Conner Vernon (born August 18, 1990) is an American former professional

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wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He was signed by the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

as an

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in 2013 and spent time on the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

' practice squad, 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 ...

and the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. He played

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Early life

Conner attended

Gulliver Preparatory School Gulliver Preparatory School or simply Gulliver Prep, is a private co-educational school. Its management offices are in Kendall, Florida, a census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida. Its previous administrative offices were in Coral ...

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. He was a three-year letterman at Gulliver Prep under coach Earl Sims. As a senior, he caught 60 passes for 1,163 yards and 11 touchdowns to earn first-team all-state honors, he also led the Miami area in receiving yards in 2008 while helping Gulliver to a 12-2 record and berth in the Florida 2A state title game. He had 131 career catches for 2,668 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also lettered in track and field. Considered a three-star recruit by '' Rivals.com'', he accepted a scholarship offer from

over offers from Vanderbilt,

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and Wake Forest.

College career

As a freshman, he played in all 11, starting the final eight games. He caught 55 passes for 746 yards and three touchdowns, and also returned 12 kickoffs for 295 yards (24.6 avg). The following season, he started all 12 games, in which he caught 73 passes for 946 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 40 yards and returned six kickoffs for 143 yards and a 23.8 yards per return average and he earned second-team all-conference honours. In his junior season, he started all 12 games, in which he caught 70 passes for 956 yards and six touchdowns. He became the first player in ACC history to post multiple seasons with 70+ catches. He also earned second-team all-conference honours. As a senior, he started in all 13 games, in which he caught 85 passes for 1,074 yards and eight TD's. He set a

Duke Blue Devils The Duke Blue Devils are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Duke University, located in Durham, North Carolina. Duke's athletics department features 27 varsity teams that all compete at the N ...

record for career receiving yards with 3,749. He earned second-team all-conference honors for the third consecutive season and third time in his career.

Professional career

Vernon signed with the Oakland Raiders after going undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft. Vernon was cut by the Raiders following the preseason but was signed to the Cleveland Browns practice squad before Week 17 of the 2013 Regular Season. Vernon was waived by the Browns during training camp in July 2014 and quickly claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals. Vernon was waived by the Bengals on August 8, 2014. Vernon was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions on August 11, 2014. The Lions released Vernon on August 23, 2014.Tim Twentyman on Twitter: The #Lions have released: G Alex Bullard, G A.J. Dalton, DT Greg Hickman, RB Steven Miller, DE Kris Redding and WR Conner Vernon
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References

External links

Oakland Raiders bioDuke Blue Devils bioBengals claim Vernon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Conner 1990 births Living people American football wide receivers Duke Blue Devils football players Players of American football from Miami Oakland Raiders players Cleveland Browns players Cincinnati Bengals players Detroit Lions players