Jimmy Graham Jimmy Graham ( born November 24 , 1986 ) is an American football tight end for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played only one year of college football for the University of Miami after playing four years of college basketball , and was drafted by the Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft . In his second season in the NFL , Graham had 99 receptions for 1 , 310 yards and 11 touchdowns . That year he made his first Pro Bowl appearance and was selected as an All - Pro player at his position . He became the first tight end in Saints history to have more than 1 , 000 receiving yards in a season . Graham set the Saints franchise record for receptions in a season while also tying the Saints franchise record for touchdowns in a season ( tied with Marques Colston and Joe Horn ) . According to the 2012 NFL Top 100 annual player poll which ranks the 100 greatest players in the NFL , based on NFL players voting on their peers , Jimmy Graham was ranked 14th overall in the NFL . Graham is also second all - time for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season . Early years . Graham had a difficult upbringing ; at age 11 he was placed in a group home where he was physically beaten by older children . In high school , with help from a church youth counselor who took him into her home , he improved his grades , became a basketball star as a senior at Community Christian in Wilson , North Carolina and at Charis Prep in Goldsboro , North Carolina , and earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Miami . College career . Graham played basketball for the Miami Hurricanes men ' s basketball team from 2005 to 2009 . Graham graduated from Miami in May 2009 with a double major in marketing and management , then stayed at Miami to take graduate classes while playing a season of football . He played tight end and finished the season with 17 receptions for 213 yards and five touchdowns . Professional career . 2010 NFL Draft . According to scouts Graham was " extremely athletic , with an outstanding combination of size and speed for the tight end position , " yet he was considered very raw since he only had one year of college football experience . Graham was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft , with the 95th overall selection . He signed a four - year $ 2 . 445 million rookie contract on July 28 , 2010 . New Orleans Saints . In his rookie season in 2010 Graham only started in 5 games , playing behind veteran tight end Jeremy Shockey . In a Week 9 game at Carolina - his first NFL game in his home state - Graham caught a 19 - yard touchdown pass to score his first NFL touchdown , contributing to a 34 - 3 Saints rout . Graham finished the 2010 season with 31 catches for 356 yards and 5 touchdowns . In 2011 - his first full year as a starter - Graham had 99 receptions for 1 , 310 yards and 11 touchdowns and made his first Pro Bowl . He became the first tight end in Saints history to have more than 1 , 000 receiving yards in a season . He set the franchise record for receptions in a season while also tying the Saints franchise record for touchdowns in a season ( Marques Colston in 2007 , and Joe Horn in 2004 , are the other receivers in Saints history with 11 touchdown catches ) . During the Saints week 17 win over the Carolina Panthers , Graham broke Kellen Winslow ' s NFL record of 1 , 290 receiving yards in a season by a tight end . However , the record was broken later that day by New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski , who finished with 1 , 327 yards . In the Divisional Round against the 49ers Graham had a 66 yard touchdown to give the Saints the lead but the Saints would lose 36 - 32 on an Alex Smith pass to Vernon Davis .