# Tank Dell

Nathaniel Jasper "Tank" Dell Jr. (born October 29, 1999) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama A&M, Independence Community College, and Houston.

## College career

Dell attended Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida. He had originally committed to Florida International University (FIU) to play college football but attended Alabama A&M University instead. After one year at Alabama A&M in which he had 12 receptions for 364 yards and three touchdowns, he transferred to Independence Community College. In his lone year at Independence, he had 52 receptions for 766 yards and eight touchdowns.
Dell transferred to the University of Houston in 2020. In his first year at Houston, he led the team with 29 receptions for 428 yards and three touchdowns over eight games. In 2021, he again led the team with 90 receptions for 1,329 yards with 12 touchdowns. He returned to Houston as the number one receiver in 2022, during which he made 100 receptions for 1,398 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns in only 13 games played.

### College statistics

| Season | Team | GP | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving |
| Season | Team | GP | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2018 | Alabama A&M | 4 | 12 | 364 | 30.3 | 3 |
| 2019 | Independence CC | 10 | 52 | 766 | 14.7 | 8 |
| 2020 | Houston | 8 | 29 | 428 | 14.8 | 3 |
| 2021 | Houston | 14 | 90 | 1,329 | 14.8 | 12 |
| 2022 | Houston | 13 | 109 | 1,398 | 12.8 | 17 |
| Career | Career | 49 | 292 | 4,285 | 14.7 | 43 |

## Professional career

Pre-draft measurables :
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Broad jump |
| 5 ft 8+3⁄8 in (1.74 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) | 8+5⁄8 in (0.22 m) | 4.49 s | 1.49 s | 2.57 s | 10 ft 1 in (3.07 m) |
| All values from NFL Combine ||||||||
Dell was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round, 69th overall, of the 2023 NFL draft. In Week 11 against the Arizona Cardinals, Dell caught eight passes for a career-high 149 yards, and one touchdown. In Week 13 against the Denver Broncos, Dell suffered a fractured fibula and was ruled out for the rest of the season. He underwent surgery to repair the fibula the next day. He finished the season with 47 catches for 709 yards and seven touchdowns, which was among the rookie leaders at the time of the injury.
In Week 9 of the 2024 season, against the New York Jets, Dell had six receptions for 126 yards in the 21–13 loss. During the Texans’ Week 16 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, Dell collided with teammate Jared Wayne on a touchdown pass from C. J. Stroud and suffered a season-ending knee injury that included a dislocated knee, multiple torn ligaments, and meniscus damage. Prior to the injury, Dell had 51 catches for 667 yards and three touchdowns. Later, it was reported he was likely to miss the entire next season while recovering from the injury.

## NFL career statistics

Legend :
| Bold | Career high |

### Regular season

| Year | Team | Games | Games | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Receiving | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Rushing | Fumbles | Fumbles |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost |
| 2023 | HOU | 11 | 8 | 47 | 709 | 15.1 | 68 | 7 | 11 | 51 | 4.6 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | HOU | 14 | 10 | 51 | 667 | 13.1 | 50 | 3 | 9 | 43 | 4.8 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | Career | 25 | 18 | 98 | 1,376 | 14.0 | 68 | 10 | 20 | 94 | 4.7 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 |

## Personal life

On April 27, 2024, Dell sustained minor injuries from a shooting in Sanford, Florida. He was released from the hospital the next day.