Duke Shelley
YaQuis Bertron "Duke" Shelley is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft.
Early life
Shelley grew up in Tucker, Georgia and attended Tucker High School. He was a three-year starter for the Tigers and was ranked the 22nd best cornerback in his class by Rivals.com and 33rd by ESPN.College career
In four years at Kansas State, Shelley recorded 165 career tackles and eight interceptions.During his junior year in 2017, Shelley started all 12 games and recorded 13 pass breakups, fourth most in the Big 12 Conference, and was given honorable mention all-conference honors. His senior year was marred by a season-ending toe injury after seven games.
Professional career
Chicago Bears
Shelley was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round in the 2019 NFL draft. Shelley signed a four-year rookie contract with the team on June 20, 2019, worth $2,647,832, including a $127,832 signing bonus. Shelley made his NFL debut on September 5, 2019, in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers. He played in nine games as a rookie, mostly on special teams.Shelley entered the 2021 season as the third cornerback on the depth chart behind Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor. He played in nine games with three starts before suffering a hamstring injury in Week 11. He was placed on injured reserve on November 23, 2021. He was activated on December 21.
On August 31, 2022, Shelley was waived by the Bears.