Olisaemeka Udoh (born February 14, 1997) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Elon Phoenix and was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round, 193rd overall in the 2019 NFL draft.
| No. 74 – New Orleans Saints | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | February 14, 1997 Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 320 lb (145 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Terry Sanford (Fayetteville, North Carolina) | ||||||
| College: | Elon (2014–2018) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2019 / round: 6 / pick: 193 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 2, 2024 | |||||||
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Early life
editBorn to Benjamin and Rita Udoh in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Udoh attended Terry Sanford High School. He started playing football as a defensive lineman before transitioning to the offensive side of the ball as a senior, earning second team Cape Fear Region honors after helping the program reach the playoffs for the second consecutive year. Udoh was a NCHSAA student-athlete honoree in both 2012 and 2013 and also lettered in track and field in his final season, recording a top-throw of 44'5" (13.54m) in the shot put.[1]
College career
editAfter taking a redshirt year in 2014, Udoh never missed a game with a total of 45 starts throughout his college career at Elon. He was named to the Colonial Athletic Association Football Academic All-Conference Team in both 2015 and 2016. In 2018, he earned a spot as a Phil Steele Football Championship Subdivision First Team All-American and was invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.[2]
Professional career
edit| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Oli Udoh's NFL Combine Workout | |
| Udoh gets drafted by Minnesota |
| 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 5+1⁄2 in (1.97 m) |
323 lb (147 kg) |
35+3⁄8 in (0.90 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
5.05 s | 1.76 s | 2.94 s | 4.78 s | 7.49 s | 28.5 in (0.72 m) |
8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) |
26 reps | |
| All values from 2019 NFL Combine except short shuttle and 3-cone drill from Pro Day.[3][4] | ||||||||||||
Minnesota Vikings
editUdoh was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 193rd overall pick in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft.[5]
Udoh was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Vikings on July 29, 2020. He was activated on August 13, 2020.[6]
Udoh re-signed with the Vikings on March 18, 2023.[7] He suffered a quad injury in Week 2 and was placed on injured reserve on September 19, 2023.[8]
New Orleans Saints
editOn March 19, 2024, Udoh signed with the New Orleans Saints.[9]
Legal troubles
editOn October 31, 2022, Udoh was arrested during the Vikings' bye week for falsely being accused of following a woman into a bathroom at a bar and refusing to leave and was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. The charges were later dismissed and his lawyer characterized the arrest as unlawful due to the evidence proving that he never entered the bathroom with a woman.[10][11]
In May 2023, Udoh was cited on three separate occasions for traffic violations. Two of these incidents were for speeding, including driving 97 MPH in a 55 MPH zone on I-94 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He was also charged with reckless driving in a separate incident two days later.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Olisaemera Udoh - Stats". MileSplit North Carolina.
- ^ "Olisaemeka Udoh - Football". Elon University Athletics. Retrieved May 28, 2019.
- ^ "Oli Udoh Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com.
- ^ "*Olisaemeka Udoh - Elon, OT : 2019 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". www.draftscout.com.
- ^ "Vikings Select Elon T Olisaemeka Udoh in the 6th Round of the NFL Draft". Vikings.com. April 27, 2019.
- ^ "Minnesota Vikings Player Updates On Reserve/COVID-19 List". Vikings.com. July 29, 2020. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
- ^ Peters, Craig (March 18, 2023). "Vikings Agree to Terms on Return for Olisaemeka Udoh". Vikings.com.
- ^ Williams, Charean (September 19, 2023). "Vikings place Oli Udoh on injured reserve to make room for Dalton Risner". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints agree to terms with offensive lineman Olisaemeka Udoh". NewOrleansSaints.com. March 19, 2024.
- ^ "MSN". MSN.
- ^ Ragatz, Will (October 23, 2022). "Report: Vikings' Oli Udoh Arrested in Miami For Disorderly Conduct | Sports Illustrated Minnesota Vikings News, Analysis and More". SI.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ Altmann, Erik (June 22, 2023). "Minnesota Viking cited for driving 97 mph in a 55 zone, reckless driving". KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News. Retrieved June 23, 2023.