Darqueze Derrell Dennard (born October 10 1991) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Michigan State and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. Dennard won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2013 as the best defensive back in college football. Dennard attended Twiggs County High School in Jeffersonville Georgia where he was a letterman in football basketball and track. In high school football he played defensive back and wide receiver. As a senior he had 40 receptions for 502 yards and 11 touchdowns on offense and 50 tackles and nine interceptions with two touchdowns on defense.