NFL Top Player - Andre Caldwell

Andre Jerome Caldwell (born April 15, 1985), nicknamed Bubba Caldwell, is an American professional football player who is currently a wide receiver for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). Caldwell played college football for the University of Florida, where he was a member of a BCS National Championship team. A third-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft, he has played professionally for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Denver Broncos.

Early years
Caldwell was born in Tampa, Florida in 1985. He attended Tampa's Jefferson High School, where he played quarterback and also lined up at receiver and returned punts for the Jefferson Dragons high school football team. His senior year, he moved from wide receiver to starting quarterback, and passed and rushed for over 2,220 yards and thirty-eight touchdowns while leading the Dragons to a Florida Class 4A state championship. He was the Tampa Tribune's Hillsborough County Player of the Year, an all-state selection, and was named a Parade magazine, SuperPrep and USA Today high school All-American following his senior season in 2002. He played in the 2003 U.S. Army All-American Bowl.

College career
Caldwell accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Ron Zook and coach Urban Meyer's Florida Gators football team from 2003 to 2007. In part because of his brother Reche's legacy as a Gator, and in part because of his friendship with Florida commitment and quarterback Chris Leak, Caldwell chose to play for the Gators.

As a true freshman seeing limited playing time, he had just nineteen receptions. During his sophomore season in 2004, Caldwell's production jumped to forty-three catches and three receiving touchdowns, as well as two rushes for sixty-six yards and one score. He received a medical redshirt for the 2005 season after fracturing his leg in an early-season Southeastern Conference (SEC) game against the Tennessee Volunteers. During his junior season in 2006, he emerged as the Gators' second leading wide receiver in catches (57), yards (577) and touchdowns (6), and also threw for a touchdown pass in the Gators 38–28 victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks in the 2006 SEC Championship Game. As a junior in 2006, he threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to help the Gators win their seventh SEC championship. Four weeks later, the Gators won their first BCS Championship Game and the second national championship in team history.

Just days after the 2007 BCS National Championship Game, Caldwell announced he would return to Florida for his senior season. As a senior team captain in 2007, Caldwell recorded a career-high 761 yards and seven touchdowns on fifty-six receptions, had twelve carries for fifty-eight rushing yards and a touchdown, and was the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award as the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage." Caldwell finished his senior season with 100-yard receiving games against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, Vanderbilt Commodores, South Carolina Gamecocks and Florida Atlantic Owls. His 185 receptions in his four-year college career remains the best career total in Gators history.

Caldwell was also a member of the Florida Gators track and field team, and recorded a personal best of 10.74 seconds in the 100 meters. He graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in sociology in December 2007.

Professional career

2008 NFL Combine

Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals chose Caldwell in the third round (ninety-seventh overall pick) in the 2008 NFL Draft, and played for the Bengals for four seasons from 2008 to 2011. In his rookie year, he made contributions in late season as a receiver and kickoff returner, and finished with eleven receptions for seventy-eight yards, a 26-yard average on thirteen kickoff returns, and five rushes for fifty-three yards during his rookie season. Caldwell caught his first career touchdown, a game winning touchdown against the Steelers on September 27, 2009. In Week 5, Caldwell caught another game-winning touchdown pass against the Baltimore Ravens with 20 seconds to go in the game.

2009: Caldwell played all 16 games (3 starts) for the first time in his career and tallied a career-best 51 receptions for 432 yards (8.5 avg.) with three touchdowns for the AFC North Champions... Returned 29 kickoffs for 539 yards (18.6 avg.)... Recorded two catches for 25 yards (12.5 avg.) in Cincinnati’s AFC Wild Card Game vs. NYJ (1/9)... Produced multiple receptions in 15-of-17 games played, including the postseason.

2010: Caldwell saw action in 15 games, including a career-high five starts, and registered 25 receptions for 345 yards (13.8 avg.)... Totaled the three highest receiving yardage outputs of his career over the last three weeks of the season, averaging five receptions and 90 yards per game over that span... Set career-highs in catches (7) and receiving yards (94) in Cincinnati’s season finale at Bal. (1/2).

2011: Caldwell played 13 games (2 starts) for the Bengals and totaled 37 receptions for 317 yards (8.6 avg.) and tied a career-high with three touchdowns... Posted multiple catches in 11-of-13 games played... Recorded the longest touchdown reception (49 yds.) of his career at Bal. (11/20)... Missed the Bengals’ final three regular season games and the postseason due to a hernia... Officially placed on injured reserve on Dec. 27.

Denver Broncos
Caldwell signed a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos on March 21, 2012. He was re-signed by the Broncos to a two-year deal on March 11, 2014. The contract is worth up to $3.5 million.

2012: Caldwell played eight games in his first season with the Broncos and totaled one reception for 18 yards,one rush for 14 yards and one special-teams tackle... Inactive for eight regular-season contests as well as Denver’s AFC Divisional Playoff Game vs. Bal. (1/12).

2013: Caldwell played all 16 regular-season games for the second time in his career... Caught 16 passes for 200 yards and tied a career-best with three touchdown receptions... Made one reception for a 28-yard touchdown that gave Denver a 21-17 lead in the third quarter vs. Bal. (9/5)... Caught his longest pass as a Bronco, a 36-yard reception at NYG (9/15)... Made a pair of special-teams stops at Ind. (10/20)... Made a special-teams tackle vs. K.C. (11/17)... Caught one pass for four yards and saw his first action as a kick returner for the Broncos at K.C. (12/1)... Posted his first career multi-touchdown game, finishing with a game-high six catches and 59 yards with a pair of scores vs. S.D. (12/12)... Appeared in all three playoff games, finishing with two catches for 26 yards.

Personal
Caldwell is the younger brother of Reche Caldwell, former NFL wide receiver and Florida Gators star.

Caldwell attended Thomas Jefferson High School in Tampa, Fla., where he earned senior All-America honors from Parade and SuperPrep after scoring 38 touchdowns and leading his team to a 13-2 record and a berth in the state title game... Older brother, Reche Caldwell, played six seasons as a wide receiver in the NFL with San Diego, (2002-05), New England (2006) and Washington (2007)... Majored in sociology at Florida... Andre Caldwell, who is nicknamed ‘Bubba,’ was born on April 15, 1985, in Tampa, Fla.