Quick Facts
Biography
Derek Wolfe (born February 24, 1990) is an American football defensive end for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Cincinnati. He was selected 36th overall by the Broncos in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Early life
Wolfe is from the rural town of Negley, Ohio, near the state line with Pennsylvania. He attended Beaver Local High School in East Liverpool, Ohio.
Considered only a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, Wolfe was a standout at Beaver Local High School and is the only player in the school's history ever to be drafted by the NFL.
College career
Wolfe played four years (2008-2011) at Cincinnati. He accumulated 162 total tackles, 37 tackles for loss, and 19.5 sacks during his tenure.
He was named Co-Big East Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.
He was the first Beaver Local High School graduate to get drafted and the first Mahoning Valley native selected.
Professional career
Pre-draft
| Ht | Wt | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP | Wonderlic | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in | 295 lb | 33¼ in | 10¾ in | 5.01 s | N/A s | N/A s | 4.44 s | 7.26 s | 33½ in | 9 ft 0 in | 33 reps | N/A | |||||||
| All values from NFL Combine | |||||||||||||||||||
Denver Broncos
Wolfe was selected 36th overall in the 2012 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. In his professional debut, a preseason game against the Chicago Bears on 9 August 2012, he finished with 2 sacks and 3 tackles.
In his first NFL game in the regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he came out with 3 tackles and a sack for a loss of 9 yards.
Wolfe finished his rookie season with 40 tackles, 6 sacks, and 2 passes defensed. His 6 sacks were third most on the team, behind Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil.
Wolfe had a tough sophomore season. In a preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, Wolfe suffered a spinal cord injury and was carted off the field. That, along with two bouts of food poisoning, led to him losing 20 pounds, and he was therefore not as productive on the field. On November 29, Wolfe suffered a seizure on the bus ride to the airport for their Kansas City Chiefs matchup. (After the season, it was reported that the seizure was related to the spinal cord injury.) Despite hopes that he might return to the field, he was eventually placed on Injured Reserve. Without Wolfe, the Broncos reached Super Bowl XLVIII where they lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
2015 was a career year for Wolfe. After serving a four-game suspension for a PED violation, Wolfe returned to establish himself as one of the best run stuffers in the game, which eventually led to him being named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after the Broncos defense completely neutralized the undefeated Packers offense in week 8.
On January 15, 2016, Wolfe signed a four-year extension with the Broncos worth $36.7 million.
Wolfe won Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos after they defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10. Wolfe had 5 tackles and 0.5 sacks.
In 2016, Wolfe posted a career high in tackles with 51, and in passes defended with 4.
The Broncos finished the 2016 season with a 9-7 record and missed the playoffs for the first time in Wolfe's career.
NFL stats
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Team won the Super Bowl | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Total | Ast | Sck | SFTY | PDef | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | ||||
| 2012 | DEN | 16 | 16 | 40 | 26 | 14 | 6.0 | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2013 | DEN | 11 | 11 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 4.0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2014 | DEN | 16 | 16 | 35 | 24 | 11 | 1.5 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2015 | DEN | 12 | 12 | 49 | 35 | 14 | 5.5 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2016 | DEN | 14 | 14 | 51 | 38 | 13 | 5.5 | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Total | 69 | 69 | 191 | 134 | 57 | 22.5 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comb | Total | Ast | Sck | SFTY | PDef | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FF | ||||
| 2012-13 | DEN | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2014-15 | DEN | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 2015-16 | DEN | 3 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 2.5 | -- | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Total | 5 | 5 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 2.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
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