Derrick

Deese Jr.

Deese, (6'4/235) who is the son of longtime NFL offensive lineman Derrick Deese, is a late breakout who gradually worked his way up the depth chart to grab a starting job and excel in 2021. He only had 31 receptions for 343 yards and six touchdowns through his first three seasons on campus before breaking out this year by securing 47-of-83 passes for 720 yards, 15.3 YPC and four touchdowns while earning an excellent 86.1 offensive grade according to PFF. Deese flexed out to a pass catching role 60 percent of the time while catching 8-of-17 contested targets and averaging 12.7 yards of target depth. His passing game role grew as the season progressed, as the Spartans targeted Deese at least nine times in five of SJSU’s last seven games. Despite average size for the position, Deese earned a solid 82.9 run block grade this year, so he can also be an asset as an inline blocker. He will hope to slide into Day 3 consideration despite not being invited to the combine.

Deese Jr (6'4/235) was a walking highlight reel on Thursday night. He had two catches that were reminiscent of those you would see Travis Kelce make on Sundays, including one to set up a key touchdown at the end of the first half. Capitalizing on a UNLV fumble with 16 seconds left, quarterback Nick Nash fired a rocket up the seam and Deese Jr snagged the ball out of midair. On the next play, Tyler Nevens scored a touchdown to bring the game within four. A wide receiver coming out of college, Deese Jr is displaying those ball skills week in and week out for the Spartans. Deese Jr and San Jose State take on Wyoming next Saturday.

Deese (6'4/235) hauled in an 18-yard catch from quarterback Nick Nash in the second quarter of Saturday’s game, marking Deese’s third touchdown of the season. Given the struggles San Jose State had on the day, amassing only 253 yards of offense, Deese had a relatively nice day. Deese has had several good games on the season, as he now has 19 receptions on the season for 334 yards and three touchdowns. San Jose State (3-3) travels to UNLV next week for a matchup with the Rebels.

Deese (6'4/235) had a tremendous first half against the Aggies, as he hauled in five catches for 82 yards and one touchdown to help put the Spartans up 24-14 heading into halftime. He would add two more catches for 48 yards on the day as he ended the weekend with his best performance of the season. This marks the third time that Deese has gone over 60 receiving yards, and is his first touchdown since Week 1 over Southern Utah. The Spartans will look for their second-straight win next week when they travel to Colorado State.

Deese had a breakout performance against San Diego State. Deese entered the evening with just 38 yards on the year, but earned exactly double that in this game alone. Deese’s 6-foot-, 235-pound frame was a mismatch nightmare for the SDSU defense, who are otherwise a tough unit to crack. Deese had been a bit of a red zone weapon before this game, scoring twice despite his low reception volume, but it was not until Friday that he really broke things open everywhere.