Eric Nzeocha (born April 1, 1993) is a former German-born French-American football linebacker. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017. He played college football at Wyoming.
| No. 46 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | April 1, 1993 Ansbach, Germany |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 218 lb (99 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | FOS Ansbach (Ansbach, Germany) |
| College: | Wyoming |
| Undrafted: | 2017 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early years
editNzeocha attended high school at FOS Ansbach. He began playing flag football for the Franken Knights youth team, before moving up to the Junior National Team of the Bavarian Football Association. He contributed to the German Junior National Team placing fourth in the U19 European Championship in Spain.
College career
editHis international exposure earned him a scholarship to play for the University of Wyoming. As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in 11 games, playing on special teams. He was named to the Academic All-Conference team.
As a sophomore, he was a backup tight end in all 12 games, registering 8 receptions for 65 yards. He was named to the Academic All-Conference team for the second time.
As a junior, he was converted into a linebacker. He appeared in 11 games with 5 starts at middle linebacker. He posted 35 tackles (20 solo), one tackle for loss, one pass breakup and one forced fumble. He made eight tackles against the University of North Dakota and the United States Air Force Academy. He was named to the Academic All-Conference team for the third time in his career. As a senior, he was a backup at middle linebacker.
Professional career
editNzeocha was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 2017 NFL draft on May 25. He participated in the NFL's International Player Pathway program, and was the second German player to spend a season on Tampa Bay's practice squad.[1] He was waived on September 2. On September 3, Nzeocha earned a spot on the 11-man practice squad as an international player.[2] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Buccaneers on January 1, 2018.[3]
On September 1, 2018, Nzeocha was waived by the Buccaneers and was re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[4][5] He was released on January 7, 2019.
Personal life
editHis brother Mark Nzeocha plays linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers. Nzeocha is half Nigerian.
References
edit- ^ "Bucs Add International Player to Practice Squad for 2017 Season". www.buccaneers.com. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
- ^ Smith, Scott (September 3, 2017). "Bucs Stay Home for Practice Squad". Buccaneers.com.
- ^ Smith, Scott (January 3, 2018). "Bucs Sign Eight to Futures Contracts". Buccaneers.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018.
- ^ Smith, Scott (September 1, 2018). "Robinson, Tandy Among Cuts as Bucs Get to 53". Buccaneers.com.
- ^ Smith, Scott (September 2, 2018). "Bobo Wilson Returns on First Practice Squad". Buccaneers.com.