Hakeem Valles

Hakeem Valles (born November 23, 1992) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Monmouth and was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2016.

Early life
Valles was born in the Sicklerville section of Winslow Township, New Jersey.

He played high school football at Peddie School in Hightstown, New Jersey as a wide receiver. He garnered First-team All-New Jersey Prep accolades his junior year. He also spent some time at quarterback and defensive back while at Peddie.

College career
Valles played for the Monmouth Hawks of Monmouth University from 2012 to 2015. He was redshirted in 2011. He majored in Business Administration at Monmouth.

He was a wide receiver from 2011 to 2013. He played in four games in 2012 and 12 games in 2013.

He converted to tight end during training camp in 2014. He appeared in 11 games, starting nine, during the 2014 season. He caught 18 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns. He played in 11 games, all starts, his senior year in 2015. He recorded 22 receptions for 236 yards. He was also a team captain as a senior.

He played in 38 games, starting 20, during his college career. He recorded career totals of 40 receptions for 491 yards and three touchdowns.

Professional career
Valles was rated the 30th best tight end in the 2016 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com predicted that he would be selected in the seventh round or be a priority free agent. Zeriein said that Valles was an "Intriguing prospect due to combination of size and speed and an apparent willingness to scrap it out as a blocker." He also said Valles "Has an outside shot of being drafted and might kick around on a practice squad a year or two while he hones his skill at the position."

Arizona Cardinals
Valles signed with the Arizona Cardinals on May 2, 2016, after going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft. He was released by the team on September 3, 2016, and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on October 6, 2016. He made his NFL debut, and first start in Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers. He played in 11 games, starting 1, during the 2016 season and recorded three solo tackles.

On September 2, 2017, Valles was waived by the Cardinals.

Detroit Lions
On September 6, 2017, Valles was signed to the Detroit Lions' practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 26, 2017.

On October 6, 2018, Valles was waived by the Lions and was re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on November 7, 2018.

New York Giants
On November 27, 2018, Valles was signed to the New York Giants practice squad.

Personal life
His younger brother, Max, also plays in the NFL. Hakeem now invests in real estate and was on the "Bigger Pockets Real Estate" podcast in February 2021.