Luke Deal
| No. 82 – Detroit Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Tight end |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | February 14, 2001 Greenwood, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight: | 252 lb (114 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Emerald (Greenwood, South Carolina) |
| College: | Auburn (2019–2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
Luke Deal (born February 14, 2001) is an American professional football tight end for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers.
Early life and high school
Deal attended Emerald High School in Greenwood, South Carolina. Coming out of high school, he was rated as a three-star recruit and the 18th best tight end, and committed to play college football for the Auburn Tigers over offers from schools such as Clemson, Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State and North Carolina State.[1]
College career
Heading into the 2023 season, Deal was named one of the four team captains for the Tigers.[2] Instead of declaring for the 2024 NFL draft, he returned to play his final collegiate season with the Tigers for 2024.[3] Deal finished his six-year career with the Tigers from 2019 to 2024 with 17 receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns in 64 games. He was a two-time captain and a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Man of the Year award.[4]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
247 lb (112 kg) |
31+5⁄8 in (0.80 m) |
10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) |
5.14 s | 1.79 s | 3.01 s | 4.47 s | 7.39 s | 29.5 in (0.75 m) |
9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) |
24 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[5][6] | ||||||||||||
After not being selected in the 2025 NFL draft, Deal signed with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent.[4]
Personal life
Deal is married to his wife Ansley, where they have one son named Christoper James Deal.[7]
References
- ^ Green, Tom. "3-star tight end Luke Deal commits to Auburn". AL.com. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ Silva, Richard. "Luke Deal comes to decision regarding possible sixth year with Auburn football". Montgomery Advisor. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ Blackerby, Zak. "REPORT: Luke Deal will return for his sixth season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ a b Booher, Christian. "Lions Sign Three Minicamp Tryout Players, Waive UDFA Tight End". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ "Luke Deal College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ "Luke Deal RAS". RAS.Football. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ Lee, Ainslee. "How Auburn veteran TE Luke Deal is juggling fall camp and becoming a dad 'any day now'". AL.com. Retrieved May 21, 2025.