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]
 Nwaneri with the Cowboys during the 2014 NFL preseason | |||||
| No. 77 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | March 20, 1984 Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||
| Died: | December 30, 2022 (aged 38) West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. | ||||
| 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 | |||||
| |||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||
Early life
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A | ||||||
| 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
| 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
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 was released on March 4, 2014.[8]
Dallas Cowboys
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
Nwaneri died on December 30, 2022. Preliminary results indicated a possible heart attack. He was 38.[11]
References
External links
