Derrick Deese Jr.

Derrick Deese Jr. (born August 19, 1998) is an American football tight end for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at San Jose State. He went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft and was subsequently picked up by the Detroit Lions.

Early life
Deese was born on August 19, 1998, in La Palma, California. He played high school football at John F. Kennedy High School. He was a two-star recruit. He recorded 431 receiving yards on 25 receptions as a senior.

Golden West College
Deese's first touchdown in the college ranks came in the first week of the season against Glendale. He registered a 36-yard touchdown reception, his one and only reception of the game in the 33–0 win. That would be Deese's only touchdown reception of the year as he finished with 155 receiving yards in six games.

In his sophomore year in 2017, Deese recorded his first touchdown reception of the season against Cerritos. He brought in four receptions for 31 yards and one touchdown in the 23–36 loss. On September 30, he recorded his first 100-yard receiving game of his career against Long Beach. He put up 111 yards on five receptions and one touchdown in the 24–52 loss.

Detroit Lions
Deese went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft. He was signed by the Detroit Lions on April 30. However he was released by the Lions during their final offseason roster cutdown. He would remain a free agent until he was scooped up by the Lions again on January 11, 2023. He signed a futures contract with the team. He was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list on July 20, 2023. Deese was waived by the Detroit Lions on August 2, 2023.

Houston Roughnecks
On January 19, 2024, Deese signed with the Houston Roughnecks of the United Football League (UFL).

Michigan Panthers
On February 15, 2024, Deese signed with the Michigan Panthers.

Personal life
Deese is the son of former Super Bowl XXIX champion offensive lineman Derrick Deese.