The 10 Most Underappreciated Arkansas Football Players of the Past Decade: A.J. Derby

By Ryan Bolding  

Apr 28, 2020, 5:30pm CDT

In this world, there are many things about us that are underappreciated. Maybe it’s your beard that you’ve spent so long grooming and perfecting (the girl at the bar definitely notices). Maybe it’s the indie-rock band that you started with some co-workers (I’m sure you’ll be charting soon). Maybe it’s your twitter game (that next tweet for sure will get you verified). No matter how underappreciated these are, they pale in comparison to some of the athletes who have played the game they love in front of 70,000+ screaming fans, yet have not been given the recognition they deserved. Here are 10 of those underappreciated football players or the past decade.

Here are the qualifications for this list:

• Player must not hold any all-time records at Arkansas
• Player must not have been drafted any earlier than the 6th round of the NFL Draft
• Obviously, the player must have been on the team in the last 10 years

This goes without saying, but these are purely my opinions and by no means a definite list.

Let’s get it rolling.

AJ Derby

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

AJ Derby’s transition from a quarterback to a NFL tight end is nothing short of impressive. Derby came to Arkansas in 2013 as a quarterback after a stint at Iowa and Coffeyville CC. He appeared in 7 games as the backup quarterback to Brandon Allen and even started at Rutgers due to an Allen shoulder injury. Fans quickly saw that Derby could not get it done at the quarterback position and with Brandon Allen struggling throughout most of the 2013 season, the future looked bleak.

The 2014 season was much more promising and moving AJ Derby to the tight end position for his senior year made head coach Bret Bielema look like a genius. All season he showed tremendous athleticism and speed for his 6’5” 255-pound frame.

Despite backing up star tight end Hunter Henry, Derby finished the 2014 season with 303 receiving yards on 22 catches with 3 touchdowns.

Derby was drafted in the 6th round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. His best season was with the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins in 2017. He put up 244 yards on 21 receptions with 2 touchdowns. After getting placed on injured reserve in late 2018, he has not been seen in the NFL since.

TE A.J. Derby 'in tune' with Saints as 2nd preseason game nears

·         

·         BY AMIE JUST | STAFF WRITER 

·         AUG 16, 2019 - 5:21 PM

Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Reshard Cliett (43) attempts to take down New Orleans Saints tight end A.J. Derby (81) during the second half of an NFL pre-season football game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Friday, Aug. 9, 2019. 

STAFF PHOTO BY MAX BECHERER

COSTA MESA, Calif. — One player rising in the Saints’ stock is tight end A.J. Derby.

Derby, an Iowa native who went to Arkansas, joined the team a week into camp on Aug. 7 after a stint with the Miami Dolphins.

Back in 2015, the Saints did NFL Draft prep on Derby, but he was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round. The Patriots placed him on the injured reserve in August of that year.

“There’s some things he can do in the passing game,” Saints coach Sean Payton said of Derby. “I’d say he’s pretty in tune, too. It’s just establishing a confidence level as to what exactly and what’s the vision for the play.”

Payton added: “We’ve evaluated him before, certainly in the draft process. We’re aware of the player. Now you get a little bit more familiarity. He’s on your own roster. So we’re having a chance to look at him.”

In his three seasons in the league, Derby has 452 yards receiving on 40 catches with three touchdowns.

He had two receptions for 13 yards receiving in the Saints' preseason opener against the Vikings. 

Catch of the day alert

From Lorenzo Reyes' article "40 things we learned in Week 4 of the 2017 NFL season"

October 3, 2017

32. Catch of the day alert: Check out the one-handed snag by Broncos TE A.J. Derby.

Broncos TE A.J. Derby caught a 1-handed touchdown like it was a tennis ball

A.J. Derby’s first career touchdown reception was a gem.

By Adam Stites

October 1, 2017

One-handed catches can get old with the level of athlete that plays in the NFL, but occasionally you can still find one that makes you say, “Wow.” Denver Broncos tight end A.J. Derby managed to provide one of those early in Week 4 against the Oakland Raiders.

When Trevor Siemian threw a pass to Derby near the right sideline, all the tight end could get on the ball were his fingers. That was enough.

It’s one thing to catch a ball with one hand and pull it into your body, or at least your arm. But to just pinch it with your fingers like it’s a tennis ball is something else.

Even better is the fact that it was the first touchdown of Derby’s career. Originally drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round in 2015, he was traded to Denver for a fifth-round pick last October.

