Cyrus Kouandjio

Cyrus Kouandjio

refer to caption

Kouandjio with Alabama
No. 71 Buffalo Bills
Position: Offensive tackle
Personal information
Date of birth: (1993-07-21) July 21, 1993
Place of birth: Cameroon
Height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight: 322 lb (146 kg)
Career information
High school: Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha
College: Alabama
NFL draft: 2014 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2015
Games Played: 13
Games Started: 2
Player stats at NFL.com

Cyrus Berenice Kouandjio (/ˈkwɑːndʒoʊ/ KWAHN-joh) (born July 21, 1993) is a Cameroon-born American football offensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Bills in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama.[1]

High school career

Kouandjio attended DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He competed in the 2011 Under Armour All-America Game.[2] Kouandjio, a five-star and consensus top offensive line prospect in the nation by Rivals.com, ESPN, Scout.com, and SuperPrep, received offers from over sixty schools, including: Alabama, Auburn, New Mexico, USC, and Iowa.[3] He was the fourth-ranked prospect in the recruiting class of 2011.[4]

His brother Arie is an offensive guard for the Washington Redskins. On National Signing Day, Kouandjio announced on ESPNU that he would attend Auburn University.[5] Later that day it was reported that he had second thoughts about his choice and was still undecided.[6] Then on February 5, 2011, three days later, Kouandjio's brother Arie announced on his Twitter account that Cyrus would attend the University of Alabama.[7][8]

College career

2011: Kouandjio contributed as a true freshman, playing in eight games until a knee injury in the second half against Tennessee ended his season.[9]

2012: Kouandjio started all 14 games at left tackle. He had the least number of career starts on the Alabama offensive line in 2012. In the 2013 BCS National Championship Game against Notre Dame, Alabama repeatedly ran to the left behind Kouandjio, contributing to 265 net yards rushing and 5.9 yards per rush. On Alabama's third drive Kouandjio pancake blocked Notre Dame defensive end Sheldon Day.[10][11] Kouandjio ended the 2012 season ranked as the top offensive tackle from the 2011 recruiting class.[12]

As a junior in 2013, Kouandjio was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection.[13] After the season he entered the 2014 NFL Draft.[14]

Cyrus is engaged to his college girlfriend, Elizabeth Van Zandt.[15]

Professional career

2014 NFL Draft

As early as April 2013, Kouandjio was projected as one of the top selections in the 2014 NFL Draft.[16] He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.[17] He became the fifth Alabama offensive linemen selected in the first two rounds in six years, after Andre Smith, James Carpenter, Chance Warmack, and D. J. Fluker.

Pre-draft measurables
Ht WtArm lengthHand size 40-yd dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert Broad BP
6 ft 6¾ in 322 lb35⅝ in10¼ in 5.59 s 1.93 s 3.19 s 4.84 s 7.71 s 27½ in 8 ft 0 in 21 reps
All values from NFL Combine[18]

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Saturday, April 23, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.