Deven Thompkins (born December 23, 1999) 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 ...

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 has previously played in the NFL for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

and

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. 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 ...

for the

Utah State Aggies The Utah State Aggies are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Utah State University, located in Logan, Utah. Utah State fields 16 – seven men and nine women – National Collegiate Athletic ...

Early life

Thompkins graduated from Dunbar High School.

College career

Thompkins was a member of the

for four seasons. As a sophomore, he caught 40 passes. for 536 yards and four touchdowns. Thompkins played in four games during Utah State's

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

-shortened 2020 season and had 20 receptions for 214 yards and one touchdown. Following the end of the season, he entered the

NCAA transfer portal The NCAA transfer portal is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) application, database, and compliance tool created to manage and facilitate the process for student athletes seeking to transfer between member institutions. It is i ...

. Thompkins ultimately decided to return to Utah State for the 2021 season. As a senior, Thompkins caught 102 passes for 1,704 yards with 10 touchdowns and was named first-team All-

Mountain West Conference The Mountain West Conference (MW) is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States, participating in NCAA Division I. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The MW officially began operations on Ja ...

and a third-team

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by the

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Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Thompkins signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on May 1, 2022. He was waived on August 30, and signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day. Thompkins was promoted to the active roster on December 23. He played in six games during the season, catching five passes while also returning six punts for 61 yards and 12 kickoffs for 263. In the Buccaneers'

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loss to the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

, Thompkins returned three kickoffs for 58 yards and three punts for 34. On May 30, 2024, Thompkins was waived by the Buccaneers.

Carolina Panthers

On July 25, 2024, Thompkins signed with the

. He was waived/injured on August 11. He was re-signed to the practice squad on September 30. He was promoted to the active roster on November 23.

Personal life

On June 21, 2024, Thompkins filed a suit against his estranged wife, Maria Castilhos for malicious and defamatory statements. The suit came after Castilhos accused Thompkins of physically abusing her, causing injuries to her face and arm.

References

External links

Utah State Aggies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompkins, Deven 1999 births Living people American football wide receivers Players of American football from Fort Myers, Florida Utah State Aggies football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Carolina Panthers players