It took a while for Derby to get a touchdown, but his catch Sunday was a hell of a way to finally get in.

The NFL's top 25 breakout 'prospects' for 2017

By Rivers McCown

August 2, 2017

Every year, Football Outsiders puts together a list of the NFL's best and brightest young players who have barely played. Eighty percent of the draft-day discussion is about first-round picks, and 10 percent is about the players that should have been first-round picks, but instead went in the second round.

This list is about the others. Everybody knows that Marcus Mariota and Myles Garrett are good. There's a cottage industry around the idea of hyping every draft's No. 1 quarterback as a potential superstar. This is a list of players that have a strong chance to make an impact in the NFL despite their lack of draft stock and the fact that they weren't immediate NFL starters. (Our full criteria for who's eligible for this list is at the bottom of this article.)

Previous instances of the list have hyped players such as Geno Atkins, Elvis Dumervil, Malcolm Butler and Jamaal Charles before they blew up. Last year's list included David Johnson, Danielle Hunter and Super Bowl star Grady Jarrett.

This year, there weren't any prospects head-and-shoulders above the rest of the crew, like we've seen in past instances. Last year, for example, David Johnson was an easy top prospect. We actually had to have a bit of a debate to settle on the top of the list.

Here are the top 25 breakout prospects for 2017:

17. A.J. Derby, TE, Denver Broncos

Age: 25 | 191 offensive snaps | Fifth-round pick (2015)

Derby had the size, speed and skill to be a star college tight end, but resisted the change for many years, even transferring from Iowa to Arkansas to try to stay at quarterback. Without much statistical track record, and coming out of college with an injury that caused him to miss his bowl game and most of the combine, it was a surprise that he was actually drafted. But under the watchful eye of Bill Belichick, Derby blossomed to the point that the Patriots were able to deal him to Denver and recoup their initial investment.

Given the lack of a real established tight end in Denver, Derby doesn't have much to beat out to see playing time. He's certainly the best receiving option the Broncos have at the position. New offensive coordinator Mike McCoy's tenure with the Chargers heavily emphasized tight ends, and while Derby is no Antonio Gates, he should see a little more involvement than he did last year.

A.J. Derby trade with Patriots already paying off for Broncos

By RYAN WOODEN
April 3, 2017

When the Denver Broncos sent a fifth-round pick to the New England Patriots for tight end A.J. Derby in October 2016, John Elway made it clear that he thought Derby could make an immediate impact. After being stuck behind Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett, the expectation was that Derby would play important snaps in Denver — and he did exactly that.

After casually being worked into the offense with six snaps in a loss to the Raiders a little over a week after the trade, the Broncos took the training wheels off down the stretch. Over the next five games, Derby played in no fewer than 47.5 percent of the team’s snaps and made an impact, catching 16 passes for 160 yards.

And in Week 13 and Week 14, Derby was particularly potent, catching 9 total passes for 92 yards before missing the final two games of the season with a concussion. However, that stretch alone was enough to prove that the trade is already paying off for Denver.

They paid a premium for his services considering they paid a fifth-round price for a player who’d been drafted in the sixth round just a year earlier and had missed all of 2015 with a knee injury. But if you extrapolate his numbers in that five-game sample out to an entire season, you’re looking at a 50-catch, 500-yard tight end. That’s something the Broncos haven’t had since Julius Thomas.

And that’s just what he is right now. He didn’t make the switch to tight end until his senior season at Arkansas, so we’re just now getting a taste of his true potential as he continues to learn the nuances of the position.

If Derby can stay healthy in 2017, he’s going to have the chance to emerge as the clear No. 1 in the Broncos offense, finally giving Denver a solid third receiving option behind Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. And that’s going to be significant to the development of their two young quarterbacks, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch.

So while the Broncos may have overpaid a bit relative to where Derby was drafted, the price is paltry considering the Broncos nabbed a player with potential to be a valuable contributor long-term.

A.J. Derby: The Future (and Present) of the Broncos TE Position

By T. Kothe

December 12, 2016

The Story So Far

Given the outcome of Sunday's game, I think it'd be good to spend a little time focusing on some of the good things we've seen happening for our team in recent weeks. And the specific good thing I want to talk about is A.J. Derby.

Derby is, of course, one of the newest Broncos- having been traded to Denver by the Patriots in exchange for a 2017 5th round draft pick. Fans questioned John Elway's decision a bit, and not unfairly considering that Derby was a 2015 6th round pick who had yet to produce anything. Up to that point, in fact, his career closely mirrored that of an incumbent tight end on the Broncos squad: 2015 3rd round pick Jeff Heuerman.

