5 issues to learn about new Patriots OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

He’s but to play in an NFL regular-season recreation.

It’s exhausting to actually gauge simply how good Wheatley is for the easy motive that he hasn’t registered a snap in a recreation that issues but.

Wheatley has been a apply squad mainstay for the final two seasons. He joined the Bears’ apply squad in 2021 after he was reduce on the finish of coaching camp, holding a spot on the apply unit for the whole lot of the season.

After the Bears moved on from Wheatley, the sort out signed with the Raiders in the course of the 2022 offseason. He spent most of coaching camp in Las Vegas earlier than getting reduce.

Wheatley wound up in Cleveland shortly after the common season started in 2022, signing with its apply squad. He remained there for your entire 12 months, and the Browns stored him by the offseason and nearly all of coaching camp earlier than buying and selling him on Sunday.

He impressed in coaching camp and the preseason, enjoying each sort out positions.

Though Wheatley has but to play in an official recreation, he seems to be trending in the fitting route.

Wheatley acquired appears at each left sort out and proper sort out on the Browns’ backup offensive unit over coaching camp and the preseason. He additionally graded effectively within the two preseason video games he performed, receiving an 86.1 grade from Professional Soccer Focus for his efficiency.

Wheatley was credited for 61 snaps at left sort out and 37 snaps at proper sort out, incomes a 95.6 run-block grade with a 97.6 pass-blocking effectivity in video games in opposition to the Eagles and Commanders, per PFF.

These performances have been solely a style of what Wheatley confirmed throughout coaching camp practices, in response to Browns offensive line coach Invoice Callahan.

“We actually like him so much,” Callahan instructed reporters throughout camp. “Right here’s a man that, my God, he was a decent finish a couple of years in the past, and he’s transitioned not solely from a ability place however into an influence place. He’s added further weight. He’s up round 330 kilos now, so we really feel that he’s nonetheless rising into his physique, he’s nonetheless making changes, making tweaks.

“However he’s actually athletic, he’s proven the flexibility to get on the sting and move defend in opposition to good pace rushers. Now it’s only a matter of placing all of it collectively.”

He performed tight finish not too way back.

As Callahan talked about, Wheatley hasn’t been an offensive sort out for lengthy.

Wheatley performed tight finish for his total collegiate profession. He started at Michigan, lacking nearly all of his freshman season with a foot harm as he was a four-star recruit within the class of 2015. He turned a contributor for the Wolverines over the following two seasons, enjoying in 22 video games.

However Wheatley didn’t produce a lot on the stat sheet throughout his time at Ann Arbor. He recorded simply six receptions for 61 yards and a landing over the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Wheatley transferred to Stony Brook, transferring down from FBS to FCS to turn out to be instantly eligible in 2018. He began eight video games and performed in 11 complete for the Seawolves, recording six receptions for 36 yards that season. He ended up transferring once more following that 12 months, heading to Morgan State, however didn’t play in a single recreation for this system in 2019.

So, if the Patriots use any six offensive lineman units this season, which they’ve executed up to now, possibly they’ll make Wheatley the eligible receiver of the group.

He’s had an uncommon path to the NFL.

As Wheatley was part of three completely different faculty soccer applications, he didn’t do a lot to impress NFL groups forward of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Not solely did Wheatley go undrafted that 12 months, however he additionally went unsigned for the whole lot of the 2020 offseason and common season.

For the overwhelming majority of gamers, going unsigned for that lengthy would mark the top of their enjoying days. However Wheatley determined to maintain enjoying, becoming a member of The Spring League in 2021. He performed for the Blue within the developmental league that season.

That’s additionally when Wheatley made the swap from tight finish to offensive sort out. Along with his 6-foot-6 body, Wheatley transferring over to offensive sort out made sense. He needed to bulk up, although. Wheatley was listed at 265 kilos in his lone season at Stony Brook in 2017. He acquired to 290 kilos by the point he signed with the Bears in 2021. He was most lately listed at 320 kilos as he enters his third season enjoying offensive sort out.

His father was a university soccer star and an NFL standout.

Wheatley isn’t the one member of his household to play skilled soccer.

A long time earlier than he performed at Michigan, Wheatley’s father starred for the Wolverines at a a lot completely different place. Tyrone Wheatley Sr. was a star working again for Michigan from 1991-94, speeding for over 1,000 yards in every of his ultimate three seasons on the faculty. He really earned Massive Ten Offensive Participant of the 12 months honors in 1992 and was named first-team All-Massive Ten 3 times throughout his enjoying days at Michigan.

These robust numbers helped Wheatley get chosen by the Giants within the first spherical of the 1995 NFL Draft. Following an underwhelming 4 seasons in New York, the Giants traded Wheatley to the Dolphins forward of the 1999 season however he was reduce throughout coaching camp that 12 months.

Wheatley finally surfaced with the Raiders, becoming a member of the staff shortly after his launch from the Dolphins. He had his two finest NFL seasons in his first two years with the Raiders, speeding for over 1,000 yards in 2000. He was additionally a part of the Raiders staff that misplaced to the Patriots within the 2001 playoffs in a recreation generally referred to as “The Tuck Rule Sport.“

Wheatley’s profession ended after the 2004 season and he started his subsequent chapter as a coach shortly after. He’s labored as a working backs coach for 3 completely different NFL groups (Payments, Jaguars, Broncos). He was additionally Michigan’s working backs coach for 2 of the seasons his son was with this system and was the top coach of Morgan State when the youthful Wheatley transferred there in 2019.

Wheatley is at present the top coach of Wayne State College’s soccer staff.