Mitchell Van Dyk (born June 18, 1991) is an American former 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 ...

player who was an

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

and

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

. 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

Portland State Vikings Portland State Vikings is the nickname of the NCAA-affiliated, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Portland State University of Portland, Oregon. The Vikings compete at the NCAA Division I level in basketball, soccer, volleyball, golf, t ...

and was selected by the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

in the seventh round (with the 226th overall pick) of the

2014 NFL draft The 2014 NFL draft was the 79th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players to the league. The draft, officially the "Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in New Y ...

Early life

As a senior for

Paso Robles High School Paso Robles High School (PRHS) is the only comprehensive high school located in the city of Paso Robles, California. The school receives its students from Lewis Flamson Junior High School, located in Paso Robles, as well as from the Lillian Larse ...

, Van Dyk was converted from

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

to offensive tackle.

College career

Mitchell Van Dyk attended

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

. Van Dyk played in a total of 36 games and started 33 of them. Van Dyk earned the starting spot at right tackle in 2011, and went on to twice win the

Vikings Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

' Offensive Lineman of the Year accolade. Following the 2013 season, he was selected as a third-team AP

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honoree and was invited to the College All-Star Bowl hosted by Furman.

Professional career

St. Louis Rams

Van Dyk was selected by the

in the seventh round of the

. He was released by the Rams on August 30, 2014 after the preseason.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Van Dyk signed a reserve/future contract with the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

on January 15, 2015. Van Dyk spent the entire 2015 season on the Steelers' injured reserve list after being waived-injured by the team on September 5, 2015.

Indianapolis Colts

On April 20, 2016, Van Dyk signed with 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 was waived on May 2. On June 6, 2016, Van Dyk was re-signed to the Colts roster. On September 3, 2016, he was waived by the Colts as part of final roster cuts heading into the regular season.

San Francisco 49ers

On December 13, 2016, Van Dyk was signed to the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

' practice squad.

Calgary Stampeders

Van Dyk was signed to the practice roster of the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

on November 10, 2016. He participated in

The Spring League The Spring League (TSL) was an American football Minor league football (gridiron), developmental league and scouting event (pro showcase) that played from 2017 to 2021 and was founded by Brian Woods. Aimed at professional football (gridiron), p ...

in 2017.

BC Lions

Van Dyk was signed to the practice roster of the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

on September 12, 2017.

References

External links

Portland State Vikings bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Dyk, Mitchell 1991 births Living people Players of American football from San Luis Obispo County, California American football offensive tackles Portland State Vikings football players St. Louis Rams players Pittsburgh Steelers players Indianapolis Colts players San Francisco 49ers players Sportspeople from Paso Robles, California The Spring League players Calgary Stampeders players BC Lions players Canadian football offensive linemen Players of Canadian football from California