De’ Ondre Wesley
Most athletes that deck the walls of the Antioch to the Pros section began playing their sport at an early age, and by their senior year of high school they have gradually develop skills at their position. De‘Ondre Wesley is an exception. De‘Ondre’s first year of playing football wasn’t until his senior season at Deer Valley High School (DVHS) in 2009. It was a good year at DVHS, they went undefeated in Bay Valley Athletic League play and De’Ondre played tackle on both sides of the ball. The highlight of his high school football career was beating the Wolverine’s biggest competition, Heritage High School and recovering three fumbles. At 6’ 5” 265 pounds he had the physical size to dominate on the line but needed to further develop his skills and build his confidence.
Enrolling at Diablo Valley College, De‘Ondre grey shirted his first year so not to lose eligibility and sat out the 2010 season. In his next two seasons, he worked hard at playing offensive tackle and was rewarded by being named to the All-Conference Team his second year. When scholarship offers began to pour in from NCAA Division l teams like, Purdue, Louisiana Tech, Arizona State, Utah, Oregon State and Brigham Young University (BYU) he believed he could play at the next level.
De‘Ondre’s college choice was clear after meeting BYU offensive line coach Garett Tujaque and selected the Cougars. He played in 25 games and started in 22 while lettering both years at BYU. As a senior, De‘Ondre started at tackle on an offensive line that averaged 37.1 points per game, more points than any previous BYU offense since the 2001 season, and were ranked 14th nationally in scoring. Finishing his senior year, he was selected to the 2014 College Sports Madness All-Independent First Team and was now ready to turn his sights to the National Football League.
Aspiring to be selected in the 2015 NFL draft, De’Ondre tried out at BYU’s Pro Day combine. At 6’ 7”, 330 pounds, his 5.25 40 yard dash time was impressive but was over looked in the draft. His NFL dream was not over, on May 2, 2015 De’Ondre Wesley was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as a free-agent. His first professional game at offensive tackle was on November 22, 2015 against the St. Louis Rams, the Ravens won 16-13. He played in seven games for the Ravens in 2015, mostly on special teams. After a knee injury, he was available for only four games in 2016, and was waived in September 2017. From 2017 to 2019 De’Ondre was signed by the Indianapolis Colts and the Buffalo Bills twice and saw play in the pre-season and practice squads. It wouldn’t be until his signing with the XFL, DC Defenders in 2020 that he would play on game day again.