Kingsley-Collins Ezenna Keke (born September 26, 1996) is an American football defensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas A&M, and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Kingsley Keke
refer to caption
Keke with the Packers in 2019
Personal information
Born: (1996-09-26) September 26, 1996 (age 27)
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:288 lb (131 kg)
Career information
High school:George Ranch
(Richmond, Texas)
College:Texas A&M (2015–2018)
Position:Defensive tackle
NFL draft:2019 / Round: 5 / Pick: 150
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:54
Sacks:6.5
Forced fumbles:2
Pass deflections:5
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years edit

Kingsley-Collins Ezenna Keke played football and basketball at George Ranch High School in Richmond, Texas.[1] As a senior, Keke made sixty tackles, ten tackles for loss, five sacks, blocked a pair of kicks, and was a finalist for the Greater Houston Rotary Lombardi Award.[2]

College career edit

 
Keke in 2016

Keke played at Texas A&M from 2015 to 2018. In his career at Texas A&M, he recorded one hundred fifty total tackles, twenty-one tackles for loss, and twelve sacks.[2]

Professional career edit

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 2+58 in
(1.90 m)
288 lb
(131 kg)
34+12 in
(0.88 m)
9+34 in
(0.25 m)
4.95 s 1.76 s 2.89 s 4.46 s 7.55 s 31.5 in
(0.80 m)
9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)
20 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[3][4]

Green Bay Packers edit

Keke was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round, 150th overall, in the 2019 NFL Draft.[5] On May 3, 2019, he signed his rookie contract with the Packers.[6]

In Week 3 of the 2020 season against the New Orleans Saints, Keke recorded his first two career sacks on Drew Brees during the 37–30 win.[7] In Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he sacked Carson Wentz twice and had four total tackles (two for loss) during the 30–16 win.[8]

On January 19, 2022, Keke was released by the Packers.[9] He was claimed the following day by the Houston Texans[10]

Houston Texans edit

On January 20, 2022, Keke was claimed off waivers by the Texans.[11] He was waived on May 3, 2022.[12]

Arizona Cardinals edit

On May 13, 2022, Keke signed with the Arizona Cardinals.[13] He was released on August 14, 2022.[14]

NFL career statistics edit

Regular season edit

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds TD FF FR Yds TD
2019 GB 14 0 10 3 7 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020 GB 15 9 21 12 9 4.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
2021 GB 12 8 23 10 13 2.5 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Total 41 17 54 25 29 6.5 5 0 0 0 2 0 0 0
Source: pro-football-reference.com

Postseason edit

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Total Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds TD FF FR Yds TD
2019 GB 2 0 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 2 0 3 2 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Source: pro-football-reference.com

Personal life edit

Keke spent a year in Nigeria during his childhood.[15]

References edit

  1. ^ "Kingsley Keke's High School Timeline". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Kingsley Keke – Football". Texas A&M University Athletics – Home of the 12th Man. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  3. ^ "Kingsley Keke Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". National Football League. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  4. ^ "Kingsley Keke, Texas AM, DT, 2019 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Spofford, Mike (April 27, 2019). "Quick pick: Packers select Texas A&M DL Kingsley Keke in fifth round". Packers.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  6. ^ "Packers sign six draft choices". packers.com. May 3, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  7. ^ "Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints – September 27th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  8. ^ Jacobson, Zachary (December 6, 2020). "Kingsley Keke terrorizes Eagles, posts second two-sack game". Packer Report. 247Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  9. ^ "Packers release DL Kingsley Keke". Packers.com. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  10. ^ "Texans claim former Packers defensive lineman Kingsley Keke". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Simmons, Myles (January 20, 2022). "Texans claim Kingsley Keke off waivers". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
  12. ^ Simmons, Myles (May 3, 2022). "Texans waive Kingsley Keke, Sam Cooper". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  13. ^ Urban, Darren (May 13, 2022). "Cardinals Seek Defensive Line Help By Signing Kingsley Keke". AZCardinals.com.
  14. ^ Urban, Darren (August 14, 2022). "Cardinals Make Their First Cuts To Get To 85". AZCardinals.com.
  15. ^ Schneidman, Matt (September 7, 2020). "Did you know? An interesting tidbit about every player on the Packers roster". The Athletic. Retrieved September 9, 2020.

External links edit