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Gareon Conley

Gareon Conley (born June 29, 1995) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Ohio State and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has also played for the Houston Texans and DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL).

Gareon Conley
refer to caption
Conley with the Houston Texans in 2019
No. 21, 22
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1995-06-29) June 29, 1995 (age 29)
Massillon, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Massillon Washington (Massillon, Ohio)
College:Ohio State (2013–2016)
NFL draft:2017 / round: 1 / pick: 24
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:94
Pass deflections:29
Interceptions:4
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early years

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Conley attended Massillon Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio, where he played high school football. On defense, he was a cornerback, and on offense, he was a wide receiver.[1] As a senior, he had 25 tackles and an interception on defense and 50 receptions and 16 touchdowns on offense. Conley originally committed to the University of Michigan to play college football but later changed his choice to Ohio State University.[2][3]

College career

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After redshirting his first year at Ohio State in 2013, Conley played in all 15 games as a redshirt freshman in 2014, recording 16 tackles. He became a starter his sophomore year in 2015, starting all 13 games and finishing with 49 tackles and two interceptions.[4][5] On November 29, 2016, Conley was named Second-team All-Big Ten Conference by the Coaches and Third-team by the media.[6] After the 2016 season, Conley decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL draft.[7]

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Conley received an invitation to the NFL Combine and completed all the combine and positional drills. He also participated at Ohio State's Pro Day, but chose to only perform positional drills for representatives and scouts in attendance. NFL Draft experts and analysts projected Conley to be selected in the first round.[8] He was ranked the second best cornerback, behind Ohio State teammate Marshon Lattimore, by NFLDraftScout.com, ESPN, and NFL analyst Mike Mayock. He was also ranked the fourth best cornerback by Sports Illustrated.[9][10][11]

Just days prior to the 2017 NFL draft, a woman accused Conley of rape, claiming it had occurred earlier in the month in a hotel room in Cleveland.[12][13] Conley, in a statement, strongly denied the allegations.[14][15] It was speculated he may fall out of the first round of the draft due to the sexual assault claims.[16][17] A grand jury ruled not to charge Conley on July 31, 2017.[18]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m) 		195 lb
(88 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 4.44 s 1.56 s 2.58 s 4.18 s 6.68 s 37 in
(0.94 m)		 10 ft 9 in
(3.28 m)		 11 reps
All values from NFL Combine[19]

Oakland Raiders

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2017

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The Oakland Raiders selected Conley in the first round (24th overall) of the draft.[20] The Raiders conducted their own investigation and administered a polygraph test to Conley. They chose to select him after he passed the polygraph test.[21] On July 28, 2017, Conley signed a four-year deal worth $10.467 million featuring a $5.752 million signing bonus.[22] He missed the season opener against the Titans due to a shin injury but returned in Weeks 2 and 3 before aggravating the shin injury. He was inactive for the next six games before eventually being placed on injured reserve on November 13, 2017.[23]

2018

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In Week 4 of the 2018 season, against the Cleveland Browns, Conley recorded a 36-yard pick-six off of Baker Mayfield for his first professional touchdown.[24] In week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals, Conley intercepted Josh Rosen's first pass of the game; the Raiders eventually won 23-21.[25] In week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Conley suffered a concussion in the third quarter and was forced to miss the rest of the game as well as the following week's game against the Denver Broncos.[26] In the beginning of the season, Conley struggled in coverage and was a liability when tackling. He was eventually benched, but made vast improvements when he returned to the starting lineup.[27] During the second half of the season, Conley established himself as a shutdown cornerback. He held Tyreek Hill of the Kansas City Chiefs to 1 catch for 13 yards in week 13 and held Antonio Brown of the Pittsburgh Steelers to 5 catches for 35 yards the following week. Raiders head coach Jon Gruden stated that "He’s a lot more confident now," and former Raiders cornerback Lester Hayes said, “That boy can play.” [28] Conley finished the season with 37 tackles, 15 passes defended, and 3 interceptions, including 1 pick six. He received an overall grade of 64.0 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 68th highest grade among all qualifying corner backs.[29]

2019

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In week 1 against the Broncos, Conley made 4 tackles before suffering a neck injury when teammate Johnathan Abram's leg hit him on the top of his helmet. Conley had to be taken off the field with a stretcher and as he was being carted off the field, he was able to give a thumbs up. He was later hospitalized, but was released from the hospital the same day.[30][31] In week 5 against the Chicago Bears, Conley recorded an interception off Chase Daniel late in the fourth quarter which sealed a 24–21 win.[32]

Houston Texans

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On October 21, 2019, Conley was traded to the Houston Texans in exchange for a third round pick in the 2020 NFL draft that was originally acquired from the Seattle Seahawks.[33] Conley made his debut with the Texans in week 8 against his former team, the Oakland Raiders. In the game, Conley recorded 4 tackles as the Texans won 27–24.[34]

In the divisional round of the playoffs against the Kansas City Chiefs, Conley recorded 5 tackles and sacked quarterback Patrick Mahomes once during the 51–31 loss.[35]

On April 29, 2020, the Texans declined the option on Conley's contract, making him a free agent in 2021.[36] He was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list at the start of training camp on July 31, 2020.[37] He was activated on August 10, 2020.[38] He was placed on injured reserve on September 7, 2020.[39]

