Devin Funchess

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Devin Funchess
refer to caption
Funchess with the Carolina Panthers in 2018
No. 17
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1994-05-21) May 21, 1994 (age 29)
Detroit Michigan, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Harrison
(Farmington Hills, Michigan)
College:Michigan (2012–2014)
NFL draft:2015 / Round: 2 / Pick: 41
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
touchdowns:
21
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Devin Akeem Funchess (born May 21, 1994) is an American former

2015 NFL Draft. He was also a member of the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions
.

Early years

Devin Akeem Funchess

long jumper, recording a personal-best leap of 5.53 meters (18 ft, 1.5 in) at the 2011 Oakland County Championships, where he placed 25th.[6]

Considered a four-star recruit by ESPN.com, Funchess was listed as the fifth-ranked tight end in the nation in 2012.[7]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Devin Funchess
TE
Farmington Hills, MI Harrison HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Apr 22, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings:
247Sports: 10 (TE)  ESPN
: 5 (TE)
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2014.

College career

Funchess committed to the University of Michigan in 2011, becoming one of the top prospects in Michigan's 2012 recruiting class.[8]

2012 season

Funchess playing for Michigan in 2012.

Funchess saw extensive playing time as a freshman for the 2012 Michigan football team.[9] After Brandon Moore sustained a knee injury, Funchess became the team's leading tight end and was described in October 2012 as "one of Michigan's biggest early-season revelations."[10] In the second game of the season, and Funchess' first as a starter, he had 106 receiving yards and a touchdown against Air Force.[11][12][13][14] He became the first Michigan tight end with 100 receiving yards in a game in 15 years; Jerame Tuman accomplished the feat in 1997.[15] Funchess was named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week for his performance against Air Force.[16][17] Against UMass the following week, he caught two passes for 34 yards and scored his second career touchdown at Michigan.[18][19]

Funchess scored his third touchdown pass on October 13, 2012, in a 45–0 victory over Illinois.[20] On November 10, 2012, he scored in the fourth quarter on an eight-yard pass from Devin Gardner to give Michigan a 28–24 lead over Northwestern.[21] In the final home game of the season, a 42–17 victory over Iowa, Funchess scored his fifth touchdown on a 29-yard pass from Gardner.[22]

Funchess was a 2012 All-Big Ten honorable mention selection by the media.[23][24] He was also named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team.[25]

2013 season

As a sophomore for the 2013 Michigan team, Funchess became the Wolverines' second leading receiver behind Jeremy Gallon. On October 5, 2013, he caught seven passes for 151 yards against Minnesota. He had a 46-yard reception against the Golden Gophers, and his total of 151 yards was also a career-high.[26][27] After the Minnesota game, head coach Brady Hoke said: "We wanted to get him out on the perimeter a little bit, mismatch in a lot of ways. He runs awful well and is a big target. We're just trying to really take advantage of his skill set."[28] In an overtime loss to Penn State on October 12, 2013, Funchess caught four passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns, including a career-long 59-yard touchdown reception.[29] Through the first six games of the season, Funchess had 19 catches for 408 yards and four touchdowns. His average of 21.5 yards per catch was the highest in the Big Ten Conference.[30]

After the 2013 season, Funchess was named as

Big Ten's Tight End of the year.[31]

2014 season

On August 30, 2014, Funchess played his first game as a

Career statistics

Receiving
Year Team Games Rec Yds Avg TDs
2012 Michigan 13 15 234 15.6 5
2013 Michigan 13 49 748 15.3 6
2014 Michigan 11 62 733 11.8 4
Total 37 126 1,715 13.6 15

Professional career

Funchess and tight end Ed Dickson playing for the Panthers in 2015.
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 4+14 in
(1.94 m)
232 lb
(105 kg)
33+12 in
(0.85 m)
9+34 in
(0.25 m)
4.70 s 1.66 s 2.74 s 4.48 s 6.98 s 38+12 in
(0.98 m)
10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)
17 reps
All values from
Pro Day[35]

Carolina Panthers

2015 season

Funchess was drafted in the second round with the 41st overall pick by the

torn ACL in training camp, Carolina looked for Funchess to help fill that spot and emerge as a consistent target for Cam Newton.[37]