That's when the similarities would end, though. Derby technically made his debut for the Broncos against the Oakland Raiders on November 6th, but his real debut would come to the tune of two catches and 44 snaps in the Broncos' improbable road victory over the Saints. Since the start of that game he's racked up 152 offensive and 20 special teams snaps in four appearances. Moreover, he's picking up steam as he and quarterback Trevor Siemian get comfortable with each other. Two catches in New Orleans became four against Kansas City (and a critical conversion on 3rd & 12 from the Denver 3 yard line) and now five versus Tennessee. In fact, after failing to bring in his first two passes as a Bronco (1 vs the Raiders, & the 1st pass his way vs the Saints), Derby has become Mr. Reliable with twelve consecutive catches. For contrast, Virgil Green is sporting a career-low 58.1% catch rate this season.

If you're looking only at the raw stats, you might be tempted to shrug and ask "So what? He's only got 12 receptions for 125 yards and a lost fumble, so what's the big deal?"

The big deal is that things are only pointing up for him from here- and for a guy who's only been with the team for 48 days, that's pretty darn good. Just look at how his arrival has impacted the other tight ends on the roster:

• John Phillips: Cut
• Jeff Heuerman: 28 total snaps in the last 4 games. Zero receptions on zero targets. To be fair, he had no receptions in his last 4 games prior to New Orleans either, but he played 63 snaps during those games.
• Virgil Green: 2 receptions on 9 targets for 24 yards. Played fewer than 50% of the offensive snaps vs the Titans, which is a first for him in the 2016 season.

If you go to the Broncos' team website right now and look at the tight end depth chart, the order is still 1) Green, 2) Heuerman, 3) Derby. Frankly, that's not true. AJ Derby is already the Broncos' undisputed #2 TE and is arguably already the #1 guy in the position group- at least for receiving. At the very least he has already become Trevor Siemian's safety blanket, which is exactly what you want to see for a TE in this offense.

Looking Forward

Odds are pretty good that after the Patriots game this Sunday, Derby will already have surpassed both Heuerman and Phillips in the total number of snaps taken as a Bronco this season. He won't catch Green in snaps, or even come close... but with three games remaining I'd bet you $100 that he'll surpass Green's season totals in targets, receptions, and yards. And if another Denver tight end is going to catch a touchdown pass this season (John Phillips caught the only one all the way back in week 3), my money is on Derby for that too.

But won't the fumble hurt him? It had better not. Watching the video of that play, I see Derby wrap the ball up with both arms as soon as he recognizes the tacklers' proximity. He fights for it, and had very nearly fought off Williamson when Johnson's hit jarred him just enough for Williamson to rip the ball out. He probably didn't do everything perfectly, but he had the ball in tight and wrapped up with both arms and did not give it up easily. I'm satisfied that him getting stripped will prove to be just an unfortunate outlier.

From a longer term view, I'm really excited about what we have in Derby. He's got two more years on his rookie contract, and is perfectly positioned to grow along with our young QB(s). He might already be the most dynamic tight end we've had since Julius Thomas, and I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes the most productive one since JT well before the 2017 season slides into December.

Here's hoping he makes his first mark as a redzone threat this Sunday when the Patriots come to town!

Broncos special-teams concerns, Derek Wolfe’s take, A.J. Derby’s development and more

By NICKI JHABVALA
November 29, 2016

Broncos coach Gary Kubiak has a list of concerns about his team that seems to grow by the week.

After Sunday’s overtime loss to the Chiefs, special teams became a glaring concern after an array of mistakes that included multiple holdings calls on punts, two muffed punts by Jordan Norwood, an illegal formation penalty on a Chiefs field goal attempt, and a Broncos free kick that Tyreek Hill returned 86 yards for a touchdown.

“That’s really disappointing because that had been a consistency for us,” Kubiak said. “There have been a couple of times here in the last month where we have not played well on special teams. … There are two phases of the game. Field position, we lost that phase of the game and we lost the turnover battle in that phase of the game, too. It’s very disappointing. We need to rebound.”

Critical stretch. The pressure is on high after the divisional loss. If the playoffs started this week, the Broncos wouldn’t be in the postseason field. Which means their final five games are raised in importance.

But defensive end Derek Wolfe said the pressure would have been there even after a win.