DC Defenders

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On December 26, 2023, Conley signed with the DC Defenders of the United Football League (UFL).[40] His contract was terminated on June 18, 2024, to allow him to sign with an NFL team.[41]

Dallas Cowboys

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On June 18, 2024, Conley signed with the Dallas Cowboys.[42] On July 28, Conley was released by Dallas, after which he announced his retirement from football.[43]

References

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  1. ^ Bournival, Brad (October 16, 2012). "Mr. Everything". ESPN. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  2. ^ Bournival, Brad (November 21, 2016). "Ohio State football: Once a Michigan commit, Gareon Conley now a captain for Buckeyes". Beacon Journal. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  3. ^ Bournival, Brad (December 7, 2016). "Gareon Conley commits to Ohio State". espn. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  4. ^ Rabinowitz, Bill (October 6, 2016). "Ohio State's Gareon Conley prefers the background when not starring on the field". Times Reporter. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  5. ^ Florjancic, Matthew (September 30, 2016). "Last man standing! Gareon Conley aims to be Ohio State's leader in secondary". WKYC. Retrieved May 1, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ "2016 Big Ten Individual Award Winners" (PDF). www.grfx.cstv.com. Big Ten Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
  7. ^ Lesmerises, Doug (January 12, 2017). "Marshon Lattimore, Malik Hooker, Gareon Conley head to the NFL from Ohio State's greatest secondary". cleveland.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  8. ^ "*Gareon Conley, DS #2 CB, Ohio State". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  9. ^ Burke, Chris (April 24, 2017). "2017 NFL draft rankings: Top prospects by position". si.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  10. ^ "Ranking the 2017 draft's Top 100 prospects". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  11. ^ Mayock, Mike (April 12, 2017). "Mike Mayock's 2017 NFL Draft position rankings 3.0". NFL.com. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  12. ^ Becker, Jake (April 25, 2017). "Gareon Conley, Ohio State corner and projected first-round NFL draft pick, accused of rape in Cleveland". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  13. ^ DaSilva, Cameron (April 26, 2017). "NFL Draft prospect Gareon Conley reportedly accused of rape". FoxSports.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  14. ^ "Gareon Conley: Rape allegation 'not true'". espn. April 27, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  15. ^ Schwab, Frank (April 25, 2017). "Ohio State CB Gareon Conley denies rape allegation, reportedly won't attend NFL draft". Yahoo.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  16. ^ Robinson, Charles (April 27, 2017). "Expecting slide for CB Gareon Conley in NFL draft, teams press for details in sexual assault allegations". Yahoo.com. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  17. ^ Kilgore, Adam (April 26, 2017). "NFL teams will judge Gareon Conley while police are still investigating". Washington Post. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  18. ^ Knoblauch, Austin (July 31, 2017). "Raiders' Gareon Conley will not be charged in rape case". NFL.com. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  19. ^ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Gareon Conley". Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  20. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  21. ^ "Raiders select CB Gareon Conley with 24th pick". NFL.com. April 27, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  22. ^ "Gareon Conley agrees to rookie deal with Raiders". NFL. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  23. ^ Williams, Charean (November 13, 2017). "Raiders place Gareon Conley on IR". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  24. ^ "WATCH: Raiders CB Gareon Conley's records his first Pick-6". USA Today. September 30, 2018. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  25. ^ Zimmerman, Kevin (November 18, 2018). "The 5: Explanations for the Cardinals' blown opportunities vs. the Raiders". arizonasports.com. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  26. ^ Schneidman, Matt (December 16, 2018). "Bengals 30, Raiders 16: Takeaways from another ugly loss". mercurynews.com. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  27. ^ Sanchez, Jose (January 23, 2019). "Oakland Raiders 2018 season grades: CB Gareon Conley". justblogbaby.com. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  28. ^ Gutierrez, Paul (December 11, 2018). "Gareon Conley finally impressing and possibly answering Raiders' offseason needs". ESPN. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  29. ^ "Pro Football Focus: Gareon Conley". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  30. ^ "Raiders beat Broncos 24-16 in 1st game after Brown's release". ESPN. September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
  31. ^ DelVecchio, Steve (September 10, 2019). "Gareon Conley shares positive health update after leaving game on stretcher". www.yardbarker.com. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  32. ^ "Josh Jacobs rallies Raiders past Bears 24-21". ESPN. October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  33. ^ Patra, Kevin (October 21, 2019). "Raiders trade CB Gareon Conley to Houston Texans". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2019.
  34. ^ "Watson's 3 TD passes lead Texans over Raiders 27-24". ESPN. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  35. ^ "Chiefs rally from 24-0 hole to beat Texans 51-31 in playoffs". ESPN. Associated Press. January 12, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
  36. ^ Wilson, Aaron (April 29, 2020). "Texans not picking up Gareon Conley's fifth-year club option". Houston Chronicle.
  37. ^ "Texans announce roster moves". HoustonTexans.com. July 31, 2020. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  38. ^ "Texans announce roster moves". HoustonTexans.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  39. ^ "Texans Announce Roster Moves (9-7-2020)". HoustonTexans.com. September 7, 2020.
  40. ^ "Five players sign letters of intent with XFL". XFL.com. December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  41. ^ "UFL Transactions". UFLBoard.com. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  42. ^ "Cowboys sign 2 XFL standouts Conley, Harvey". DallasCowboys.com. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  43. ^ "Cowboys Release Gareon Conley; Conley Plans To Retire". profootballrumors.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
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