Tyler Conklin (born July 30, 1995) 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 ...

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 ...

for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC W ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played one season of

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at Northwood before transferring to

Central Michigan Central Michigan, also called Mid Michigan, is a region in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula of the United States, U.S. state of Michigan. As its name implies, it is the middle area of the Lower Peninsula. Lower Michigan is said t ...

to play

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 ...

. He was selected by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

in the fifth round of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

Early life

Conklin attended

L'Anse Creuse High School - North L'Anse Creuse High School - North, colloquially known as simply "L'Anse Creuse North", is a public, magnet high school in Macomb Township, Michigan, and serves grades 9-12. It is one of two high schools in the L'Anse Creuse Public Schools distri ...

Macomb Township, Michigan Macomb Township is a civil township of Macomb County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 91,663 at the 2020 census, up from 79,580 in 2010. As of 2020 it was the most-populous civil township in the state and the third most-populo ...

, where he was a standout two-sport athlete, playing as a

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 ...

and

combo guard A combo guard is a basketball player who combines the attributes of a point guard (1) and shooting guard (2), but does not necessarily fit the standard description of either position. In men's basketball, such guards are usually within the 6' 3" ...

in basketball. As a junior, Conklin led his basketball team to the Class A Final Four, scoring 22 points in a 59–46 semifinal loss to eventual state champion Saginaw High.

College career

After graduating from high school, Conklin was awarded a full-ride basketball scholarship to Division II

Northwood University Northwood University (NU) is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Midland, Michigan, United States. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution. History Northwood Universit ...

. He stayed for one semester and played in seven games, averaging 2.6 rebounds, 1.9 points and 1.4 assists per game. However, after the conclusion of the fall 2013 semester, Conklin realized he was unhappy and wanted to pursue a career in football. He transferred to

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

, where he walked on to the football team in the spring of 2014. The Central Michigan coaching staff initially wanted him to play defensive end, despite Conklin's strong desire to play tight end. He began the process of transferring again, this time to play tight end with his close friend and former high school quarterback at NAIA

Siena Heights University Siena Heights University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic university in Adrian, Michigan, United States. It was founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 1919. History The institution was founded for women in 1919 as St. Joseph's ...

. However, when the Central Michigan coaching staff learned of this, they convinced him to stay, agreeing to let him play tight end and assuring him that he'd have the opportunity to earn a scholarship in the spring of 2015. Coming in at only 195 pounds, Conklin redshirted for his first season with the Chippewas, playing on the scout team while adding weight. After gaining 25 pounds during the offseason, he earned a scholarship and a role as a backup tight end for the 2015 season, playing in all 13 games and catching six passes for 95 yards. He became a starter as a redshirt sophomore in 2016, playing in 13 games with 11 starts, recording 42 receptions for 560 yards and six touchdowns. During the first one-on-one drill of CMU's

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

in August 2017, Conklin broke a bone in his left foot and was diagnosed with a

Jones Fracture A Jones fracture is a broken bone in a specific part of the fifth metatarsal of the foot between the base and middle part that is known for its high rate of delayed healing or nonunion. It results in pain near the midportion of the foot on ...

. After his rehab went better than anticipated, Conklin was cleared to return to the field on October 7, 2017, for CMU's game against

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

in which he set career-highs with 10 catches for 136 yards and two scores in a 26–23 victory. After missing five games due to his foot injury, Conklin finished his redshirt junior season with 35 receptions for 504 yards and five touchdowns in 8 games played. He was named Third-team All-MAC for his efforts in the 2017 season. Conklin finished his career at Central Michigan with 83 catches for 1,159 yards and 11 touchdowns. Soon after graduating with a major in

communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

, Conklin received an invitation to the

2018 Senior Bowl The 2018 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2018 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game was the last ...

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...

, where he caught two passes including a 16-yard over-the-shoulder

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

pass from

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

quarterback

Josh Allen Joshua Patrick Allen (born May 21, 1996) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys football, Wyoming Cow ...

, whom the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...

drafted at No. 7 overall.

Professional career

Conklin performed well at the 2018

NFL Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

and ranked second among all tight ends in the vertical, fourth in the

broad jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

, fifth in the

three-cone drill The three-cone drill, 3-cone drill or L-drill is a test performed by American football players. It is primarily run to evaluate the agility, quickness and fluidity of movement of players by scouts. It is most commonly seen at the NFL Combine in p ...

, and ninth in the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

Minnesota Vikings

Conklin was selected by the

in the fifth round (157th overall) of the

. On May 5, 2018, Conklin signed a four-year contract worth $2.741 million, including a signing bonus of $281,032. In the Vikings' season opener against 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 ...

, he had one

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another p ...

for six yards in his NFL debut. In Week 15 of the 2020 season against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, Conklin recorded 3 catches for 57 yards and his first career receiving touchdown during the 33–27 loss.

New York Jets

On March 18, 2022, Conklin signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the

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

Los Angeles Chargers

On March 21, 2025, Conklin signed a one-year, $3 million contract with the

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Postseason

References

External links

Los Angeles Chargers bio

Central Michigan Chippewas bio

Northwood Timberwolves bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conklin, Tyler 1995 births Living people American football tight ends Central Michigan Chippewas football players Minnesota Vikings players Sportspeople from Chesterfield, Missouri Players of American football from St. Louis County, Missouri New York Jets players Los Angeles Chargers players