“We’re the type of team where we don’t feel pressure, we try to apply it,” he said. “That’s something that we’re going to have to emphasize. … It happened last year. We were in the same type of situation. The margin for error is not there. We can’t be messing up. We can’t be making mistakes.”

Derby’s development. Among the bright spots for the Broncos’ offense Sunday night was tight end A.J. Derby’s involvement. Derby, who was acquired in a trade with New England in October, caught all four targets for a season-high 43 yards. One of those catches was for 13 yards on a critical third down in the fourth quarter that led to Bennie Fowler’s touchdown.

“(We’re) excited about how far he’s come since we’ve gotten him,” Kubiak said. “Obviously, he’ll continue to take more of a part of what we’re doing, but (he) makes a lot of plays (and) he catches the ball well. He can improve in the physical part. Blocking and those types of things are the things that we need him to improve upon, but I think that he has a chance to be a really good player.”

Tale of two halves. Weak pass protection upfront stalled the Broncos’ offense and left quarterback Trevor Siemian little to time to create much of anything in the first half Sunday. So what changed in the second half?

“In the first half, we couldn’t hold the ball to throw anything, to be honest with you,” Kubiak said. “In the second half we found a way to get the ball down the field a little bit and make some plays. We stood committed to the run even though we were down. We didn’t run the ball great, but we ran the ball enough that we could still run play-action. He played extremely well. He made a lot of plays. He made a lot of plays with his feet.”

A.J. Derby Can Boost Passing Game

By Kristopher Knox

October 27, 2016

While the 10-year veteran never got a lot of attention, tight end Owen Daniels was a big part of the Denver Broncos run to the Super Bowl in 2015. The longtime Gary Kubiak disciple was a major component of the passing game, hauling in 48 passes for 517 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season.

The Broncos decided not to bring Daniels back for 2016 and have instead relied on a mixture of Virgil Green, Jeff Heuerman and John Phillips at the position. While the trio has been serviceable—and quite good in the blocking department—it hasn’t added a ton of punch to the passing game. Through seven weeks, Broncos tight ends have combined for 17 receptions, 183 yards and one touchdown.

Heuerman is Denver’s highest rated tight end in terms of receiving, per Pro Football Focus, and he’s rated 25th at the position and has seen a mere 85 offensive snaps. For a team looking to make life easier on first-year starter Trevor Siemian, what the team has had at tight end hasn’t realistically been enough.

This is likely why the Broncos decided to make the move to acquire A.J Derby from the New England Patriots earlier this week via trade. Assuming Derby can adjust to Denver’s playbook quickly, he has the potential to add an immediate boost to the team’s passing attack.

The former quarterback-turned-tight-end was originally selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2015 draft. However, he was placed on injured reserve that summer and didn’t see his first real action until the 2016 preseason.

Derby was magnificent during the preseason, though, proving that he is more than just a 6-5, 255-pound athlete. He finished the 2016 preseason with 15 catches, 189 yards and a touchdown. Pro Football Focus rated Derby as the top receiving tight end in the entire league for the preseason.

Now, it’s worth noting that there’s a big difference between preseason and the real thing. It’s also worth noting that we’re speculating on potential here rather than proven production. But Derby seems to have all the tools to be a quality receiving tight end in Denver’s offense.

“A.J. is a young tight end who can help us immediately,” Broncos Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway said, via the team’s official website. “He has tremendous upside and will fit in well on our team.”

Acquiring Derby clearly wasn’t a snap decision for the Broncos. According to Michael Lombardi of Fox Sports, the team has had its eye on the Arkansas product for a while:



Now that Kubiak and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison have their hands on Derby, it will be interesting to see how quickly they can work him into the offense.

At best, Derby can provide Siemian with a dynamic receiving threat at the tight end position almost immediately. This should make the quarterback’s life a lot easier, as quality tight ends are apt to do.

At worst, the Broncos have acquired a developmental prospect with a ton of upside. If Derby isn’t boosting the passing game this season, he could be when, say, Paxton Lynch is the one taking snaps from under center.

Patriots name 6 practice players of the week from victory over the Browns

The Patriots coaches believe these six players helped the team win in week 5.

By Rich Hill

October 16, 2016

This note flew under the radar this week, but the Patriots announced six practice players of the week from the victory over the Browns in week 5. They are OG Chris Barker, RB D.J. Foster, TE AJ Derby, DB Eric Rowe, DL Geneo Grissom, and DB Vinnie Sunseri.



Per usual, these players likely served as key players on the Browns roster for the scout team.

