Chigoziem Charlton "Chig" Okonkwo (born September 8, 1999) is an American football tight end for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland.
![]() Okonkwo in 2023 | |||||||
No. 85 – Tennessee Titans | |||||||
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Position: | Tight end | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Powder Springs, Georgia, U.S. | September 8, 1999||||||
Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 238 lb (108 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Hillgrove (Powder Springs, Georgia) | ||||||
College: | Maryland (2018–2021) | ||||||
NFL draft: | 2022 / Round: 4 / Pick: 143 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Early years
editOkonkwo grew up in Powder Springs, Georgia, and attended Hillgrove High School.[1] He was born to a Nigerian family.[2] As a junior, he caught 48 passes for 907 yards and 12 touchdowns.[3] Okonkwo was rated a three-star recruit and committed to play college football at Maryland over offers from Georgia Tech and Wisconsin.[4]
College career
editOkonkwo caught six passes for 69 yards and a touchdown and also rushed three times for 72 yards and a touchdown during his freshman season.[5] As a sophomore, he had 19 receptions for 201 yards and two touchdowns.[6] Okonkwo missed the 2020 season after he developed myocarditis.[7][8] As a senior, Okonkwo caught 52 passes for 447 yards and five touchdowns.[9]
Professional career
editHeight | 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 2+1⁄2 in (1.89 m) |
238 lb (108 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.52 s | 1.57 s | 2.65 s | 4.45 s | 7.19 s | 35.5 in (0.90 m) |
9 ft 9 in (2.97 m) |
13 reps | |
Sources:[10][11] |
Okonkwo was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 143rd overall pick by the Tennessee Titans.[12] He made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the New York Giants.[13] In Week 4, against the Indianapolis Colts, he scored his first NFL touchdown on an eight-yard reception from Ryan Tannehill.[14] As a rookie, he appeared in all 17 games and started eight. He finished with 32 receptions for 450 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.[15] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[16]
NFL career statistics
editLegend | |
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Bold | Career high |
Regular season
editYear | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | ||
2022 | TEN | 17 | 8 | 32 | 450 | 14.1 | 48 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2023 | TEN | 15 | 10 | 49 | 458 | 9.3 | 39 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Career | 32 | 18 | 81 | 908 | 11.2 | 48 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 1.6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
References
edit- ^ Simmons, Chad (April 18, 2017). "Chigoziem Okonkwo is looking national and he has a plan". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "Feature Friday | A Football Family | umterps.com". static.umterps.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ Culpepper, Juliakate E. (August 17, 2017). "Georgia Tech target and Hillgrove receiver to announce commitment". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Bednarowski, John (August 19, 2017). "Hillgrove pass-catcher Chigoziem Okonkwo commits to Maryland". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Markus, Don (October 25, 2019). "Spurred by his father's death, tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo is becoming a man for Maryland offense". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Greene, Scott (July 17, 2020). "Okonkwo named to Mackey Award watch list". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Giambalvo, Emily (April 16, 2021). "Maryland tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo back after myocarditis". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ McFadden, Ryan (October 28, 2021). "Terps might have strongest sneaker game in college football thanks to Chigoziem Okonkwo's mysterious hookup". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Wesley (February 8, 2022). "Former Maryland football standout impressing scouts ahead of NFL Draft". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
- ^ "Chig Okonkwo Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ "Chigoziem Okonkwo, Maryland, FB, 2022 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
- ^ Giambalvo, Emily (April 30, 2022). "Titans select Maryland TE Chigoziem Okonkwo in fourth round of NFL draft". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ "New York Giants at Tennessee Titans - September 11th, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ "Tennessee Titans at Indianapolis Colts - October 2nd, 2022". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- ^ "Chigoziem Okonkwo 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- ^ "2022 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
External links
edit- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Tennessee Titans bio
- Maryland Terrapins bio