Former Western Kentucky tight end Deon Yelder catches a pass Friday, March 30, 2018, during WKU's pro day at Houchens-Smith Stadium. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

1. Deon Yelder NFL Draft profile
2. Meet the NFL tight end prospect whose dream was nearly crushed by a late bus

Mike Sanford and Deon Yelder shared an emotional embrace April 21, 2017.

Western Kentucky’s coach informed the team that Yelder earned a football scholarship. Tears streamed down the tight end’s face as he wrapped his arms around Sanford, thankful the financial burden of paying for college was lifted off his shoulders.

Fast forward more than 11 months, and Sanford and Yelder shared another embrace March 30. The tight end enjoyed a breakout 2017 season for the Hilltoppers and had just finished an impressive morning of workouts at the team’s Pro Day.

Sanford bragged on Yelder while talking to a huddle of reporters.

“I believe this wholeheartedly,” WKU’s second-year coach said. “I think Deon’s going to have an eight- to 12-year NFL career.”

After the video cameras turned off, the coach walked over to where his tight end was standing and gave him a bear hug. There were no tears this time – both men instead wore wide smiles.

Sanford knew the Louisville native was one step closer to completing his journey from college walk-on to professional football player.

“Who would’ve thought that a year ago about Deon Yelder, that this guy most likely has cemented himself as a draft pick?” Sanford asked.

Yelder is less than three weeks away from starting his pro football career. The NFL Draft will be April 26-28, and the tight end joins quarterback Mike White and linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe as former WKU players who could hear their names called during that event.

Yelder’s devoted himself to the draft process in recent months, training alongside White in Boca Raton, Fla.

Yelder told the Daily News on Monday that he’s met with the Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers. He also has upcoming visits scheduled with the Cincinnati Bengals and Tennessee Titans.

“It really is crazy,” Yelder said at WKU’s Pro Day, reflecting on his journey from walk-on to draft hopeful. “But I feel like I’ve earned being in this spot. Every day I go out there, I’m hungry to do better.”

Yelder was primarily a basketball player at Southern High School. He got a late start to his high school football career, not joining the Trojans’ gridiron squad until his junior season.

Yelder’s team stumbled to a 1-10 record his senior year of 2012, but fellow Louisville native Jeff Brohm got word of the 6-foot-4 wide receiver. Brohm, then WKU’s offensive coordinator under coach Bobby Petrino, offered Yelder a walk-on spot to the Toppers’ roster.

Four years passed before Yelder caught a pass. He redshirted in 2013, sat the bench in 2014 and didn’t make his debut until November of his redshirt sophomore season.

Yelder appeared as a special teams player the final four games of the 2015 season before becoming a regular on that unit the following year.

Yelder’s blocked PAT attempt in double overtime was the key play in a dramatic WKU win Oct. 15, 2016, at Middle Tennessee. That victory catapulted the Hilltoppers toward a second straight Conference USA title under Brohm.

Still, Yelder was buried on WKU’s tight ends depth chart all the way through his redshirt junior year. That changed in 2017 when he and Kyle Fourtenbary were the team’s only returning players at the position.

Fourtenbary and Yelder split nearly all the tight end reps during last year’s spring practices. Each day of practice was a chance for Yelder to showcase his skills to Sanford, position coach Ryan Mahaffey and the rest of WKU’s new coaching staff.

“He’s the type of guy who doesn’t count his reps, but he makes his reps count,” Mahaffey said last spring. “He goes out there and just continues to get better every single day.”

Yelder earned his new coaches’ trust, along with a scholarship. When the 2017 season started in the fall, he became a breakout star.

Yelder caught 52 passes over 12 games for 688 yards and a team-best seven touchdowns. He led the Tops with 57.33 receiving yards per contest, and his 13.23 yards per catch ranked second-best among WKU players with at least 20 grabs.

Yelder once again made a special teams impact too, scoring on a pair of two-point conversions during the season.

Yelder’s “maturity,” “toughness” and “ability to move the chains” all stood out to Sanford, he said.

“That’s what you need out of that position in the NFL,” Sanford said. “You want a guy that truly can make a difference by keeping your offense on the field on third downs and then is a viable red-zone target. I think that’s exactly who Deon is.”

Yelder participated in the NFLPA Bowl on Jan. 20 in Pasadena, Calif. He then received a late invite to Mobile, Ala., to join his college teammate White in the following week’s Senior Bowl.

Yelder scored in the third quarter of that Jan. 27 showcase, grabbing a one-yard TD reception on a pass from Richmond QB Kyle Lauletta.

“I came out and showed I can play with some of the best people,” Yelder said of the Senior Bowl, which was broadcast on NFL Network. “It doesn’t matter where you come from. You just suit up and play.”

Yelder went back to work after those all-star games, training in Florida with White.

“He came to work every day with a mindset where you could tell he was driven,” White said. “Some guys can take it as a vacation. You’re finally out of college. Your agent’s giving you some money. You’re starting to get new things, endorsements and stuff like that.

“Deon didn’t change one bit. He was probably even more hungry.”

Iyiegbuniwe and White received invites to the NFL Scouting Combine early last month in Indianapolis, but Yelder didn’t. He instead turned his attention toward preparing for WKU’s on-campus Pro Day.

Thirty-five evaluators representing 28 NFL teams were on hand March 30 to scout Yelder and his former college teammates.

Yelder completed the 40-yard dash in 4.74 seconds, WKU said. The 255-pound athlete repped 225 pounds 18 times on the bench press, vertical jumped 33 inches and broad jumped 10 feet.

Yelder was also among a group of tight ends and wide receivers catching passes from White with the scouts watching.

Sanford called it “just a phenomenal workout.” Yelder said he’d prepared three months for a day that “went great.”

“I just went out there and grinded, did the same thing we’ve been doing,” Yelder said.

Yelder’s NFL.com draft profile projects him as a priority free agent who won’t be drafted but “should be in an NFL training camp.”

“Yelder doesn’t stand out in any one phase, but it stands to reason that he should continue to improve in all areas with more experience and coaching,” NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein wrote of Yelder.

Other mock drafts have predicted a late-round selection for the Hilltopper.

Yelder doesn’t plan to take part in any draft parties, saying he’ll watch the telecast at home. Once he gets that call from an NFL team, whether as a draft pick or free agent, the former walk-on will begin the pro football career that once seemed improbable.

“A year ago, he wasn’t getting scholarship money,” Sanford said. “He had to pay for his food and room and board and books.

“Now he’s got a chance to be a draft pick.”