Uche Nwaneri
This article needs additional citations for verification. (June 2023) |
![]() Nwaneri with the Cowboys during the 2014 NFL preseason | |||||
No. 77 | |||||
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Position: | Guard | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Dallas, Texas, U.S. | March 20, 1984||||
Died: | December 30, 2022 West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. | (aged 38)||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||
Weight: | 310 lb (141 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Garland (TX) Naaman Forest | ||||
College: | Purdue | ||||
NFL draft: | 2007 / Round: 5 / Pick: 149 | ||||
Career history | |||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Uchechukwu Eberechukwu Nwaneri // (/ˈuːtʃeɪ nwɑːˈnɛri/ OO-chay nwah-NERR-ee) (March 20, 1984 – December 30, 2022) was an American football guard who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football at Purdue and was selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL draft.[1] After retiring, he ran "The Observant Lineman" channel on YouTube.[2]
Early life
[edit]Nwaneri attended Naaman Forest High School in Garland, Texas, where he was teammates with Melvin Bullitt.
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40‡ | Commit date |
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Uche Nwaneri OL | Garland, Texas | Naaman Forest High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | 5.0 | Jul 8, 2003 |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: -- (OL) Rivals: 66 (OL), -- (TX) | ||||||
Sources:
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Nwaneri committed to Purdue University on July 8, 2003.[3] Nwaneri also had FBS scholarship offers from Kentucky, and Texas A&M.[4]
Professional career
[edit]Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 3+1⁄8 in (1.91 m) | 325 lb (147 kg) | 34+1⁄8 in (0.87 m) | 10 in (0.25 m) | 5.44 s | 1.87 s | 3.13 s | 27.5 in (0.70 m) | 8 ft 1 in (2.46 m) | 24 reps | |||
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[5][6] |
Jacksonville Jaguars
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0e/UcheNwaneri2009.jpg/220px-UcheNwaneri2009.jpg)
Nwaneri saw limited action as a rookie during the Jaguars' 2007 playoff run, playing in 9 games with 1 start. The next season, he was elevated to starter after an injury to starting guard Vince Manuwai. In all, he appeared in 15 games during the 2008 season, starting 15 of them. He allowed 4.5 sacks during the season.
In 2009, Nwaneri and fellow guard Maurice Williams competed for the starting guard position opposite the returning Vince Manuwai. Nwaneri won the job; Williams was deactivated for much of the season before being released on December 5, 2009.[7] Nwaneri appeared in all 16 games, starting 13 of them. He was only credited with allowing one-half of a sack. Nwaneri was also not penalized during the 2009 season.
Nwaneri's most notable plays occurred in the 2011 season when he made two offensive fumble recoveries in separate games against the Carolina Panthers and the Baltimore Ravens.
Nwaneri was released on March 4, 2014.[8]
Dallas Cowboys
[edit]Nwaneri signed with the Dallas Cowboys on June 25, 2014.[9] He was cut during final roster cuts on August 30, 2014.[10] Following his release, he chose to retire from the NFL.
Death
[edit]Nwaneri died on December 30, 2022. Preliminary results indicated a possible heart attack. He was 38.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
- ^ "Uche Nwaneri - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ "Uche Nwaneri". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
- ^ "Uche Nwaneri". Scout.com. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
- ^ "Uche Nwaneri Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "2007 Draft Scout Uche Nwaneri, Purdue NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "Maurice Williams". www.rotoworld.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008.
- ^ Ryan O'Halloran [@ryanohalloran] (March 4, 2014). "#jaguars have released starting right guard Uche Nwaneri" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Helman, David (June 27, 2014). "Cowboys Officially Sign Veteran Guard Uche Nwaneri". www.dallascowboys.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ Halprin, Dave (August 30, 2014). "Dallas Cowboys Roster Cuts 2014: 53-Man Roster Settled For Now, Ryan Williams Cut". www.bloggingtheboys.com. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
- ^ Wilkins, Ron (January 2, 2023). "Former Purdue, NFL player dies in West Lafayette home". Journal & Courier. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
External links
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)