Timothy Duarte, Deborah Duarte Siblings Jessica Duarte, Samuel Duarte Similar Brandon Doughty, Jordan Lucas, Leonte Carroo, Dominique Jones, Jordan Payton Profiles | ||
Thomas duarte official ucla highlights
Thomas James Duarte (born March 30, 1995) is an American football tight end for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, and earned second-team all-conference honors in the Pac-12 as a junior in 2015. After foregoing his final year of college eligibility to enter the 2016 NFL draft, he was selected in the seventh round by Miami.
Contents
- Thomas duarte official ucla highlights
- 2013 te thomas duarte 2012 season highlights
- Early life
- College career
- Professional career
- References
2013 te thomas duarte 2012 season highlights
Early life
Duarte was born in Fullerton, California to Timothy and Deborah Duarte. Growing up, Duarte was always big. At age 10, he was 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) and 120 pounds (54 kg). He played tackle football for a year against players who were three to four years older. However, he went back to playing flag football after the players his size entered high school, and he became too big to play Pop Warner football due to their weight restrictions.
Duarte returned to tackle football as a high school freshman at Mater Dei High in Santa Ana. Until his junior year, Duarte was teammates with quarterback Max Wittek. As a senior, he had 58 receptions with 1,025 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns and averaged 18 yards a catch. He also played on defense at linebacker, and had 42 tackles, 10 quarterback sacks, three interceptions and a fumble recovery. He was named Player of the Year by the Los Angeles Times and Offensive Player of the Year by The Orange County Register.
The son of a Mexican-American father and Japanese-American mother, Duarte was one of the rare high-profile college recruits to be of Asian descent. He was rated a four-star prospect and capable of playing tight end, H-back, or wide receiver in college. He decided to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), his mother's alma mater.
College career
Duarte struggled with hamstring injuries during his first two seasons with the Bruins. In his junior year in 2015, he was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection at tight end. He finished the season with 53 receptions for 872 yards, and led the team with 10 touchdown catches. His 16.6 yards per reception was the highest among UCLA receivers with 10 or more catches. After the season, he opted to forego his final year of college eligibility and enter the 2016 NFL draft.
Professional career
Duarte was the top performer in his position on the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 3 cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle in 2016 NFL Combine.
Duarte was selected by the Dolphins in the seventh round, 231st overall, in the 2016 NFL Draft. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Dolphins as part of final roster cuts. He was later signed to their practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 5, 2016.