DeShon Elliott (born April 21, 1997) is an American professional football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas and was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL draft.

DeShon Elliott
refer to caption
Elliott with the Baltimore Ravens in 2021
No. 25 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1997-04-21) April 21, 1997 (age 27)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Rockwall-Heath (Heath, Texas)
College:Texas (2015–2017)
NFL draft:2018 / round: 6 / pick: 190
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2024
Total tackles:383
Sacks:3.5
Pass deflections:23
Interceptions:4
Forced fumbles:5
Fumble recoveries:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Elliott attended Rockwall-Heath High School in Heath, Texas, where he played high school football. He committed to the University of Texas to play college football.[1][2]

College career

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As a freshman at Texas in 2015, Elliott played in seven games and recorded 13 tackles and two interceptions. As a sophomore he played in 12 games and made one start, recording 30 tackles, one interception and one sack.[3] As a junior in 2017, Elliott was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.[4] In late November 2017, it was announced that Elliott would forgo his senior year at Texas in favor of the 2018 NFL draft, and that he would not play in the Longhorns' bowl game.[5]

Professional career

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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+78 in
(1.85 m)
210 lb
(95 kg)
32+14 in
(0.82 m)
10+12 in
(0.27 m)
4.58 s 1.59 s 2.69 s 4.46 s 7.22 s 36.0 in
(0.91 m)
10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)
15 reps
All values from NFL Combine[6][7]

Baltimore Ravens

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Elliott (#32) intercepts the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2021.

Elliott was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round, 190th overall, of the 2018 NFL Draft.[8] He was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2018, with a fractured forearm.[9]

On October 15, 2019, Elliott was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.[10]

Originally slated to be the backup safety for the 2020 season, Elliott was thrust into the starting role following the release of Earl Thomas on August 23.[11] In Week 2, Elliott recorded his first career sack against Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson as the Ravens defeated the Texans 33–16.[12] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 3, 2020,[13] and activated four days later.[14]

Elliott, would remain the starter for an injury-depleted Ravens secondary for the 2021 season. On November 8, 2021, Elliott was placed on injured reserve after suffering a season-ending biceps and pectoral injury late in the fourth quarter of a Week 8 34–31 overtime win over the Minnesota Vikings.[15][16]

Detroit Lions

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On April 14, 2022, the Detroit Lions signed Elliott to a one-year contract.[17] He entered the season as the Lions starting free safety. He played in 14 games with 13 starts, recording 96 tackles, three passes defensed, one interception and a forced fumble.

Miami Dolphins

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On March 17, 2023, Elliott signed a one-year contract with the Miami Dolphins.[18]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On March 15, 2024, Elliott signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[19]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackling Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2018 BAL 0 0 Did not play due to injury
2019 BAL 6 0 6 6 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2020 BAL 16 16 80 51 29 2.5 2 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 4
2021 BAL 6 6 23 19 4 1.0 0 0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 2
2022 DET 14 13 96 73 23 0.0 1 1 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 3
2023 MIA 15 15 82 53 29 0.0 0 1 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 7
Career 57 50 287 202 85 3.5 3 2 0 3 0 0.0 0 0 17

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackling Fumbles Interceptions
GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Yds Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2018 BAL 0 0 Did not play due to injury
2020 BAL 2 2 9 7 2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1
2023 MIA 1 1 9 3 6 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0
Career 3 3 18 10 8 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1

References

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  1. ^ Safety Elliott commits to Longhorns
  2. ^ Deshon Elliott commits to Texas
  3. ^ The Texas 22: Starting at safety — DeShon Elliott
  4. ^ "Award Watch: Texas' DeShon Elliott (Jim Thorpe) and Michael Dickson (Ray Guy) earn finalist status". Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  5. ^ Howe, Jeff (November 30, 2017). "Texas safety DeShon Elliott to enter 2018 NFL Draft". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  6. ^ "DeShon Elliott Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "2018 Draft Scout DeShon Elliott, Texas NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Mink, Ryan (April 28, 2018). "Round 6: Ravens Select Safety DeShon Elliott at No. 190". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
  9. ^ Mink, Ryan (August 31, 2018). "Ravens Release 10 Players, Send Four to Injured Reserve". BaltimoreRavens.com.
  10. ^ Alper, Josh (October 14, 2019). "Ravens S DeShon Elliott expected to miss rest of season with knee injury". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  11. ^ "DeShon Elliott ready to shine in new role alongside Chuck Clark". RSN. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  12. ^ "Ravens extend regular-season run, dominate Texans 33-16". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Ravens place Judon, Queen, 5 others on Reserve/COVID 19 list". APNews.com. November 3, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  14. ^ Hensley, Jamison (November 7, 2020). "Baltimore Ravens activate six defenders off reserve/COVID-19 list". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Mink, Ryan (November 7, 2021). "DeShon Elliott Out for the Season With Torn Biceps/Pectoral Injury". BaltimoreRavens.com.
  16. ^ Brown, Clifton (November 8, 2021). "Ravens Move Nick Boyle to 53-Man Roster". BaltimoreRavens.com.
  17. ^ "Lions sign unrestricted free agent S DeShon Elliott". DetroitLions.com. Retrieved April 14, 2022.
  18. ^ "Miami Dolphins Sign DeShon Elliott and Dan Feeney". MiamiDolphins.com. March 17, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  19. ^ "Elliott signed to two-year contract". Steelers.com. March 15, 2024.
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