Barker likely served as All Pro guard Joel Bitonio, who DT Malcom Brown handled easily all game.

Foster was likely RB Duke Johnson, who is a big receiving threat out of the back field. Foster also could have served as WR Terrelle Pryor due to his versatility. This is Foster’s 2nd practice player of the week award.

Derby could have been TE Gary Barnidge, the Browns top receiving threat outside of Pryor. This is Derby’s 2nd practice player of the week award.

Rowe could have played like CB Joe Haden, who struggled at times against WR Chris Hogan.

Grissom could have been any number of players on the Browns defensive front as QB Tom Brady was clean in the pocket all day. Grissom has been promoted to the active roster.

Sunseri might have served some value as a Browns special teams player as head coach Bill Belichick highlighted the Patriots special teams play as a reason for victory. This is Sunseri’s 2nd practice player of the week award.

Previous Winners
Week 1: RB D.J. Foster, DB Brandon King, DB Jordan Richards, DB Vinnie Sunseri
Week 2: QB Jacoby Brissett, LB Elandon Roberts, DT Woodrow Hamilton
Week 3: TE AJ Derby

AJ Derby is up, Justin Coleman is down in Patriots' win

AJ Derby caught six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown against the Bears. AP Photo/Charles Krupa

By Mike Reiss

August 18, 2016

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The New England Patriots beat the Chicago Bears 23-22 Thursday night in both teams' second preseason game. On first glance, without film review, here's who was up and who was down:

UP
RB LeGarrette Blount: Playing 16 snaps, he finished with 11 carries for 69 yards (6.3-yard average) and one touchdown as he ran with a purpose on a night the Patriots made a concerted effort to run with a lead fullback and/or extra blocking tight end. If he was being challenged by Tyler Gaffney for the top role, Blount showed Thursday that he is going to be hard to beat.

TE AJ Derby: The 2015 sixth-round draft choice out of Arkansas totaled six catches for 71 yards and one touchdown as he put on a decisive charge in the competition for the No. 3 role behind Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. The touchdown, a 16-yard grab in the end zone from Jimmy Garoppolo, capped the Patriots' most impressive drive of the night, at the end of the second quarter. Derby's 26-yard catch up the left sideline from Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter also was impressive.

Garoppolo: In a confidence-building performance, he took a step forward from the preseason opener, finishing 16-of-21 for 181 yards and one touchdown, with no interceptions. He wasn't sacked, a result of improved pass protection but also of his ability to shuffle his feet in the pocket to extend the play while going through his progressions. His best work came at the end of the second quarter in the two-minute offense, leading a seven-play, 57-yard touchdown drive.

DOWN
RB Brandon Bolden: He fumbled at the Bears' 3-yard line early in the second quarter for the team's only turnover. Bolden needed to switch the football to his outside hand, and cornerback Tracy Porter jarred it free and recovered.

CB Justin Coleman: Starting in place of Logan Ryan (who is not yet cleared for full contact), he was in coverage on two early catches by Alshon Jeffery (29 yards, 12 yards) and then picked up a defensive-holding penalty on the next drive that negated a third-down stop.

First-unit defense: Instead of picking a specific player, this was a group effort. When a Bears offense that didn't score in its preseason opener against Denver runs 21 plays in the first quarter to open up an 11-0 lead, that's not the type of start the unit it looking for. Two highlights for the defense were the play of under-the-radar second-year defensive tackle Anthony Johnson and top draft choice Cyrus Jones' second-quarter interception.



A.J. Derby continues to shine in backup tight end competition




A.J. Derby was outstanding against the Chicago Bears.

By Mark Daniels

August 19, 2016

FOXBORO – A.J. Derby’s flashed solid hands this summer and made a nice grab in last week’s game against New Orleans, but on Thursday night he took it to a different level.

The 2014 sixth-round pick led the Patriots with six receptions, 71 receiving yards and a touchdown against the Chicago Bears.

“I’m just trying to get better every day, so I’ve got to watch the film and see how I did,” Derby said.

Derby didn’t get a chance to showcase his abilities last summer as he got placed on the injured reserve early in camp on Aug. 5. But the former quarterback turned tight end in college has a legitimate chance to make the Patriots 53-man roster as the team’s third tight end behind Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett.

That was evident when Jimmy Garoppolo kept feeding him during the 2-minute drill to end the first half and then in the third quarter when he made a highlight-reel 26-yard catch from Jacoby Brissett along the sideline.

Derby, who already sounds like a Patriot, gave all the credit for his big catch to his quarterback.

