Shaheen To Start New NFL Chapter With Dolphins

Adam Shaheen officially will begin his Miami Dolphins career on Sunday (Sept. 13) afternoon at the New England Patriots.
 
Shaheen, the former Ashland University All-American tight end, is on the Dolphins' regular-season roster following final cuts over the weekend. He is part of a tight end group which includes fellow third-year pros Mike Gesicki out of Penn State, and Durham Smythe out of Notre Dame. On July 26, Shaheen was traded to the Dolphins by the Chicago Bears for a 2021 National Football League Draft choice, either in the sixth or seventh round.
 
"Not only is he a good protector just with his length — he can match up with those defensive ends — but also the size matchup on a safety or a linebacker," Dolphins tight ends coach George Godsey said in an article last week in the Palm Beach Post. "He's a big, athletic man. He has some basketball background, so he makes good decisions in space. We can improve that and I think he knows that, too."
 
Originally a second-round pick by the Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft, Shaheen played in 27 games (13 starts) from 2017-19 for Chicago, catching 26 passes for 249 yards and four touchdowns.
 
Shaheen is one of four Eagle football players to be drafted into the NFL, is the highest-drafted Ashland player ever, and is one of nine Eagles to play in an NFL regular-season game. The 2020 NFL season will be the 18^th in the 21 seasons this century in which a former Ashland football player has been on a regular-season roster.
 
Shaheen came to Ashland following a year as a basketball player at Pitt-Johnstown, and in his last two seasons, arguably turned in the best stretch for any tight end in NCAA Division II history. His 16 touchdown catches in 2016 not only are an Ashland football record, but they also are the D-II single-season record for a tight end. Shaheen tied the Eagle football single-game record with four touchdown grabs against Northwood on Oct. 8, 2016.
 
Among Shaheen's numerous honors were his being a Harlon Hill Trophy (NCAA Division II Player of the Year) candidate as a junior, first-team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in both 2015 and 2016, and from D2Football.com and the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) in 2016; two College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America selections, including first-team in 2016; Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 2016-17; and two first-team All-GLIAC picks.
 
Despite only starting for two years, Shaheen is ranked sixth in Ashland's 100-year football history with 129 career catches, and is 10th all-time with 1,755 receiving yards.