Early years

Eifert attended Saint Vincent De Paul Catholic School and Bishop Dwenger High School in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He played tight end and defensive back in football and power forward in basketball. As a senior he had nine touchdowns on offense and 97 tackles and five interceptions on defense. Considered only a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, he chose Notre Dame over offers from Indiana, Minnesota and Purdue.

College career

Eifert enrolled in the University of Notre Dame, where he played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team from 2009 to 2012. As a freshman in 2009, Eifert played in only one game after suffering a back injury. As a sophomore in 2010 he entered the season as a backup to Kyle Rudolph, but took over as the starter after Rudolph suffered a season-ending injury. He finished the season with 27 receptions for 352 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. In his junior season, he took over the starting position. As a starter, Eifert had 63 receptions for 803 yards and five touchdowns. He broke the school's tight end single season receptions and receiving yards record, previously held by Ken MacAfee. He was named a 2011 Mackey Award finalist, but did not win the award. As a senior, he had 50 receptions for 685 yards with 4 touchdowns. He also won the 2012 Mackey Award after being named a finalist the year before, and was also named second team All-American by the Associated Press.

After a 42-14 loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game, Eifert decided to forgo his final season of eligibility and declared his intentions to enter the 2013 NFL Draft.

Professional career

2013 NFL Draft

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
6 ft 5 3⁄4 in	250 lb	33 1⁄8 in	9 1⁄8 in	4.65 s	1.65 s	2.69 s	4.32 s	6.92 s	35 1⁄2 in	9 ft 11 in	22 reps

He was selected 21st overall by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Cincinnati Bengals

On July 15, 2013, Eifert signed a four-year, $8.25 million contract with the Bengals. He caught 39 passes for 445 yards and two touchdowns in his first season with the team.

During his first game of the 2014 season against the Baltimore Ravens, Eifert suffered a dislocated elbow after landing awkwardly on his arm while trying to twist out of a leg tackle by safety Darian Stewart. He was placed on injured reserve on September 10th, and ended up being out for the season.

Eifert performed well during the 2015 pre-season, with many notable reporters predicting that he could become a top 5 tight end this season.

During Week 1 against the Oakland Raiders on September 13, 2015, Eifert posted a career day with 9 receptions for 104 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 33-13 victory. Eifert was also Andy Dalton's biggest target in a Week 5, 27-24 comeback victory against the 2-time defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks with 8 receptions for 90 yards and 2 TDs.

During Week 9, Eifert had another breakout game on national television during a Thursday Night Football game against the Cleveland Browns. He finished with 5 catches for 53 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 31-10 Bengals win over the Browns, tying him with Rodney Holman (1989) and Bob Trumpy (1969) for the Bengals franchise record for single-season touchdowns by a tight end, with 9. During week 11, Eifert became the franchise leader for most single-season touchdowns by a tight end. He caught two touchdowns, giving him 11 on the season.

On April 13, 2016, the Bengals announced that they would pick up the fifth-year option of Eifert's contract.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]