“Jacoby made a good check on the line,” Derby said. “He made a really good throw and the offensive line did a really good job giving him time to get the throw off.”

Patriots Practice Observations: A.J. Derby, Martellus Bennett Standing Out

By Doug Kyed

August 8, 2016

FOXBORO, Mass. — Bill Belichick wasn’t lying when he said the Patriots have their deepest group of tight ends since the head coach came to New England in 2000.

Rob Gronkowski continues to dominate training camp, despite some issues with drops, and Martellus Bennett has shown smooth route running and soft hands this summer. Bennett caught three passes during 11-on-11s Monday.

A.J. Derby, selected in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft but placed on injured reserve early last August, has stood out in three straight practices now. He caught two passes, including a contested grab over safety Patrick Chung on Monday.

Derby could have an uphill battle to crack the 53-man roster over veteran Clay Harbor, who returned to practice Monday, but he has impressive size and athleticism at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds. The former college quarterback ran a 4.72-second 40-yard dash at his pro day last March with a 6.99-second 3-cone.

Here’s what else stood out at training camp Monday:

— Quarterback Tom Brady went 13 of 20 during 11-on-11s. He spread the ball around, hitting Chris Harper and James White three times, Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski twice and Brandon Bolden, Chris Hogan and Derby once apiece.
— Linebacker Jamie Collins broke up a pass from Brady. Gronkowski and White each had drops.
— Backup QB Jimmy Garoppolo went 14 of 21 with an interception.
— Bennett caught three passes from Garoppolo, Edelman, Gronkowski and Hogan caught two and Derby, Harper, Bolden and Harbor caught one.
— Edelman looked as fast as ever beating cornerback Justin Coleman on an end zone fade from Brady during 11-on-11s. Edelman celebrated with a Gronk-esque spike.
— Rookie linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill intercepted Garoppolo. Rookie cornerback Jonathan Jones recorded a pass breakup.
— Third-string QB Jacoby Brissett didn’t attempt a pass in 11-on-11s. He has just two pass attempts in the last three practices.
— Hogan, Edelman, Harper, DeAndre Carter and cornerbacks Cyrus Jones and V’Angelo Bentley got reps catching punts.
— The starting offensive line consisted of Nate Solder, Joe Thuney, David Andrews, Josh Kline and Marcus Cannon.
— The Patriots look to be experimenting with rotating their defensive line according to the offense’s personnel grouping. Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, Markus Kuhn, Malcom Brown, Alan Branch and Terrance Knighton all are getting first-team reps.
— Branch suffered what looked to be a lower left leg injury and didn’t finish practice. He stayed on the field, however.
— Running back Tyler Gaffney is getting a lot of carries with the first team. He’s never made it this far into camp without suffering a season-ending injury. It will be interesting to see how he fares in the preseason.
— Center Bryan Stork returned to practice but didn’t work in team drills. The Patriots are experimenting heavily with Ted Karras and Josh Kline at center.

New England Patriots 6th round pick A.J. Derby has a tie to Bill Belichick

Former Arkansas TE A.J. Derby was a 6th-round draft pick of the New England Patriots (AP Photo)

By Kevin Duffy

May 2, 2015

FOXBOROUGH -- This may date Bill Belichick a bit, but soon he will have coached two generations of players from one family.

A.J. Derby, taken by the Pats in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, is a converted quarterback who has size and athleticism at tight end. His father, John, was a linebacker who appeared in one career game with the Detroit Lions and spent a training camp with the Cleveland Browns when Belichick was head coach.

"He didn't say much (about playing for Belichick)," Derby said on a conference call Saturday. "He went through one camp so he was just trying to make a spot. I don't think he really knew much about the NFL. He was just scraping at the bottom."

Some other notes from A.J. Derby, who spent just one college season at tight end:

*On moving from quarterback to tight end: "It's been kind of a long road. I was pretty stubborn about playing quarterback early in college, and that's the reason I ended up leaving Iowa to go to JuCo and then to Arkansas. But I ended up meeting with coach (Bret Bielema) and it worked out great to be a tight end."

*On former Arkansas teammate Trey Flowers, a third-round pick of the Pats: "All through the combine process, everybody asked me who the hardest guy to block was. And I said Trey Flowers every time, because I believe that. He's a great player and the Patriots are very lucky to have him in the organization."

*On favorite tight ends: "Growing up, being an Iowa guy, I was a huge fan of Dallas Clark. And I like to watch Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten and Rob Gronkowski."