DaRon Bland

DaRon Bland (/dəˈrɒn/ duh-RON;[1] born July 12, 1999) is an American football cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Sacramento State before transferring to Fresno State.

DaRon Bland
No. 26 – Dallas Cowboys
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1999-07-12) July 12, 1999
Modesto, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:197 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High school:Central Catholic
(Modesto, California)
College:
NFL Draft:2022 / Round: 5 / Pick: 167
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2023
Total tackles:64
Forced fumbles:0
Fumble recoveries:0
Pass deflections:8
Interceptions:8
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early life and high school

Bland grew up in Modesto, California and attended Central Catholic High School. He was named the Valley Oak League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.[2]

College career

Bland began his college career at Sacramento State. As a junior, he was named first-team All-Big Sky Conference after recording 43 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and forced fumbles with two interceptions and eight passes broken up.[3] After his senior season was canceled and moved to the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, Bland entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.[4]

Bland ultimately committed to transfer to Fresno State.[5] In his only season with the Bulldogs he recorded 45 tackles with five passes defended and two interceptions in 13 games played.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 0+14 in
(1.84 m)
197 lb
(89 kg)
32 in
(0.81 m)
9 in
(0.23 m)
4.48 s1.55 s2.59 s4.15 s7.26 s35.5 in
(0.90 m)
10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
14 reps
All values from Pro Day[7]

Bland was selected in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.[8]

[9]

Bland recorded his first career interception on October 2, 2022, versus Carson Wentz. Bland would then have two picks against Matt Ryan on December 4, and another on December 24 against the Eagles for his fifth interception of the season.

On October 1, 2023, Bland recorded 2 interceptions against Mac Jones while facing the New England Patriots, one of which he converted for six points.[10]

References

  1. "2022 Dallas Cowboys Media Guide" (PDF). NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
  2. Burns, James (January 23, 2017). "Cousins Montell and DaRon Bland commit to Causeway Classic". The Modesto Bee. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  3. Moore, Jackson (January 21, 2021). "All-Big-Sky CB transfer Daron Bland commits to Fresno State". 247Sports.com. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  4. Salerno, Cameron (June 4, 2021). "Why are so many NCAA football players looking to transfer?". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  5. "Fresno State football: 2021 class up to 17, three transfers". The Fresno Bee. February 3, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  6. "Cowboys select Fresno State CB DaRon Bland with No. 167 pick NFL draft". The Dallas Morning News. April 30, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  7. "2022 Draft Scout DaRon Bland, Fresno State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  8. "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 26, 2023.
  9. Galaviz, Anthony (April 30, 2022). "Former Fresno State cornerback DaRon Bland is taken by the Dallas Cowboys in NFL draft". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  10. "Cowboys' Bland comes up with second pick-six of 2023". ESPN.com. 2023-10-01. Retrieved 2023-10-01.


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