Jared Veldheer

Jared Veldheer

At a game in Denver in September 2015.
No. 68 Arizona Cardinals
Position:	Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1987-06-14) June 14, 1987 (age 29)
Place of birth:	Grand Rapids, Michigan
Height:	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Weight:	321 lb (146 kg)
Career information
High school:	Grand Rapids (MI) Forest Hills Northern
College:	Hillsdale
NFL Draft:	2010 / Round: 3 / Pick: 69
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2010–2013) Arizona Cardinals (2014–present)
Roster status:	Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
AFCA first-team All-America honors (2009) AFCA first-team All-Region honors (2009) Sporting News Division II Preseason All-American honors (2009) First-team All-GLIAC honors (2008) Hillsdale's Offensive Lineman of the Year (2008, 2007) Second-team All-GLIAC honors (2007) Offensive Freshman of the Year honors (2006) All-Conference honors (2005)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 53 Games started: 48 Player stats at NFL.com

Jared Veldheer (born June 14, 1987) is an American football offensive tackle for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hillsdale.

Veldheer was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Jim and Mary Veldheer. He has two siblings, one older brother (Aaron Veldheer) and a younger sister (Meghan Veldheer). Jared graduated from Forest Hills Northern High School in 2005. In high school, Veldheer was named Most Valuable Lineman and played two years of varsity basketball, and his high school football coach Brent Myers graduated from Hillsdale College, the NCAA Division II college that Veldheer would attend. In 2008, Veldheer was co-captain of the Hillsdale Chargers football team. After the 2009 season, the American Football Coaches Association named him First-Team All-American. Veldheer is an alumnus of the Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity.

Veldheer was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round (69th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft. At the conclusion of the 2010 preseason, he was named Oakland's starting center, beating out veteran Samson Satele. However, after the first game, Veldheer was moved back to offensive tackle, replaced at center by Satele for the rest of the season, and began sharing time with veteran Mario Henderson. By midseason, Veldheer had supplanted Henderson to become the Raiders' full-time starting left tackle. On opening day of the 2011 NFL season, he started at left tackle next to rookie Stefen Wisniewski and the offensive line cleared the way for 190 rushing yards and a victory over the Denver Broncos.