He played college football for the Stanford Cardinal, twice earning consensus All-American honors.

Yankey attended Centennial High School in Roswell, Georgia, where he earned four varsity letters playing as an offensive lineman for head coach Jeff Measor.

[2] Yankey was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (145th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.

[4] On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Vikings and was signed to the practice squad the next day.

[5][6] The Carolina Panthers signed Yankey to a futures contract on January 12, 2016.