Devon Key (born October 28, 1997) is an American professional football safety for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Western Kentucky and was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent following the 2021 NFL draft.
| No. 26 – Denver Broncos | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Safety | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | October 28, 1997 Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 208 lb (94 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Bryan Station (Lexington, Kentucky) | ||||||
| College: | Western Kentucky (2016–2020) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2021 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024 | |||||||
| |||||||
Early life and education
editDevon Key was born on October 28, 1997, in Lexington, Kentucky. He attended Bryan Station High School, playing on offense and defense. He was rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.com, 247sports.com, and Scout.com.[1] Following his senior year of high school Key accepted a scholarship offer from Western Kentucky University, spending his first year of 2016 as a redshirt.
As a redshirt-freshman the following year, Key was starting safety to begin the season, making 94 tackles (44 solo, 50 assisted) to rank second on his team and 16th in the conference. He recorded at least nine tackles in five different games. He made his first-career interception in the end zone on November 11 at Marshall. He had a career-high 12 tackles on September 9 at Illinois.[1]
He started all 12 games as a sophomore, compiling 71 tackles to lead the team's defensive backs. He also recorded a team-leading three interceptions. His first interception, against Maine, was returned for a 45 yard touchdown. Key also made interceptions during the final two season games. Following the season he was named All-Conference USA honorable mention.[1]
Key started 13 games as a junior, making 93 tackles, third on the team. He recorded his second career interception return touchdown against Arkansas in November. He again was named All-Conference USA honorable mention. He again started every game during his senior season, breaking the FBS-era team record for career tackles, with 350. He finished the year with 92 tackles, one less than the previous year. He was named second-team All-Conference USA following the season.[1]
Professional career
edit| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+5⁄8 in (1.82 m) |
208 lb (94 kg) |
30+3⁄4 in (0.78 m) |
9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) |
4.56 s | 1.57 s | 2.57 s | 4.15 s | 7.13 s | 38.0 in (0.97 m) |
10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) |
20 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[2] | ||||||||||||
Kansas City Chiefs
editAfter going unselected in the 2021 NFL draft, Key was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent.[3][4][5][6] He was released at roster cuts and signed to the practice squad the next day.[7] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs on February 2, 2022.[8]
On August 30, 2022, Key was waived by the Chiefs.[9]
Atlanta Falcons
editOn November 15, 2022, Key was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad.[10] He was released from the practice squad a week later.[11]
Denver Broncos
editOn December 20, 2022, Key was signed to the Denver Broncos' practice squad.[12] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[13]
On August 29, 2023, Key was waived by the Broncos and re-signed to the practice squad.[14][15] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 8, 2024.[16]
Personal life
editKey's father, Donte, played for the University of Kentucky.[17] His younger brother, Dane, plays as a wide receiver at the University of Kentucky.[18] Key and his girlfriend had a son in August 2020 and they have since had another child. [19]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Devon Key - Football". Western Kentucky University Athletics.
- ^ "2021 NFL Draft Scout Devon Key College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Chiefs UDFA Spotlight: Western Kentucky DB Devon Key". June 30, 2021.
- ^ "Chiefs DB Devon Key eyes roster spot after impressing early at training camp". August 7, 2021.
- ^ Dixon, John (August 5, 2021). "Chiefs safety Devon Key is earning all the attention he's getting". Arrowhead Pride.
- ^ Walker, Alex (May 2, 2021). "Devon Key signs free agent deal with Kansas City". www.wkyt.com.
- ^ Brisco, Joshua. "Chiefs Release Taco Charlton, Four Others". Sports Illustrated Kansas City Chiefs News, Analysis and More.
- ^ "Chiefs sign 13 players to reserve/future contracts". Chiefs Wire. USA Today. February 2, 2022.
- ^ "Chiefs Announce Roster Moves to Meet NFL-Mandated 53 Players". Chiefs.com. August 30, 2022.
- ^ "Falcons sign cornerback to practice squad". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. November 15, 2022.
- ^ McElhaney, Tori (November 22, 2022). "Falcons sign offensive lineman to 53-man roster, plus other roster moves announced". AtlantaFalcons.com. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ DiLalla, Aric (December 20, 2022). "Broncos promote QB Jarrett Guarantano to active roster, place CB Darius Phillips on injured reserve". DenverBroncos.com.
- ^ Swanson, Ben (January 9, 2023). "Broncos sign nine players to future contracts". DenverBroncos.com.
- ^ DiLalla, Aric (August 29, 2023). "Broncos make series of transactions to reduce active roster to league-mandated limit". DenverBroncos.com.
- ^ DiLalla, Aric (August 30, 2023). "Broncos sign 14 players to practice squad". DenverBroncos.com.
- ^ DiLalla, Aric (January 8, 2024). "Broncos sign 12 players to future contracts". DenverBroncos.com.
- ^ "Donte Key - Biography". Frederick Douglass High School.
- ^ "Dane Key - Biography". Kentucky Kernel.
- ^ "Son". Instagram.