David Onyemata
| No. 93 New Orleans Saints | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive tackle |
| Personal information | |
| Place of birth: | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight: | 300 lb (136 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Ikeja (NGA) Chrisland Schools |
| University: | Manitoba |
| NFL draft: | 2016 / Round: 4 / Pick: 120 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
David Onyemata (born c. 1993) is a defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Manitoba.
Early years
Onyemata is a native of Lagos, Nigeria, where he attended the Chrisland Schools. He immigrated, on his own, to Winnipeg in 2011 to attend college.
College career
Onyemata had never seen a gridiron football game until he came to Winnipeg, but he became a standout player for the Bisons. In 2011, he approached the Manitoba Bisons football coach Brian Dobie and advised him of his interest to play football. Dobie was intrigued by his frame and thought he could turn Onyemata into a football player. Dobie invited Onyemata to join the team practice and requested that he attend every practice session thereafter and advised Onyemata that missing any practice session will result in his elimination from the team. Onyemata obliged the conditions of coach Dobie and attended every practice. He did not play a game for the Manitoba Bisons for a year and instead worked on his fundamentals with the defensive coaches having never played the game before. Onyemata steadily progressed as a football player and eventually became a starter in 2013. In 2015, Onyemata won the J. P. Metras Trophy as the top down lineman in CIS football,[1] and was invited to play in the East–West Shrine Game. The CFL Scouting bureau place Onyemata as the top prospect in their final rankings for the 2016 CFL draft.[2]
Professional career
On April 30, 2016, Onyemata was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft as the 120th overall pick. He was the first player from the University of Manitoba ever selected for the NFL draft, and the twelfth NFL draft pick from the CIS. The Saints traded their fifth round picks for 2016 and 2017 to Washington in order to draft Onyemata.[3][4]
References
- ↑ Kirk Penton, "Manitoba Bisons David Onyemata wins J.P. Metras trophy as top down lineman in CIS", Winnipeg Sun, November 26, 2015.
- ↑ "David Onyemata only Canadian with good shot at NFL draft", Toronto Sun, April 26, 2016.
- ↑ Larry Holder, "Saints trade up for mystery man Canadian DT David Onyemata", The Times-Picayune, April 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Bison defensive lineman David Onyemata makes history as first Manitoba Bisons football player selected in NFL Draft by New Orleans Saints in the 4th round (120th overall pick) in the 2016 NFL Draft", Manitoba Bisons, April 30, 2016.
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