Funchess had a breakout game during Week 9 against the

Washington Redskins and responded with four receptions for 64 yards and a touchdown during the Panthers' 44–16 victory.[40] During the Panthers' 41–38 victory over the New Orleans Saints, Funchess recorded a key 13-yard touchdown reception.[41] During the Panthers' 38–35 victory over the New York Giants to move them to 14–0, Funchess recorded a key touchdown reception against cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.[42] Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the regular season finale, Funchess set career bests with seven receptions and 120 yards. The yardage is the second-most by Panthers' rookie (David Gettis had 125 yards against the San Francisco 49ers on October 24, 2010).[43] Funchess finished the regular season with 31 catches for 473 yards, the fifth most in franchise history for a rookie receiver; his five touchdown catches were second most for a rookie.[44]

On February 7, 2016, Funchess was part of the Panthers team that played in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10.[45] In the Super Bowl, Funchess had two catches for 40 yards.[46]

2016 season

Funchess played in 15 games in 2016, with seven starts, recording 23 catches for 371 yards and four touchdowns.

injured reserve on December 29, 2016, after suffering a knee injury against the Falcons in Week 16.[48]

2017 season

Funchess was part of a Panthers' wide receiver unit that contained Kelvin Benjamin, Russell Shephard, Curtis Samuel, Kaelin Clay, and Damiere Byrd.[49] In Week 4, against the New England Patriots, he had seven receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns in the 33–30 victory.[50] In Week 12, against the New York Jets, he had a season-high 108 receiving yards on seven receptions.[51] Overall, on the season, he had 63 receptions for 840 yards and eight touchdowns.[52] The Panthers made the playoffs and faced off against the Saints in the Wild Card Round.[53] In the 31–26 loss, he had four receptions for 89 yards.[54]

2018 season

In a Week 3 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, Funchess scored his first receiving touchdown of the season.[55] In Week 6 and Week 8, he scored a touchdown in consecutive games against the Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.[56][57] He finished the 2018 season with 44 receptions for 549 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns.[58]

Indianapolis Colts

On March 14, 2019, Funchess signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts.[59] He was placed on injured reserve with a broken collarbone on September 10, 2019.[60] He was designated for return from injured reserve on November 13, 2019, and began practicing with the team again.[61] However, he was not activated by the end of the three-week practice window on December 4, 2019, and remained on injured reserve for the rest of the season.

Green Bay Packers

2020 season

On April 2, 2020, Funchess signed with the Packers[62] The deal was reportedly for one year with a $1.2 million base salary for the 2020 season and a $1 million signing bonus, and could be worth up to $6.25 million with bonuses and incentives.[63]

On July 28, 2020, Funchess opted out of the 2020 NFL season due to the

COVID-19 pandemic.[64] He explained his decision in an Instagram post, saying that some of his closest family members had been exposed to COVID-19 and that he was opting out for their safety, as well as his own.[65]

2021 season

On March 9, 2021, the

anti-Asian racial slur "chinky/chinkie" and made a “slant-eyed” gesture during a press conference.[67] Funchess later posted an apology on Twitter.[68]

On August 25, the Packers placed Funchess on injured reserve due to a lingering hamstring injury, and released him two days later.[69]

San Francisco 49ers

On November 24, 2021, Funchess was signed to the practice squad of the 49ers.[70] He was released on December 6.[71]

Detroit Lions

On June 14, 2022, Funchess signed with the Detroit Lions as a tight end.[72] He was released on August 30.[73]

Retirement and transition to basketball

On December 20, 2022, Funchess said that as his football career options were dwindling, he was switching his focus and training to basketball so that he can fulfill his childhood dream of playing in the

NBA.[74]

On November 3, 2023, Funchess made his professional basketball debut, recording ten points and seven rebounds for Statham Academy during a 2023 AsiaBasket Dasmariñas Championship game held in Dasmariñas, Cavite, Philippines.[75]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yards Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2015 CAR 16 5 31 473 15.3 52 5 1 1
2016 CAR 15 7 23 371 16.1 48 4 0 0
2017 CAR 16 16 63 840 13.3 44 8 0 0
2018 CAR 14 12 44 549 12.5 27 4 0 0
2019 IND 1 1 3 32 10.7 16 0 0 0
2020 GB 0 0 Did not play due to COVID-19 opt-out
Career 62 41 164 2,265 13.8 52 21 1 1

Postseason

Year Team Games Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yards Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2015 CAR 3 3 5 73 14.6 24 1 0 0
2017 CAR 1 1 4 79 19.8 24 0 0 0
2020 GB 0 0 Did not play due to Covid-19 opt-out
Career 4 4 9 152 16.9 24 1 0 0

References

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External links