ON THE RISE: Seth DeValve leaps for the ball during his career with the Princeton University football team. DeValve is getting ready for his second training camp with the Cleveland Browns, which starts this Thursday in Berea, Ohio. Tight end DeValve made 10 catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns last fall in his rookie campaign. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Despite being hampered by injuries that caused him to miss a big chunk of playing time in his final two seasons with the Princeton University football team, Seth DeValve caught the eye of the National Football League.

The star receiver was chosen as the 138th pick in the fourth round of the 2016 National Football League draft by the Cleveland Browns, the highest-drafted Tiger in the modern era.

But as DeValve, 24, started training camp for the Browns last summer, a hamstring injury nearly derailed his pro career. Keeping his head in the game as his leg got better by taking mental reps and soaking in the team’s playbook, DeValve returned to action in August.

“I got healthy, I got back into the swing of things,” said the 6’3, 245-pound DeValve, a native of Manchester, Conn. who had 122 receptions for 1,336 yards and seven touchdowns in his Princeton career, ranking 10th in catches in program history.

“By the third preseason game, I was playing a lot. I played in the fourth preseason game. I made the team.”

As the season unfolded, DeValve made an impact for the 1-15 Browns at back-up tight end, recording 10 catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

 On Thursday, DeValve starts his second training camp with the Browns in Berea, Ohio, looking to move into a starting spot at tight end.

Over the spring, he took a step forward in that quest, playing a bigger role in organized team activities (OTAs) as the Browns went through their off-season paces.

“I got to take a lot more reps and assume more responsibility and have more of a leadership role, which I like,” said DeValve, who was a team captain in his final season at Princeton. “It was a good experience, it challenged me.”

The experience of getting into NFL preseason action last summer put things into perspective for DeValve.

“You get drafted, you go through the mini-camps, and you get to camp and it doesn’t maybe seem real yet,” said DeValve.

“But once you run through the tunnel into the stadium with 60,000 fans and the flames on either side, that makes it real. I am in the NFL. I can remember we were in a TV timeout and I was in the huddle on the field just waiting for the broadcast to start again and the refs to blow the whistle. I had time to think during the timeout and it was like how the heck did I get from playing Harvard to playing here. It was pretty cool.”

Playing against the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener last September was another eye-opening moment for DeValve.

“The second wakeup call that I had was that first regular season game, realizing what it is going to take to win and be a good player at that level,” said DeValve.

“Sometimes you just have to go through it. I left the field thinking I could have done better; I could have prepared better. That springboarded me for the rest of the season and how I was going to prepare.”

On October 30, DeValve made his first career catch with a five-yard reception against the New York Jets.

“I know in the huddle when a play is called if it is designed for me,” said DeValve.

“I get excited when those plays get called in the game. In the play against the Jets, I remember that Darrelle Revis was covering me, what a great opportunity to get my first catch.”

Less than two weeks later, DeValve found the end zone for the first time as a pro, scoring on a 25-yard pass play against the Baltimore Ravens in a Thursday Night Football contest.

“Quite honestly that was one of the easiest touchdowns I have scored,” said DeValve.

“I don’t think I was touched the entire time, it was just a good play call and throw.”

DeValve produced a very good game on November 27 against the New York Giants, making three catches for 39 yards, including a long reception of 21 yards.

“I felt like after that game that I could really be a great player in the NFL, not because I got three catches but because I caught three balls and moved down the field and broke tackles,” said DeValve.

“It gave me confidence in my ability to play at that level and be a great player.”

As DeValve gets ready to hit to the field for the 2017 campaign, he believes the performance against the Giants is a harbinger of things to come.

“I am carrying that confidence up to the present day, ready to get out to a second season and be a better player,” said DeValve, who is focusing on running drills in his training the summer, working out at the Inspire Performance Academy in Pennington before heading back to the Cleveland area this month.

“My goals and expectations are to be the No.1 tight end; getting on the field, taking a lot of reps, and catching a lot of balls.”