Clayton Fejedelem ( ; born June 2, 1993) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

and

special teamer In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Saint Xavier and

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, and was selected by the

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

in the seventh round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

Early life

A native of Illinois, Clayton Fejedelem attended Lemont High School in Lemont, Illinois where he lettered in football, wrestling, and lacrosse. Fejedelem was a two-time All-Conference selection in football for the Lemont Indians, and earned All-State honors in football as a senior in 2010. That same year, he also earned South Suburban Blue Player of the Year honors.

College career

Saint Xavier University

Fejedelem played two seasons at NAIA

Saint Xavier University Saint Xavier University (or SXU) is a private Catholic university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1846 by the Sisters of Mercy, the university enrolls 3,749 students. History Saint Xavier University was founded as a women's co ...

from 2011 to 2012. In 2011, he recorded 68

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

, 5.0

tackles-for-loss The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

, five

interceptions In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team bu ...

, a team-high nine

pass breakups In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

, three forced

fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

, four fumble recoveries and one pick-six touchdown. Clayton was named St. Xavier Newcomer of the Year in 2011 after helping the Cougars to the NAIA Championship and 14–1 record. He led SXU to an 11–2 record in 2012, racking up 87 tackles, 10.5 tackles-for-loss, 1.0 sack, 3 interceptions, 8 pass breakups and two fumble recoveries to earn second-team All-Mid-State Football Association honors.

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Fejedelem

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his junior season at Illinois in 2013 after joining the team as a

walk-on Walk On may refer to: Music Albums * ''Walk On'' (Boston album) or the title song, 1994 * ''Walk On'' (John Hiatt album) or the title song, 1995 * ''Walk On'' (Randy Johnston album) or the title song, 1992 *''Walk On'', by Kellie Coffey, 200 ...

during spring practices, but had to sit out due to

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

transfer rules. In 2014, he recorded his first tackle as an Illini against Western Kentucky and went on to tally 51 tackles, a tackle for loss, two pass breakups and a fumble recovery on the season. He played in all 13 games, including one start at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

where he recorded a career-high of 12 tackles and one pass breakup. In 2015, Clayton started all 12 games at

free safety Safety (S), historically known as a safetyman, is a position in gridiron football on the American football positions#Defense, defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two var ...

, going on to record a team-best 140 tackles (fifth in the nation at 11.7 tackles per game), 4.5 tackles-for-loss, second pass breakups, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. He was the Illini

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

and Defensive Player of the Year, earning him an All-Big Ten Conference honorable mention selection by the coaches and All-Big Ten second-team selection by the media.

Professional career

Cincinnati Bengals

Fejedelem was drafted by the

in the seventh round, 245th overall, in the

. In his rookie season, he appeared in all 16 games and recorded three total tackles. In the 2017 season, he appeared in all 16 games as a team captain and started five. He recorded one interception, two passes defensed, and 56 total tackles. In the 2018 season, he was named a team captain, played in all 16 games and started one.. During the season opener against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

, he recorded a game-clinching 83-yard fumble return for a touchdown on a drive where the Colts were threatening to score and go ahead late. In 2019, he was named a team captain and played in all 16 games.

Miami Dolphins

On March 20, 2020, Fejedelem signed a three-year contract with the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

. In the 2020 season, he was named special teams captain and appeared in 13 games after missing the first three due to injury. He recorded one forced fumble and 10 tackles total. Against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West ...

, he rushed for 22 yards on a

fake punt Fake or fakes may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fake'' (1927 film), a silent British drama film * ''The Fake'' (1953 film), a British film * ''Fake'' (2003 film), a Thai movie * ''Fake'', a 2010 film featuring F ...

to convert a 4th-and-1 to extend a drive that ended in a Miami touchdown. On September 1, 2022, Fejedelem was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. He was activated on October 8.

Personal life

The son of Steven and Colleen Fejedelem, Clayton has two brothers, Ryan (older) and Jeremy (younger). They were born and raised in Lemont, Illinois, a southwestern suburb of Chicago. Fejedelem attended Saint Xavier University as a business major in 2011, but transferred to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2013 where he walked on and graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications in 2015. He married Gabriele Fejedelem in Chicago, Illinois in March 2020. The couple welcomed their son in December 2020, and a daughter in July 2022.

References

External links

Illinois Fighting Illini bio

Saint Xavier Cougars bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fejedelem, Clayton 1993 births Living people American football safeties Cincinnati Bengals players Illinois Fighting Illini football players Miami Dolphins players People from Lemont, Illinois Saint Xavier University alumni Players of American football from Cook County, Illinois Players of American football from DuPage County, Illinois