- The 2nd-highest drafted TE in Vikings history behind Hal Bedsole in 1964, a 2nd-round (#19 overall) pick from USC.
- The 1st TE drafted in the 2011 rookie class.
- Highly-recruited basketball player in high school declined scholarship offers from ACC powers to pursue football.
OFF THE FIELD Majored in management-consulting at Notre Dame and is 2 semesters shy of earning his degree...Member of National Honor Society at Cincinnati’s Elder High.
PRO Earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly and National Football Post in 2011...Tied for 2nd in Viking shistory for a rookie TE with 8 starts...Scored all 3 of his TDs in the final 7 games of his rookie year...Was the 1st TE selected in the 2011 NFL Draft...Selected #43 overall, he is the 2nd-highest drafted TE in Vikings history behind Hal Bedsole (#19 overall) in 1964...Became the 3rd Notre Dame TE to be drafted in the top 2 rounds since 2006, joining Anthony Fasano by Dallas in 2006 and John Carlson by Seattle in 2008...Entered the NFL draft following his junior season at Notre Dame.
- The 2nd-highest drafted TE in Vikings history behind Hal Bedsole in 1964, a 2nd-round (#19 overall) pick from USC.
- The 1st TE drafted in the 2011 rookie class.
- Highly-recruited basketball player in high school declined scholarship offers from ACC powers to pursue football.
OFF THE FIELD Majored in management-consulting at Notre Dame and is 2 semesters shy of earning his degree...Member of National Honor Society at Cincinnati’s Elder High.
PRO Earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly and National Football Post in 2011...Tied for 2nd in Viking shistory for a rookie TE with 8 starts...Scored all 3 of his TDs in the final 7 games of his rookie year...Was the 1st TE selected in the 2011 NFL Draft...Selected #43 overall, he is the 2nd-highest drafted TE in Vikings history behind Hal Bedsole (#19 overall) in 1964...Became the 3rd Notre Dame TE to be drafted in the top 2 rounds since 2006, joining Anthony Fasano by Dallas in 2006 and John Carlson by Seattle in 2008...Entered the NFL draft following his junior season at Notre Dame.
2011 Earned All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly and National Football Post...Assumed larger role in offense as season progressed, catching all 3 of his TDs in the final 7 games of the season...Started 8 games and played in 15...Snared season-long 41-yard pass at Kansas City (10/2)...Had season-high 3 catches in 5 games...Scored 1st career TD on 1-yard pass from fellow rookie Christian Ponder vs. Oakland (11/20)...Hauled in TDs vs. Denver (12/4) and at Washington (12/24).
COLLEGE Ended 3-season Notre Dame career ranked among the all-time leading TEs in school history...Set ND record for receiving yards in a game by a TE vs. Michigan in 2010 with 164 yards...Ranks 2nd for receptions in a game by an Irish TE with 8 catches vs. Michigan and at Michigan State in consecutive games in 2010...Hauled in the 2nd-longest pass play in Notre Dame history with a 95-yard TD vs. Michigan in 2010...Was just shy of the school-record 96-yard pass play from Blair Kiel to Joe Howard against Georgia Tech in 1981...Notched 3 of the top-10 totals for single-season receptions by a TE in Irish history, highlighted by his career-high 33 in 2009, the 7th-highest total by a TE in a season...His 90 career receptions are the 4th-most by a TE in ND history and his 1,032 career receiving yards are 4th-most...His pair of 8-catch games fell 1 reception short of the ND record for a TE of 9 receptions in a game...Is only the 4th Irish TE to break the 1,000-yard career yardage plateau...Was only held without a catch 3 times during his 29 career games, 2 of those as a freshman in 2008...Had promising junior season derailed by hamstring injury that ended his season after 6 games...In 2009, was the only sophomore to be named a semi-finalist for the Mackey Award as the nation’s top TE...Became the 1st Irish true freshman TE to start a season opener in 2008 against San Diego State.
PREP Productive in 2 sports at Cincinnati’s Elder High...Selected to play in US Army All-America game...Earned 1st Team All-America honors by USA Today as a senior TE...Named 2nd-Team All-State by AP...Named conference basketball player of the year 3 times as a prep...Ended high school career as the 2nd-leading scorer in Elder High history and the 2nd player to break the 1,000-point mark...Set school record for career rebounds...Helped Elder snap Charlotte (NC) Independence High’s 109-game winning streak with a 4-catch, 2-TD, 57-yard game in knocking off the #3-ranked team in the nation...As a senior in basketball, scored 25 of Elder’s 52 points in a near upset of Cincinnati Moeller, losing 58-52 to Ohio’s #1 team, also ranked #9 in the nation.
