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Chukwuma Okorafor

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Chukwuma Okorafor
refer to caption
Okorafor with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020
No. 77 – New England Patriots
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1997-08-08) August 8, 1997 (age 27)
Ibadan, Nigeria
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:Southfield (Southfield, Michigan)
College:Western Michigan (2014–2017)
NFL draft:2018 / round: 3 / pick: 92
Career history
Roster status:Reserve/left squad
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 1, 2024
Games played:78
Games started:60
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Chukwuma Okorafor (born August 8, 1997) is a Nigerian professional American football offensive tackle for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Michigan Broncos.[1]

Early life

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Okorafor was born in Nigeria, and lived in South Africa and Botswana before his family emigrated to the United States in 2010.[2][3] He attended Southfield High School in Southfield, Michigan and started at both offensive and defensive line. He was named a 3-star recruit by 247Sports and was considered the 11th best football recruit in Michigan as a senior. Chukwuma received offers from numerous programs, some of which included Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, North Carolina State, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, but chose to play at Western Michigan due to its close proximity to home and the school's promise to start him as a true freshman.[4]

College career

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Okorafor played college football for Western Michigan from 2014 to 2017.[5] In 2016 and 2017, he was named to the All-Mid-American Conference first-team.[6][7] In 2017, he was named a Football Writers Association of America First Team All-American.[8] On January 27, 2018, Okorafor played in the 2018 Reese's Senior Bowl and was a part of the North team that lost 45–16 to the South team.[9]

Professional career

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External videos
video icon Okorafor's NFL Combine Workout

Okorafor attended private workouts and visits with the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles.[10] He was ranked as the sixth-best offensive tackle in the draft by Sports Illustrated, the ninth-best offensive tackle by DraftScout.com, and the 11th best-offensive tackle by Scouts Inc.[11][12]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 6 in
(1.98 m) 		320 lb
(145 kg) 		34+1⁄2 in
(0.88 m) 		10+1⁄4 in
(0.26 m)		 5.31 s 1.85 s 3.07 s 4.80 s 7.87 s 23.5 in
(0.60 m)		 8 ft 6 in
(2.59 m)		 19 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13][14]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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External videos
video icon Steelers draft Okorafor 92nd overall

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Okorafor in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2018 NFL draft.[15] Okorafor was the 11th offensive tackle drafted in 2018.[16][17] On May 22, 2018, the Steelers signed Okorafor to a four-year, $3.40 million contract that included a signing bonus of $812,364.[18]

On November 25, 2018, against the Denver Broncos, Okorafor made his first NFL start at right tackle due to injuries to Marcus Gilbert and Matt Feiler.[19][20] During the 2018 NFL season, he also made two starts as a tight end, being used by the Steelers as an extra tackle.[21][22]

On November 10, 2019, against the Los Angeles Rams, Okorafor made his first start of the 2019 NFL season due to an injury to Ramon Foster.[23]

On March 14, 2022, Okorafor signed a three-year, $29.25 million contract extension with the Steelers.[24]

On February 20, 2024, the Steelers released Okorafor.[25]

New England Patriots

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On March 7, 2024, Okorafor signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots.[26] He was named the Week 1 starting left tackle, but was benched midgame due to poor play. He was placed on the exempt/left squad list before Week 2.[27] He would not return to the team after the five-day exemption period expired, meaning that he would not be allowed to play for the rest of the season.[28]

References

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  1. ^ Nothaft, Patrick (December 12, 2017). "WMU offensive tackle Chukwuma Okorafor earns first-team All-America honors". mlive. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  2. ^ Varley, Teresa (May 15, 2018). "Okorafor fell in love with football". Steelers.com. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Chukwuma Okorafor's soccer past helps him 'holding his own' in Steelers camp". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 7, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "Chukwuma Okorafor 247Sports".
  5. ^ "Chukwuma Okorafor - Football". Western Michigan University Athletics.
  6. ^ "Broncos Receive Record Number of MAC Awards". Western Michigan University Athletics.
  7. ^ "WMU Garners 12 All-MAC Recognitions, Phillips Named Special Teams POTY". Western Michigan University Athletics.
  8. ^ "Okorafor Named First Team All-American by FWAA". Western Michigan University Athletics.
  9. ^ "Okorafor participates, Phillips sits with sprained ankle at 2018 Reese's Senior Bowl". westernherald.com. January 29, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  10. ^ "DRAFT Eagles NewsWestern Michigan OT Chukwuma Okorafor has official visit scheduled with Eagles". 4thandjawn.com. March 21, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "Chukwuma Okorafor, DS #9 OT, Western Michigan". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "The 2018 NFL Draft Big Board, Vol. 2". si.com. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  13. ^ "Chukwuma Okorafor Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  14. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Scout Chukwuma Okorafor College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  15. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  16. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Results: Pittsburgh Steelers select Chukwuma Okorafor with third round pick". Behind The Steel Curtain. April 27, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  17. ^ "Steelers sign Okorafor". Steelers.com. May 22, 2018.
  18. ^ "OverTheCap.com: Chukwuma Okorafor contract". Overthecap.com. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  19. ^ "Steelers rookie Chuks Okorafor plays 'butt off' in 1st start". November 25, 2018.
  20. ^ "Steelers' Okorafor on living up to The Standard". ESPN.com. November 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "Steelers' Chuks Okorafor confident after rookie season | TribLIVE.com". triblive.com.
  22. ^ "Chuks Okorafor introduced to Steelers' 3rd tackle/tight end role". August 25, 2018.
  23. ^ "How the Steelers will adjust their offensive line vs. the LA Rams with Ramon Foster in concussion protocol". pennlive. November 8, 2019.
  24. ^ Varley, Teresa (March 14, 2022). "Okorafor signed to three-year contract". Steelers.com. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  25. ^ Varley, Teresa (February 12, 2024). "Steelers make roster moves". Steelers.com.
  26. ^ Lazar, Evan (March 7, 2024). "Report: Patriots Agree to Terms With Free Agent OT Chukwuma Okorafor". Patriots.com.
  27. ^ "Patriots Elevate G Michael Jordan to the Active Roster; T Chukwuma Okorafor Placed on Exempt/Left Squad". Patriots.com. September 14, 2024.
  28. ^ Masala, Mike (September 21, 2024). "Patriots offensive lineman isn't allowed to play for the team again in 2024". Sporting News. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
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