Valerian Ume-Ezeoke

Valerian Ume-Ezeoke

refer to caption

Valerian Ume-Ezeoke (63) during Atlanta Falcons Mini-Camp
No. 61Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Center
Personal information
Date of birth: (1993-02-14) February 14, 1993
Place of birth: Garland, Texas
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 295 lb (134 kg)
Career information
High school: Garland (TX) Lakeview Centennial
College: New Mexico State
Undrafted: 2015
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status: Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 10, 2016
Games played: 0
Games started: 0
Player stats at NFL.com

Valerian Ume-Ezeoke (born February 14, 1993) is an American football center for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). Ume-Ezeoke played college football at New Mexico State University.

Early life

Born the son of Anthony and Tina Ume-Ezeoke, Valerian attended Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland, Texas, where he was a member of the Patriots football team. Ume-Ezeoke played both offensive and defensive line for the Patriots, earning an All-State as a sophomore and junior.[1]

Recruiting

Ume-Ezeoke committed to New Mexico State University on September 2, 2010. He choose New Mexico State over football scholarships from the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado State University and Tennessee State University.[2]

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Valerian Ume-Ezeoke
C
Garland, Texas Lakeview Centennial High School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 267 lb (121 kg) –- Sep 2, 2010 
Scout:2/5 stars   Rivals:2/5 stars   247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 36 (C)   Rivals: –- (C), –- (TX)
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

College career

Ume-Ezeoke came in played in 8 games as a true freshman, starting six of those games. As a sophomore, Ume-Ezeoke started all 12 games for the Aggies. Ume-Ezeoke was named to the Rimington Trophy watch list as a junior, again starting all 12 games for the Aggies. As a senior in 2014, Ume-Ezeoke was once again added to the Rimington Tropher watch list[3] and earned All-Sun Belt Conference First Team as an offensive lineman.[4]

Professional career

Prior to the 2015 NFL Draft, Ume-Ezeoke was projected to be undrafted by NFLDraftScout.com. He was rated as the twentieth-best center in the draft.[5]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm length 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 2 in 302 lb32.12 in 5.45 s 1.75 s 3.10 s 4.82 s 8.15 s 30 in 8 ft 10 in 25 reps
All values from 2015 Pro Day Results[5][6]

Atlanta Falcons

On May 6, 2015, Ume-Ezeoke signed as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons.[7] Ume-Ezeoke was cut during the first round of Falcons' cuts on August 30, 2015.[8]

Arizona Cardinals

On January 5, 2016, Ume-Ezeoke was signed by the Arizona Cardinals to a future/reserve contract.[9] On May 4, 2016, he was cut by the Cardinals.[10]

Pittsburgh Steelers

On August 1, 2016, Ume-Ezeoke signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers.[11] On August 20, 2016 the Steelers waived Ume-Ezeoke.[12] On August 22, 2016, Ume-Ezeoke was placed on injured reserve after clearing waivers.[13]

References

  1. "Meet the New Mexico State football Class of 2011". www.foxsports.com. Fox Sports Interactive Media, LLC. February 2, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  2. "Valerian Ume-Ezeoke". www.rivals.com. Yahoo!. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  3. "Three Named to Rimington Watch List". Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  4. "UL Lafayette's McGuire Headlines All-Sun Belt Conference Teams and Individual Award Winners". www.sunbeltsports.org. Sun Belt Conference. December 10, 2014. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Valerian Ume-Ezeoke, DS #20 C, New Mexico State". www.nfldraftscout.com. NFLDraftScout. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  6. Gil Brandt (March 5, 2015). "Ume-Ezeoke of New Mexico State a late-round draft candidate". www.nfl.com. National Football League. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  7. Jay Adams (May 6, 2015). "Falcons Add 19 College Free Agents". www.atlatnafalcons.com. Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  8. Kelsey Conway (August 30, 2015). "Falcons Down to 76-Man Roster". www.atlatnafalcons.com. Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  9. "Cardinals sign four players to future contracts". www.arizonasports.com. Bonneville International. January 5, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  10. Senor Raiz (May 4, 2016). "NFL roster moves: Arizona Cardinals release 4, including C Valerian Ume-Ezeoke". www.revengeofthebirds.com. SB Nation. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  11. Curt Popejoy (August 1, 2016). "Steelers add two, release two in training camp roster moves". www.usatoday.com. USA Today. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  12. Dave Bryan (August 21, 2016). "Steelers Waive DT Roy Philon From IR With Settlement". www.steelersdepot.com. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
  13. Nate Bouda (August 22, 2016). "Steelers Place G Valerian Ume-Ezeoke On I.R. After Clearing Waivers". November 21, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/21/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.